At the heart of employee engagement, there are three basic things that employees basically want:

• They want to know the work they do is worthwhile
• They want to make a difference
• They want to believe their organization has the right purpose and that they contribute to it in a meaningful way

Rounding is defined as “dedicated time that a leader takes to talk with employees on a 1:1 basis.  The concept of rounding takes “management by wandering around” or “leader visibility” to a new level. The format of rounding leads to purposeful conversation that focuses on positives (to harvest recognition opportunities) as well as workplace results.

The communication/documentation of rounding allows for all leaders to be more knowledgeable and in-touch with front-line experiences of their employees and operations which aids in decision making and resource allocation.  When a leader follows up to the input they receive in rounding, this allows leaders to build trust with their employees that they are being heard and that their ideas are important to the organization.

In this session, you will learn about the prevalence and severity of worker burnout that exists in organizations today and hoe to launch purposeful coaching and leader roundings in your workplace.   We will discuss the importance of rounding and the benefits it provides, the results and outcomes you can expect from your employees and customers, and some questions you may consider asking to create a successful rounding experience.

Presenter Bios:

  Denise Forney is an Organizational Development Business Partner for UnityPoint Des Moines, serving the following hospitals:  Blank Children’s Hospital, Methodist, Lutheran and Methodist West.   Denise has over twenty-three years of progressive management and training expertise leading training efforts for several companies in the central Iowa region.  She has designed and facilitated courses for both domestic and international audiences, and appreciates the diversity of the customers she has served. 

Denise holds a Masters of Science Degree in Adult Education/Training and Development from Drake University, and will enter Drake’s Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership Development this fall.   She is an active member of ATD Central Iowa, presenting over the past five years at our local Career Development Days, as well as the 2014 and 2015 ATD International Conferences.  She most recently received ATD Central Iowa’s award for “Share Our Success: Community Impact” in 2016, “Most Innovative Training Solution” in 2010, and “Using Training as a Business Strategy” in 2008.

In addition to her training talents in the classroom, Denise is an accomplished guitarist, singer and songwriter.  She has released several CD's with her family and enjoys performing in the community.