It's a great concept, - and it has a 'cool factor' of 300%! Many people will pop these into their drive just becauseof image appeal alone. What's really neat is when one is so well done, so informative, so interactive, that everybody wants one. This type of viral marketing can be very effective and create residual traffic to your business. The point I would like to make here is, don't undertake these projects without specific goals in mind. Yes, they are cool, yes, they (themselves) are not th More..

14 Ways to De-Stress Employee Vacations

Employees truly deserve paid vacations. They struggle through stressful jobs most of the year, and productivity goes down if they don't get a break. From a corporate perspective, investment in good vacation programs reduces workplace stress absenteeism, health care costs, and accidents. Many employees, however, come back from vacation with the half-joking remark about having to return to work to rest up. Far too many people find vacations just as stressful as the jobs they do every More..

MANAGING CRISIS; when you?re too good at it

When you are acclaimed for excellence during times of crisis you may not feel so good in a non-crisis environment. You may not shine so bright, perform so well, be quite so acclaimed. If crisis is how you satisfy your personal need to be needed, to feel accomplished, to be respected, to be heard, to be noticed, blah blah blah, then you will naturally seek out, create, attract, be drawn into situations that will allow you to meet this need. Your environments and relationships will be filled to th More..

Spirits in the Corporate Boardroom.......Oh, sure......

There is a growing movement in the spiritual and holistic fields to bring a more metaphysical and human potential approach to the business community. Holism has been intergrating intoboth the health and mental health professions for many years now. The men's, women's and environmental movements are a part of that holistic shift in awareness. However, business seems locked intoan older/ outdated model of operation. I have been exploring, training and researching methods to help business take that More..

Seeking Help

Where does the time go? Billable time. As a consultant, your practice may be doingreasonably well; you're charging $100-150 an hour. As an independent consultant,you're probably also doing everything from grinding the coffee to editing theumpteenth draft of your brochure. To understand where you spend your time, list and categorize all your activities intoclerical, professional and other suitable groups. Calculate how many hours you'respending on each-daily, weekly, monthly, annually. Some you More..

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Communicate To The Four Main Personality Types

You probably know this already, but there are generally held to be four main personality types, which I call: Extrovert, Amiable, Analytical and Pragmatic . Let's take a moment to consider each of them in the workplace. Extrovert: someone who probably has a messy desk; who leaves projects 75% completed then gets distracted by new, 'more exciting' projects; someone who communicates their ideas with enthusiasm and charm; makes instant decisions; hates 'paperwork' and the 'dull routines' of life, More..

Forget The Sandwich Technique

Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique when you needed to reprimand someone? Let me give you an example: "Fred, I'm really pleased with how you've been progressing since you joined us and you're doing a great job. However you're not getting your reports in on time and we're missing deadlines. I'd like you to tighten up a bit on this. Anyway,thanks for all you've done so far and keep up the good work." Have you ever said something along these lines? You probably needed Fred More..

6 Simple Steps to Dealing with Difficult Managers

The challenge of managing difficult managers can be rather daunting, especially when you inherit them! If they are your own born and bred, then hopefully they would have evolved into great managers! Experience shows that difficult managers are difficult because they are angry and frustrated about something or somebody (even themselves - especially where they are, or have become, a square peg in a round hole of a job), so the steps to take are these:- Always a first is to build great relationsh More..

Is Your Company in Need of Family Therapy?

How Companies Are Like Families Like a family, a company is a group of people who have an ongoing relationship with one another. Companies have several things in common with families: 1. Families have distinct ways of communicating and degrees of togetherness. For example: ? Communication may be overt or covert. ? Relationships tend to be enmeshed (too close; overly involved) or disengaged (not at all close; uninvolved). ? Boundaries may be described as diffuse (extreme togetherness), rigid More..

How to Create a Positive Work Atmosphere

Positive versus Negative Workplaces We have all worked in places where we grew to dread getting up in the morning, and a few of us have had the pleasure of working for a boss who makes us feel like we can do anything. Let's take a look at the differences between a positive and a negative work environment. Signs of a Negative Work Environment ? The boss is unfriendly. ? The boss is critical. ? There is high employee turnover. ? There is low employee morale. ? People watch the clock. ? Peo More..

Effective Ways to Give Performance Feedback

Consequences of Not Giving Effective Feedback Let's take a look at some typical examples of what goes on in work environments when managers don't give good feedback. Example #1: John has been working at his new job for one month. On his first day at work, Wilma, his boss, showed him what to do and got him started on a project. Since then, Wilma has communicated with him mostly through voice mail and e-mail. She walks past his cubicle and says hello a few times each day, but there hasn't been m More..

Why Your Business Needs an E-Mail Policy

Why is it imperative to have a company E-Mail Policy? It is simply good business, that's why! In addition, having a clear and detailed e-mail policy in place, one that employees sign and date before they are allowed access through your businesss' computers, is critical to you being able to enforce or react to situations that may arise at a later date. Even assuming you have the best folks working for you, or on your behalf, does not negate the need for this type of policy to be established. More..

Using Outlook to Count Responses

Here's a productivity tip that will save you a lot of time and trouble if you need to collate responses from staff for any reason, especially if you work for an organisation with a lot of staff. Case Study: I worked for a financial institution with 3,000 plus employees and had to identify how many employees needed compulsory training in certain legislation so that we could plan and resource the training. I emailed everyone within the centre with a request that if they had not completed the tra More..

Work Environment Tidbits

Color is a big factor effecting all indoor environments. Since most of us spend many hours each day at work, the coloring of the space has a big impact on us. Monotone color schemes can over charge certain personality and behavioral patterns. The color grey can cause depression and frequent change, leading to coping actions like drinking alcohol. Too much grey [ a common business/office main color ] can also lead to unclear thoughts and actions. Sometimes in life and business things need to be s More..

Success: A Wholistic Perspective

The world has always been mixed with the rich, the poor and the middle ground. Should we assume that if you make more and more money, that you are more and more successful? Perhaps not.....looking at ourselves and life that way just keeps us trapped in our animal/primate history. You see in the animal/primate world, the big male controls all the sex and resources, he's the successful one and those around him are less fortunate. This mentality has been the driving force in our political and finan More..

The Business Shaman: Exploring the Mystery of Success!

Note: This article was written for a internet business site. It is a promo for my work with the business world. I published it here for anyone who is interested in a shamanic perspective on creating success, in both business and life. If you read between the lines, it will offer you some help when dealing with any challange. The sound of the drum is strong and steady. It's cold and damp in the large cave, except near the central fire. There are 40 naked, hairy, human-like creatures in deep cele More..

Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success!

We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although most of us don't even realize that. The full study of this issue would take many books, and years of experience to grasp all the factors. Since we can't do that here, we can still focus on applying these skills to making informed business decisions. Those of us making constant business choices, effecting staff, ethics , health, and the botton line ,need all the data we can get our hands on. So these tidbits are designed to help you use yo More..

Eight Skills of Highly Successful Consultants

With deference to Dr. Covey and his very popular Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (all habits that will make us better consultants!), here are eight skills that all of us as consultants can work on to improve. This article will start with three overarching skills, then describe five more specific skills to consider in your ongoing development. One way to look at your total skill set as a consultant (internal or external), is to consider your relative strengths in the three major portions More..

Identifying Potential in Ourselves and Others

If there is someone nearby as you read this look in their eyes. Look closely and you will see great potential inside this person regardless of how "successful" or accomplished they are. If you are alone, get up, find a mirror, and look in your own eyes. There is great potential there too! If you don't believe this premise - that great potential is inside each of us - there is no reason to continue reading. Why? Because this article will give you concrete steps to help you recognize and find tha More..

Nine Steps to Help You Develop Your Potential

Go into any bookstore and you will find a big selection of self-help and personal improvement products. Most everyone (and I'll bet everyone reading this) wants to improve. We know we need to get better, and we want to get better. We may want to improve our personal relationships, our business capabilities, our ability to be disciplined, our desire to juggle four chain saws, or any of hundreds of other things. In that book store you can find books to help you do any of those things! In many cas More..

Leaders Versus Cheerleaders

Everyone wants to describe themselves as a leader. Everyday, new books on leadership come out on the market. Leaders are seen everywhere - business, society, and, of course, politics. Yet, in our culture where greatness is often measured by noise rather than accomplishment, I thought it would be helpful to define the factors that differentiate the true leader from the notorious "cheerleader." * Cheerleaders are thermometers, while true leaders are thermostats. Where thermometers measure the wea More..

Five Key Strategies for Making Your Nonprofit Business More Effective

I love tennis both as a spectator and a weekend player. I also believe that effective nonprofit organizations are an essential part of vibrant, engaged communities. As I was watching The Championships - Wimbledon this year, I realized there are lessons from Wimbledon (both from the players and the tournament itself) that can help your nonprofit achieve attention-getting results. What are these lessons? Have a game plan Successful players know their own strengths and weaknesses and the strengths More..

Great Hires: Avoid Costly Mistakes

Picking people for a job is like going to the store to buy apples. Before you go, you ought to know whether the apples are to be eaten fresh, make into applesauce, baked into a pie or made into juice. Then, you can make the appropriate choices. This is also true for hiring winners. The goal of selection interviews, buying apples, is to make the most appropriate choices...to hire the right people for the job. The goal is to match applicants with openings. More specifically to match applicant's q More..

Business Leadership Skills - Managing the Human Being Behind the Business

Managing the Human Being Behind the BusinessIt's a common problem and we've all seen it - business owners that are just 'too busy' all of the time, and as a result, do not enjoy the success in business they had hoped for. Let's not kid ourselves, there is a lot to focus on: technology, employees, sales, marketing and so on. These functions are essential and need to be well organised and managed. But there is a second aspect to business success that is often overlooked - the effectiveness of the More..

Plans & Goal Setting - Kicking winning Goals

Kicking Winning Business Goals The competition for business is hotting up. The advances in new technology, ease of communication, and increasing expectations from customers have combined to make the marketplace more competitive than ever. In this world it is critical for small and medium businesses to be proactive about creating their future. Without proactivity, things just seem to 'happen' without your control. A management system that is centred around goals is one tool that the business ca More..

50 Great Ways to Motivate and Not Break the Bank

Quick, Easy, and Even Fun! 1. Smile, say "Hi! How are you doing today?" 2. Regularly invite someone to join you for coffee. 3. Send them flowers, chocolate, a bunch of balloons. 4. Provide a group lunch---pizza, six-foot sub, barbecue. 5. Write someone a thank-you note and put a copy in his/her file. 6. Hand out coupons for an extra 30 minutes for lunch. 7. Make a donation to their favorite charity in their name. 8. Give out tickets to a movie/play/cultural/sporting event. 9. Celebrate achievem More..

Performance Appraisals: Nightmares or Sweet Dreams

Some managers think of performance appraisal meetings and recollections of torn Achilles' heels or root canals immediately surface. They're sort of "been there, don't want to go again" situations. The more it can be put off, the better. Study after study shows that both managers and employees are very dissatisfied with performanceappraisalsand often view them as a necessary evil to get over with quickly. Here are seven strategies to turn performance managementfrom a nightmare into a sweet, or a More..

Birds of a Feather May Be Turkeys

Birds of a Feather May Be Turkeys By Gene Griessman, PhD Birds of a feather do flock together. It's true. Given a choice, most of us will seek out people who think like we do, people with whom we feel comfortable, those we won't quarrel with. Visit any company cafeteria and you will notice that the people at the tables will be in groupings from the same discipline, department or ethnic group. As a general rule, relationships do not usually thrive when there are profound differences in values, a More..

10 Ways New Managers Become Great Leaders

"It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead and find no one there." - Franklin D. Roosevelt Persons accepting promotion from individual contributor to leader often do not realize the extent of the change. All too often they assume that they will be doing basically the work as before except that they will now be 'in charge'. In reality, a major change in responsibility is occurring. The new leader requires a different set of skills, attitude and behaviors. When More..

Are You Managing to Lead?

For many people, the terms "manager" and "leader" are synonymous. In the business world, they are often used interchangeably, i.e. "team leader", "team manager", "project manager" - you get the idea. And why not? After all, leaders and managers do basically the same thing, right? In some instances, there do seem to be commonalities between the two and management techniques are sometimes confused with leadership traits. However, there are, I believe, some key distinctions to be made that radical More..

Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them!

Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them! Cold Water Comments are those comments, phrases and ideas that are meant to discourage, disparage, discredit and generally douse your ideas! There are several things you can do to keep those comments in someone's bucket or warm them up once they've been tossed. Planning for the Cold Water - With Towels in Each Hand! Step 1 - Identify the Possible Cold Water Make a list of all the comments you have heard in the past and might expect t More..

Great Groups! - Getting a Group to Think Like a Genius

Great Groups! - Getting a Group to Think Like a Genius Wouldn't it be great to have an Edison or Einstein, or Mozart at your next meeting? If you had a genius at your meeting, do you think you might come up with better results? Let me be the first to tell you that those people won't be at your next meeting. But there are some things you can do as a facilitator - some techniques and tactics that you can use with the group that will help them work better. In this article you will learn some of th More..

Six Reasons to K.I.S.S.

Six Reasons to K.I.S.S. "Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most." - Clement Mok, Chief Creative Officer, Sapient We've all heard THIS acronym, K.I.S.S. - Keep it Simple, Stupid! While I prefer, Keep it Splendidly Simple; the point is the same. Make it simple! All of us have heard the phrase. All of us nervously laugh and knowingly nod our heads when we hear it. All too often we don't follow this sage advice. We've all heard the joke that a consultant is More..

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