It is getting harder to run a business for a profit. We are faced with rising costs, lowered demand etc. Our businesses have to be super effective just to keep up. But: * How many more benefits are possible? * Will pay increases increase effectiveness? * Do more benefits really cause workers to produce more? Well there is a way to increase productivity withoutincreasing your Overhead. We deal with doctors every day. And the number onecomplaint the doctors get from their patients is that More..

Pitching to Employees

The senior flight attendant on the WestJet flight was starting the routine safety talk: the bit about flotation vests and emergency exits that we ignore at the beginning of every flight. "If we could have your attention, please, we would appreciate it - in fact we'd be downright shocked," she said. The passengers and the rest of the crew laughed along with her and then, having captured our attention, she went on with her instructions. That event, on my second flight with the airline, may have More..

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Implementation the Catalyst of Change for Management to Reach that Next Level of Success

From the personal and professional experiences of other colleagues and myself, one of the more critical success factors for management is implementation. Through my observations, I have discovered that people and organization spend a great deal of resources including time, dollars and the cumulative total of the energy generated from these efforts to create business or strategic plans. Yet, these very same costly plans languish in a manager's desk drawer or on an executive's shelf. The incredibl More..

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Enhance the Motivational Climate of the Workplace

It has been well documented that employees' productivity and job quality increase when we are made to feel welcomed at work. In other words, when the motivational climate is enhanced to meet their needs they produce quality work at the 100% rate. The factor that caused them to produce at such high standards is their employer enhancing the motivational climate. As a result, they came to work, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. By listening to your employees, they will tell you More..

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Reduce the High Cost of Employee Absenteeism

Employers pay a high price for absenteeism, often more than they may realize, in terms of both financial and production losses and employee morale. Managers may view the tasks of finding a substitute employee as a short-term inconvenience; however, absenteeism frequently has more serious long-term effects. Employers can, nevertheless, ensure that employees report in regularly and remain on the job. Before employers can determine the best way to combat absenteeism, they must identify the organiz More..

Ten Problem Solving Techniques

Do you ever need to find some good ideas, or come up with a solution for a persistent problem? Learn some simple problem solving techniques, and start applying them. Choose a few of the methods below, and get in the habit of using them in your personal life and your business. Problem Solving Techniques 1. Clarify what a successful solution is, and that will guide your efforts. In fact, sometimes just clarifying the desired outcome will suggest immediate solutions. 2. Get opinions and/or advic More..

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Conduct Successful Training Activities

Whether you are training preschoolers in the classroom or executives in the board room, here are 15 premises you might want to keep in mind the next time you're designing training activities. 1. Everybody has the capacity to learn. 2. Everybody learns at his own pace. 3. The trainee learns only when he is ready and is motivated. 4. Training must, therefore, get the trainee ready and motivated by satisfying his needs. 5. Training must, therefore, begin at the trainee's level of comprehension More..

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Become An Effective Executive

In his book, The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker pointed out that the effective executive is the person who focuses on making a contribution. This focus on the making of a contribution is the key. And the key to effectiveness comes in three areas: 1. in a person's work, its content, its level, its standards, and its impacts; 2. in his relationships with others, his superiors, his associates, and his subordinates; and 3. in his use of the tools of the executive, such as meetings and report More..

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Maximize the Two People Inside

Every one of us, in reality, has two people inside: The person we are today and the person we can become tomorrow and in the future. We go to work every day, are never late or absent, earn a promotion; and receive occasional raises. We and our work are far above satisfactory. That makes us the person who is well liked by our employer, our family, and ourselves. But there is also another person in us. It is the person who, when properly motivated and exposed to the encouraging information, can More..

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Overcome Boredom

Do you find yourself easily becoming bored or tired at work for no apparent reason? If that's the case, then pay close attention. Research has shown that fatigue and a worn-out feeling are often caused by unproductive mental attitudes. If this describes your case, read on to learn six ways you can overcome boredom. * 1. Actively listen to everyone you meet: When you're interested in people, life is never flat or dull. And when you listen actively, you are so involved in what the other person ha More..

What Every HR Manager Should Know About Hiring Productive Employees

The characteristics of job applicants have a strong influence on whether or not they get hired. Their characteristics also indicate the level of their productivity. If you are about to hire employees, consider the characteristics listed below in checklist form. The candidates who possess them are probably the ones who will be readily accepted by your staff. This acceptance plays an important role in the team-building process and the productivity of the staff. ( ) Appearance An applicant whose p More..

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Conduct Successful Meetings

Do you announce a meeting and find either no one shows up on time, they come with their own agenda, or the meeting goes on and on? If this is true in your case, then worry no more. Here are six steps to help you develop successful meetings: 1. Establish a realistic and specific objective. Ask yourself, "What do I want to accomplish?" or "Why am I calling people together at this time?" Do I want: * to solve problem(s). * to inform. * to orient. * to gain feedback. * to give feedback. * to mot More..

Six Sigma Training 101 - Better Management Basics

What is Six Sigma? Six Sigma is a quality management program that is designed to achieve a "six sigma" level of quality for products. In the mid 1980s, Motorola pioneered Six Sigma and it has since been adopted by many other companies and manufacturers. Service companies also implement Six Sigma strategies to improve customer service and relations. The idea behind Six Sigma is that failures in quality and customer satisfaction occur after the sixth sigma of likelihood in a normal distribution c More..

Why Outsourcing Could Be The Best Thing You Do For Your Business

While it's probably not true to say that the traditional 9-5 job is on its way out, it IS true that more and more businesses these days are starting to see the value of outsourcing the jobs they can't cover themselves. Things like copywriting, PR, programming - even secretarial and admin support - are being outsourced to freelancers working from home or running their own business. But why? Well, if you're a small business owner, outsourcing makes a lot of sense. Take copywriting, for example. More..

Prepare A Winning CV

There is every chance that elements of this article may not be appropriate for everyone in every situation - and that's precisely the point! Every situation is different. No two projects are the same. No two Curriculum Development Specialist roles are necessarily identical, but for name. Context, duration, region, sub-sector and many other factors are likely to create requirements that are unique, even when very similar. So a standard CV, or your most recent one with a date change is not necessa More..

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Balancing Power in Outsource Contract Agreements

The practice of outsourcing business processes has long been subject to the discussion how best to ensure optimal benefits for both parties involved in the outsource agreement. In conventional outsource agreements conflict often arises between the objective to minimize cost and the necessity to continually develop the service. This leads to unsatisfactory results for both parties. However, conflicts can be resolved by increasing the collaboration between both parties to a level where the servic More..

5 Ways to Work More Effectively With Your Administrative Assistant

Stop hiring new administrative support staff. And learn how to retain your existing administrative staff. Are you a manager, director or other senior-level personnel who wants to work more effectively with your administrative support professional? Did you know that partnering with your administrative assistants and executive assistants can actually help you to meet your professional goals at work? Would you like to know how to improve morale among your administrative support professionals and r More..

Do You Need a Personal Assistant?

It's great to be multi-skilled?be able to type your own correspondence, do your bookkeeping, answer all phone calls, prepare your PowerPoint presentations, organise your own travel, seminars, pick up and send your mail, pack orders, do your own marketing, do all the photocopying, ring your clients and prospects. However it may not leave you with enough time to focus on what really matters. When you first start out in business, you will no doubt do most things yourself, yet to continue trying to More..

Communicating with Offsite Workers

How do you, or would you, communicate with employees who work offsite? Perhaps you have telecommuters reporting to you, or sales reps who work out of offices in other cities. How do you communicate with them? Let's start with the strategic issues: what do you want to accomplish by communicating with them? And, why would they want to communicate with you? Strategic means you'll probably want to deal with issues like productivity, accountability, and predictability. You want to know what the of More..

Presenteeism: The Hidden Costs of Business

(prez.un.TEE.iz.um) n Presenteeism, a relatively unknown concept, is the complement of Absenteeism. It is defined as the measure of lost productivity cost due to employees actually showing up for work, but not being fully engaged and productive mainly because of personal health and life issue distractions. Currently, Presenteeism is estimated to be up to 7 Ã‚Â½ times more costly to employers than absenteeism. (1) Statistically, Presenteeism rears its ugly head and shows itself for what it real More..

Project Management - Preventing Project Slips

Can Project Managers prevent projects from slipping? Ask a techie to come up with a schedule for a specific list of activities, and more often than not, he/she will present a fairly accurate estimate. Some activities might be underestimated, others overestimated, but overall, the plan will be fairly accurate. However, something happens to these estimates between the time the techie writes them down and the time the Project Manager publishes a baseline project schedule. That "something" is why More..

Communicating In Chaotic Environments

How do you, or would you, communicate in a chaotic environment? That question was put to me by a reader who works in big, frantically-paced telecommunications company. Many projects operate at the same time, and many connections exist among the project teams. In this environment, teams work independently, but at the same time depend on each other for critical information. Without that information, time is wasted and progress slowed. In a broader sense, the challenge is to create communication More..

Overcoming the Document Tracking Challenge

"Where did it go? It was here yesterday. Wait. Here it is. But it looks a lot like the draft I just sent my team members yesterday. I don't remember when this change was made. Who made this change? Why is document tracking so difficult?" We have all seen it before. Desk space is being invaded by papers and drafts of rather important information that is in a rather unidentifiable order. When it comes to information, businesses know that time is money. Businesses do not want to spend money for ho More..

What is Data Visualization?

Data Visualization is Interactive Have you ever booked your flight plans online and noticed that you can now not only view seat availability but also choose your own seat? Maybe you have notice that when you want to look up information online on another country, you may find a website where all you have to do to get political, economical, geographical, and other information is drag your mouse over the area of the country in which you are interested. Maybe you have put together a business prese More..

Selecting A Collection Agency

If you run a business, you are sure to have some customers who require a lot of follow-up before they pay you. Often you spend too much time and energy to collect money that is rightfully due to you. Giving this task to a collection agency will help you: Concentrate on your core business rather than on non-core tasks like debt recovery. Increase your debt collection and reduce bad debt. Selecting A Collection Agency You must consider the following factors while selecting a collection agency: More..

Creating Your Own Business Upturn - Powering Business Development

We all see it . . . business markets are trying hard but continue to be flat, easily scared, and "frozen in the headlights," - - - primarily maintaining, and definitely not building. Workforce attitudes suffer from a steady flow of negative global and economic events, career disappointments, and the constant threat of being laid off. Customers are struggling to identify their path forward, which in turn makes it even more difficult for any business to determine their own plans for the future. Th More..

Managing Employees Is A Little Like Herding Cats

Q: I started my small business about a year ago and it's grown steadily. I like having my own business, but I'm having a tough time managing people. I have 5 employees now and it seems like I spend half my time making sure they are doing what they're supposed to be doing and the other half of my time doing things they didn't get done. Things were much easier when I was a one man shop. Any suggestions? -- Paul C. A: Ah, Paul, welcome to the wonderful world of employee management, the bane of man More..

Middle-Aged Managers, the Forgotten Digital Divide

The digital divide is defined by the role computers play within widening social gaps in our society, as the condition of one group having an advantage over another group in regard to computers, technology skills and Internet access. This is usually thought of as being a divide between the white middle class and minority communities; but there is another often overlooked class of nonusers, the middle-aged corporate manager. As computer skills play an increasingly important role in building caree More..

What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process focused on satisfying customers by delivering nearly perfect products and services. In today's competitive market, consistently maintaining satisfied customers is essential to growth and success. Major corporations such as GE, Motorola, Honeywell and Ford, have demonstrated significant savings and increased profits by implementing Six Sigma processes in their business. The Six Sigma process gets its name from the way it measures perfection - the absence More..

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Smart Staffing: Replacing a Key Manager

Have you been in this situation? One of your top managers left suddenly and you're under the gun to replace her quickly. So you promoted her assistant. That was a disaster. You now need to replace him but want to do it right this time and avoid another costly mistake. This is an example of the hundreds of 'management staffing gone wrong' disasters that I've witnessed in working with many companies. In today's hurry-up and get-it-done work world, many people are unwisely promoted to management p More..

Morale Boosters: Feed the Troops First

When economic conditions turn tough or when the heavy work load seems never-ending, leaders tend to forget the "basics"?building commitment beyond the paycheck. It's the small things everyday that can bring down morale and it's the small things everyday that can raise performance. A holiday party or picnic once or twice a year probably won't do it. Rather, it's a leader's sincere recognition that employees are assets to be valued, not tools to be used up and discarded. Here are quick ways too bo More..

Employee Discipline: How to Nip Problems in the Bud

Are you uncomfortable with delivering disciplinary action, even involving employees you know deserve it? You're not alone. Disciplinary action is one of the least favored tasks a supervisor must occasionally perform. Disciplining employees is so dreaded by so many supervisors that many look the other way when trouble develops, perhaps in the hope that the matter will correct itself. But most of the time it doesn't - it tends to go from bad to worse. Rather than allow that to happen, take positi More..

Hire Winners: Ask the Right Questions

How do you as a manager, supervisor or team leader hire winners? One very successful interviewing technique is behavioral interviewing---selecting the right person for the right job using a job-related rather than a gut feel approach. A job-related approach is asking for a behavioral example of skills and traits that are required for a position. A behavioral example is a description, by the job applicant, of a specific event that shows in detail how she did something or handled a problem or mad More..

Employee Retention: Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business

The retention of highly skilled knowledge workers is one of the major challenges today for all organizatons. Knowledge workers are those whose work primarily requires the use of "mental power rather than muscle power." For example, they are the developers and caretakers of the computer networks that keep your business running. They are also the producers of the dazzling graphics presentations that help your sales force land new customers. And they are even the account reps who look into data ba More..

Employee Retention: Five Leadership Fundamentals

Are your management practices on the right track? Retaining your valued or high performing employees must be a strategic issue for your company. Throwing more money at your workers is not the answer and can become very costly. The more effective way to retain top talent is to address their important needs. Universal Truths: Most people are content being paid at or around the market rate for good quality work. SOME folks are extremely money conscious, but eventually they learn that the paychec More..

The Silent Assassin - What to Do When They Visit You?

Introduction There are a group of people in the community that will some time in their career visit your business; the silent assassin. The silent assassin displays all the qualities of a serial killer as they silently wreck havoc in your business through unrest, sabotage, bullying and non-productivity. Modus Operandi The silent assassin is a work of art! They stalk their victim/s purposely as they maintain an outward veneer of respectability towards management and those that have authority. More..

Keep Your Good Workers by Building Good Leaders

A recent report from the American Hospital Association's Commission on the Workforce asked healthcare workers key questions about the performance of their front line managers. The study concluded that an employee's decision to stay with or leave an organization is primarily based on his or her relationship with an immediate supervisor. No matter what industry or setting or company size, effective leaders: Possess personal integrity. Can easily adapt to change. Work to build the talent of oth More..

Your Appraisal System Can Be Better - Overcome These Nine Serious Failings

This article is directed at senior managers. As a senior colleague you have the authority to make tremendous improvements. You can have maximum effect in improving your existing appraisal system or starting one that contributes to profits or other targets. 1. Bad experiences of appraisals. For a senior manager like yourself, it is important to accept that many people fear and dislike appraisal interviews. Many people have had terrible experiences when being appraised. Consequently, they think More..

So, You Want to be in Management? Five Essential Factors that Will Determine Your Chances

The following information is based upon over 500 interviews with senior executives with whom I conducted over the past four years. These senior executives represent a variety of industries and organizations. It is interesting to note the similarities of their responses. The research concentrated on five areas: 1. How they gained their experience and knowledge to become a senior executive. 2. What are their attitudes and opinions concerning the youth of today? 3. What are they most concerned a More..

Can Your Business Run Without You?

If you are a business owner or a business owner to be, let's examine this scenario. Like other people, you are so excited when you first started your own business. But after a few months, you come to realize that you work longer hours than what you expected...and you even have to work on weekends! You feel more exhausted than you used to be and you start to have doubts whether you should start your own business in the first place. You are suffering from, what Michael Gerber says, entrepreneur More..

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