Lewena Bayer - How Civility in the Workplace Increases Profitability

For more than 20 years Lewena Bayer has been internationally recognized as the leading expert on civility at work. With a focus on social intelligence and culturally-competent communication, the team at Civility Experts – which includes 501 affiliates in 48 countries has supported 100’s of organizations in building better workplaces. In addition to her role as CEO of international civility training group Civility Experts Inc. www.CivilityExperts.com which includes The Civility Speakers Bureau and Propriety Publishing. Lew is Chair of the International Civility Trainers’ Consortium, President of The Center for Organizational Cultural Competence www.culturalcompetence.ca, and Founder of the In Good Company Etiquette Academy Franchise Group www.ingoodcompanyetiquette.com. Most recently, Lew was selected as an International Advocate for Aegis Trust, a UK based organization focused on peace education and the prevention of genocide. She is also an Education Chair for www.globalgoodwillambassadors.org/. Recently, Dr. Bayer has been assigned the privilege of being named Ambassador of Global Knowledge Exchange http://www.gkefoundation.org/bios-chang.htm and a Master Educator in Global Teachers Academy.  Including 2-time, international bestseller, The 30% Solution, and the pending December release of Golden Rule Peace and Civility Lew is a 17-time published author. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about The 30% Solution.

Please give us a short introduction to what The 30% Solution is about.

The book is based on 20 years in the field and some research by Weber Shadwick that found that civility in the workplace can improve retention, engagement, and profitability by 30%

What inspired you to write this book?

I had been working in the field for a long time and discovered this valuable research that helped us verify what we had known from our fieldwork- civility is a measurable competency with measurable impacts.

Why did you title it "The 30% Solution"?

Based on research outcomes by Weber Shadwick- relates to 30% more profitability due to civility at work.

Why, would you say, does civility at work increase profitability?

How you talk to and treat people matters. Civility is a continuous improvement strategy for managing the people side of business. It offers competency building in 4 key skills that enable people to work well together. The four skills based on Civility Experts Inc. work are: Social Intelligence, Cultural Competency, Continuous Learning, and Systems Thinking.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I am a skilled facilitator, public speaker, and corporate trainer. I secretly play the banjo though.

Tell us more about the cover and how it came about

We wanted to reference how many companies roll the dice when it comes to training- civility isn't that way, there is a strategic, measured approach.

This book is also all about great leadership. What are the qualities every good leader should have?

Integrity, restraint, cultural competence, continuous learning, humility---all of these relate to civility

How much research did this book require from you?

Years and years- and of course we had some help.

Who would benefit most from reading The 30% Solution?

Anyone in business but especially Human Resources, Supervisors, Managers, and business owners.

What are you working on right now?

Three new books: Civility at Work (expansion on 30%), Manufacturing Civility, and Inside Out Beauty (about personal civility)

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

www.civilityexperts.com or I am Dr. Lew Bayer on LinkedIN.