Invest in Employee Development, Reap Rewards

… By Kelly Bosak
When evaluating your business it is important to remember that people are your most important asset. It is the people in your organization that control whether or not your organization succeeds. When thinking about the people in your organization consider the following three messages: succession planning is necessary, reduce workplace conflict, and improve your bottom line. First, succession planning is necessary, and mentoring fills your leadership pipeline.

Employees who receive mentoring are promoted five times more often than those who do not. Further, mentors are six times more likely to be promoted. People are 77% more likely to stay in a job if they are in a mentoring relationship—particularly the younger generations.

Thirty five percent of employees who do not receive regular mentoring look for another job within 12 months. Who will fill your shoes when you retire? Who will fill the shoes of other key leaders when they retire? You may, or may not, have an answer to those questions. If you do not have an answer, you need to begin by reviewing the performance of all your employees to see if there is one, maybe two or three employees, who are ready for a promotion but may need some encouragement.

If you find one or more in this situation, please consider allowing them to participate in the Knowledge Exchange: WIP Mentor Network. Remember, this program not only benefits those being mentored but the mentor as well. The following words were used by 2016 Knowledge Exchange participants to describe their experience: life changing, empowering, rewarding, validating, and awesome.

Workplace conflict has a significant effect on productivity and morale in the office as well. Did you know that U.S. employees spend about 2.8 hours a week dealing with conflict? Did you know that 85% of employees deal with conflict to some degree? Personality clashes make up 49% of the conflict noted. Did you know the typical manager spends 20% to 40% of his or her time managing conflict? A diverse workforce brings about differing strengths and weakness, unique ideas, and different communication styles. It is natural that employees will butt heads from time to time. The Women in Propane Council has a program that will strategically address the conflict to allow your teams to build long-term cohesiveness. The program is called DiSC — Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness. DiSC is a powerful tool that helps managers and employees, both men and women, learn to better understand themselves and achieve optimal performance. The Leadership Forum featuring DiSC training will take place Friday, April 21, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. in conjunction with the NPGA Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo in Nashville, Tenn. I promise those who attend this training session will leave the room with a greater awareness of their own behavior and the behavior of those around them. With a greater awareness, people will improve relationships with those around them, reducing workplace conflict. United Airlines has said the DiSC tool is the most effective training tool they have ever used.

When you invest in your employees through the WIP Knowledge Exchange and the Leadership Forum, you send a message that you care about their development. When employees feel they are cared about they are more engaged in the organization. Employee engagement is all about the emotional connection to the organization and its goals. When an employee is emotionally committed they care about their work and their company. Increasing employee engagement investments by 10% can increase profits by $2400 per employee, per year. Engaged employees lead to higher productivity and quality and higher customer satisfaction, which leads to increased sales and higher levels of profit. If you want to improve your bottom line, send your employees to the Leadership Forum and ask them to participate in the Knowledge Exchange. Remember, increasing employee engagement investments by 10% can increase profits by $2400 per employee, per year. Keeping existing employees saves you money, too. It is far more expensive to replace an employee than keep one happy.

Let’s recap the three messages: succession planning is necessary, reduce workplace conflict, and improve your bottom line. I want you to ask your employees to sign up for the Leadership Forum and Knowledge Exchange as a mentee or mentor. I want you to seriously consider serving as a mentor in the Knowledge Exchange. Without mentors the program does not exist. As a leader, we want you to make a difference and participate.

Kelly Bosak is the 2017 chair of the National Propane Gas Association’s Women in Propane Business Council. She holds the position of director, staffing and affirmative action officer at Ferrellgas in Liberty, Mo. Bosak’s department supports approximately 200 hiring managers nationwide. Kelly has earned the Ferrellgas Humanitarian Award for saving a young boy’s life after a plane crash, the James E. Ferrell Leadership Award and was selected to the 2012 Class of Forty Under 40 by Ingram’s magazine. She has designed, developed, and delivered training to audiences for 15 years and is chair of the Women in Propane Council.

Join the WIP LEADERSHIP FORUM at the 2017 NPGA Southeastern Convention in Nashville, Friday, April 21, 2017. Implementing the highly effective and valuable DiSC® system of Human Behavior Management, the LEADERSHIP FORUM will help managers and their employees learn to better understand themselves and achieve optimal performance! Led by expert trainers Kelly Bosak and Sarah Knight of Ferrellgas — who together have trained thousands of propane professionals — and are certified in the DiSC® model and its training assessments — will make an immediate impact in your workplace…and in your life!

To see the schedule of WIP-sponsored events at the 2017 NPGA SE Convention visit