Archive for Living With Management
June 1, 2008 at 1:31 pm · Filed under Living With Management
Your first opportunity as a leader brings a whole new life for you. You’re making more money, have more responsibility, and are in the “inner circle” of your organization. So I thought I would share with you 5 things you can do to fail as a leader. These are more common then you may think.
First, continue to socialize with team members as you did before (assuming you were promoted from within the company). This will ensure that you are never actually perceived as a leader, and will keep team members from thinking of you as anything other than someone that can do them favors and let them get away with things with no consequence.
Second, share everything with your team, even confidential information. Every new leader I know, including myself, has or will use the phrase “you can’t tell anyone this”. Famous last words that will come back at you in a short amount of time. Because you are such good friends with your team, you can “trust” them to keep what you tell them confidential.
Third, do everything yourself and keep the “power” of knowledge to yourself. Your were promoted because you did most activities very well as a team member, so that must be the best way to be successful as a leader, do it all yourself. Do not train and empower others to learn what you do, otherwise you will no longer be needed. Besides, it would take you longer to teach someone than to just do it yourself.
Fourth, now that you are in charge, people “have” to do what I say because I am a “manager”. With my title comes the great power and everyone moves as I command. Forget about all that “touchy feely” stuff about telling people why and getting feedback from the team. I am the manager and I know what is best for everyone.
And finally, because I am the leader, I have to know more than anyone else. When someone comes to me with a question, I must always have the answer. It is never OK to tell my team members that I do not know, but will get back to them.
OK…..just to close on a positive note. 1) As a new leader it is important that you remove yourself from most of the social circles to the team members. You just cannot be “one of the guys” and still perform your job as a leader. It will come back to bite you. 2) You will learn the hard way that when you are a leader, you have information about things that just cannot be shared with team members, It is “assumed” that you are not sharing, and most of the time team members will use the same line “don’t tell anyone” as they pass it along. 3) Your role as the leader is to accomplish things through others. Delegation is critical to your success. And, by teaching your team most things you do, you are making your team more self-sufficient and improving your chances of promotion. 4) Leadership is about inspiring others to “want” to perform well, not to force them to. 5) It is OK to not know everything. The best leaders will learn what they really need to know, and surround themselves with others that are “experts” in specific areas.
Kreg Enderson is a certified leadership coach and mentor that is on a mission to help new leaders learn to be “people focused” leaders.
Kreg can be reached via the website at http://www.LeadershipMentor.net
May 30, 2008 at 8:36 pm · Filed under Living With Management
A profitable business bottom line depends on effective teaming as much today as it ever did; yet, “effective teaming” may be destined to be no more than another irrelevant buzz phrase, because by and large teams are still dysfunctional and broken.
If you’ve ever worked in a team - and I’ve yet to meet someone who hasn’t - I know you have at least one horror story to tell about a team that crashed and burned. Isn’t it ironic that with all that’s been written about the negative impact dysfunctional teams can have on business and with all the training available to help correct the problem, success is still elusive.
It’s easy to ignore the damage that dysfunctional teams can do to a business, but the financial impact can be huge. Consider the wasted time in meetings debating the same issues again and again, as well as the constant squabbles and in-fighting over priorities that lead to inaction or worse, bad decisions that result in good money being thrown down the drain.
A recent Microsoft study found that U.S. workers spent an average of 5.6 hours per week sitting in meetings and 69 percent reported that they were not productive. Business is about increasing revenue and profits, so the financial implications to the organization are significant. A $100,000 worker will cost their employer roughly $13,000 to sit through meetings that waste time and do nothing to further the organization’s business goals. Ask yourself if you can afford the $130,000 price tag for having a 10 person team waste hours week after week.
Though some are jaded at the prospect that teams can work together successfully, I believe they can. Developing the cohesiveness that ensures success, though, requires that the root causes of team dysfunction are identified and cured. However, overcoming the issues that lead to dysfunction in the first place is a daunting task requiring openness, disciple and the courage to see it through. The reality is that many teams can’t or won’t summon the strength to tackle the challenge, but those willing to take it on will surely reap the rewards.
There are scores of reasons why teams don’t work. Common ones touted are a lack of clarity about team member roles, a lack of focus on doing the right things at the right time in the teaming process, a lack of appreciation for the unique strengths of every team member, and a failure to reward and recognize the contributions made by each person. Mix in conflicting professional agendas, increasing diversity, lack of trust, a global business world where people are teamed together “virtually”, as well as a resistance to clarifying goals and roles up front, and it’s no wonder teams are stuck.
For teams to perform at their peak, it all begins with trust, unfortunately a rare commodity these days. Trust is the first and most critical component of building a strong team. However, trust cannot be forged when team members put their personal agenda first, refuse to ask for help, when they are unwilling to admit mistakes and blame others, or they summarily dismiss the opinions and ideas of other team members. If team members don’t feel they can trust each other, effective teaming is impossible.
One way to begin building trust is to recognize that people behave differently; they exhibit different behavioral styles and they have different motivations. While you cannot motivate another person, all people are motivated. The mistaken assumption often made is that all team members are motivated by the same things and nothing could be further from the truth. For example, in a situation where a team is working together to achieve a sales goal, it might be easy to assume that everyone is motivated to hit the sales target. But are they really? What happens when not everyone on the team stands to earn compensation for hitting the goal? Sure, the sales person cares, but does the support staff have the same motivation if they don’t share in the commission? Doubtful.
Taking the time to develop a greater understanding of individual behavioral styles and motivations will foster a trusting environment, improve communications and builds a foundation for effective interactions with other people. And before you start griping about not having enough time, remember that it costs your company in more ways than one if you don’t make the time. Doing the upfront work positions teams for innovative performance.
Cohesive, high performing teams give an organization a powerful competitive edge. Great teams don’t waste precious time focused on the wrong issues, nor do they constantly revisit the same topics over and over again, in meeting after meeting, because team members didn’t buy-in to the goals from the beginning. High performing teams make high quality decisions; they get more done in less time without the normal personal hassles and frustrations. Finally, when it comes to keeping great talent in the organization, which is itself a significant competitive advantage, remember great people don’t walk away from teams that get it right!
Check out our Team Dimensions Profile - identify dominant strenths and styles of your team members.View Sample - http://www.talentbuildersinc.com/Sample%20Reports/Team%20Dimensions%202.0.pdf
(c)2005 Barbara Giamanco and Talent Builders, Inc.
www.talentbuildersinc.com
404-459-4030
About The Author
Barbara Giamanco is the Chief Talent Officer of Talent Builders, a workplace performance and learning organization dedicated to helping companies hire, develop and retain top talent! Using behavioral assessments and facilitation tools from Inscape Publishing, virtual learning programs, customized workshops and management coaching, Talent Builders partners with your company to develop programs that help you retain the top talent in your organization.
www.talentbuildersinc.com
|
|
May 19, 2008 at 1:32 am · Filed under Business Performance, Living With Management, Living With Telecommunication
There are many websites one of them being FreeConference which offer services for making telephone conferences to businesses, homes and the like. Take for example business conference call which is a phenomenon used by countless young business associates to communicate and carry out their businesses. High popularity can be attributed to extremely low rates of 0.1$ per minute or even lower! In fact, free conferencing also an option which is available nowadays. Now that is something which is really great, I mean really great!
All that is required is logging into such a website and paying for their service and get going. With more and more entrepreneurs coming into the market, the growth of the business conference call industry could be likely, after all how else can they find cheap and easily accessible methods of communication. Giants like PC World also support conference calling. Such methods like business conference calling just might end up gathering pace in developing nations like India and China in the future. So if you are new and want a good start in your business career, you can choose conference calling as a cheap and viable option for communication. Surprisingly, conference calling doesn’t require internet access, it is based on just regular telephone lines!
May 12, 2008 at 10:48 am · Filed under Living With Management
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”
-Winston Churchill
“I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.”
-Michael Jordan
Goal Setting - A Valuable Lesson
This week I was reminded of a valuable lesson. I had been working on a personal goal for quite some time and, although I was very close to reaching my goal, I didn’t make it. The pain of not achieving my goal was much more than I expected. Instead of seeing all that I had accomplished, I could only focus on what I didn’t do. After giving myself some time to lament the outcome, I stepped back to take an objective look and find the perfection in the event. Here’s the insight I gained:
1. Be detached from the outcome - I was so focused on the goal that I was trying to force an outcome rather than being open to other possibilities.
2. Enjoy the journey - “success is a journey not a destination” (Deepak Chopra) - By being focused on the outcome, I forgot to enjoy the process and all the knowledge and experience I gained along the way.
3. Be grateful - When I did look back, it was apparent that I had a great deal for which to be grateful, including lots of support and encouragement.
4. Forgiveness - I needed to forgive myself, accept responsibility and let go of the need to place blame.
5. Live in the present moment - I cannot change the past, so there is no reason for me to rehash what could have been. Looking at my life I can see that the present moment is wonderful, and that’s where I want to be.
6. Finding perfection in apparent failure - Now I can clearly see how perfect the outcome was. To be reminded of all of these teachings and gain new insight is a far better achievement than the one I thought I had to have.
What can you learn from my experience? Take a look at what goals you have set for yourself. Are you rigidly attached to a particular outcome? What if you remain open to all possibilities by keeping your desire but letting go of the need for it to happen in only one way? Being open to all ways that your desire could be fulfilled greatly expands the potential of what you will receive. Here’s some actions you can take:
1. Look at your current goals and ask “What can I do to enjoy the process and be detached from the outcome?”
2. Read The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra.
3. Find the perfection (bigger picture) in any setbacks.
Most of all enjoy the journey!
Copyright March 2005
As a Life Transition Coach I work with clients to identify what’s most important to them and prioritize around these values. I help my clients identify and remove obstacles in the way and bring clarity and focus to their dreams. What is your dream? Are you undergoing a major transition and not clear where to turn? Call (972-306-4489) or email me, (coach.v.miller@verizon.net), to set up a complimentary, no obligation 30 minute coaching session. Download my FREE e-Book, 12 Fun Ways to Change Your Life, or sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter at http://www.thrivingthroughchange.com
May 3, 2008 at 10:44 pm · Filed under Living With Management
What is the difference between a Zen master and a pack rat?
A pack rat is someone who holds on to everything and uses nothing.
A Zen master is someone who uses everything and holds on to nothing.
Big difference!
One of the best time management insights is that this moment passes, as does the next, and the next.
If you can do the most with each one, that’s ideal. But this means you’re constantly embracing and letting go, embracing and letting go, and it’s not easy to do.
We get caught up in the past, dwelling on unsatisfactory experiences, and untidy conclusions. We worry about the future.
Either way, we sacrifice the present.
The key is to use everything around us, in us, and every present moment.
For example, earlier this morning, I awoke because I was thinking about a client who is late in paying his bill.
Catching myself, I realized my sleep time was over! By trying to get BACK to sleep, I was trying to go backwards in time, which is impossible.
Because it was 4:45 in the morning, it was too early to call him, and ask him what’s going on. But I knew also, that it would be an utter waste to worry about whether he’ll stiff me on the payment.
So, I asked, what can I do, now, to address this issue in the most constructive, satisfying way?
Immediately, I turned on the computer and wrote an article: “The Deal Is Not Made Until The Money Is Paid!”
Doing this made me feel good, and I also felt that I addressed my problem, which is not the unpaid account. The problem is the worry about it, and the potential for wasting the present by chasing money from the past, which may or may not be paid in the future!
No moment has to be considered a waste, if we are fully in the here and now to embrace it and let it go, and keep doing what’s situationally appropriate.
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.
April 28, 2008 at 12:24 pm · Filed under Living With Management
The marketplace is swarming with topics on time management and few include personality types, which amazes me, since our personalities play a large role in time management. For example, we have disabilities, spontaneous, and so-called normal individuals, so how can one article tell us how to manage our time? Extensively I studied human behaviors and learned that all of us are different in more ways than science or researchers can explain.
None of us has all the answers, but some of us can lead you on a path to time management if the right words fall into place. In addition, if we have an idea of what type of person we are, then we are well on our way to finding the solution for managing time. Time is complicated, since the bible shows us that one day to God is a thousand years. Moreover, man has his own ideas of time. So therefore, when time is used, we must ask ourselves, “Is it used wisely.” We can start by looking at our personality to determine which plan works better for us in managing time.
Personalities:
From beginning of time we all were created with our own personality type, and some of us went astray with the misguidance of researchers, experts, and so on. The basic rules were laid out however, when experts, philosophers and researchers set out to determine what types of persons make up the world. Taking for example the spontaneous personality type, we can see it differs from the neatly type.
The spontaneous types often are unorganized, and fail to plan. Spontaneous individuals have an advantage since the focus on one day at a time vs. living each day on a schedule. The disadvantage is that the spontaneous individuals suffer throughout their life, since a time management plan is not in view. In order to cultivate a neatly individual, you would need to work with the personality type, by allowing them to act as themselves, but manipulating a neatly view in the plan. Spontaneous individuals require the need to be free and loose. So therefore there desks are most likely going to be free and loose: papers flying everywhere.
To put a spontaneous individual in order, is allowing the person to work multi-tasking projects, which often benefit these types the best. If the person is multi-tasking, he or she is putting time management in focus. Still, the focus is there, but the plans are not in action, so therefore it pays to stay focus of your own individuality to find out what works best for your personality type. There is no single plan for these types of individuals that work the best. The neatly types have very little problem in time management, yet they have problems in other areas. Some of us may see them as perfectionist, but in fact, the neatly types are compensating. Regardless each personality type has its own individuality and learning your personality is the open door to a successful time management plan.
For more great free resources on how to manage your time visit Gabae Time Management.
Also for more informative articles on time management visit Gabae Time Management Articles.
April 10, 2008 at 12:49 am · Filed under Living With Management
Time is money in your online business, just as in the offline business world.
Problem is, the typical Internet entrepreneur is in a race against time: Often snowed under with many things to do, trying to achieve maximum results (income) within the precious, very limited time available.
Especially if you’re holding down a full-time job while trying to launch or expand your Internet business in your spare hours, you’ve got precious little time to waste.
If care isn’t exercised in the way we spend time online, our personal and family life can suffer, not to mention bad financial consequences.
To add to that pressure, family members may resent the amount of time spent on our venture, versus the limited income it may initially earn.
As the author of an audio program on time management, I’m going to share with you some proven time management tips, which have been adapted to running a business online. I can’t promise you more than 24 hours in your day, but I’ll share practical tips to help you work smarter and more profitably online - instead of longer or harder.
Two primary keys to making the most of the time we spend online are:
A) Being selective, and
B) Staying focused.
We must be SELECTIVE, because there are an infinite number of things we can spend our online time on, which will not yield productive results.
We must stay FOCUSED, because any of an infinite number of things can easily distract us from getting more important things done.
That brings us to the first step of effective online time management…
1) Set Goals
If you don’t know what your final destination is, how can you ever take action toward getting there? Hence, the need to set goals.
The goals you set for your online business will vary, based on which stage you’re at and which direction you want to go from there. It helps to write your goals down and periodically review them. Many feel that this better enables your subconscious mind to help you work toward your goals.
2) Keep and Use a Prioritized To-Do List
Keeping lists may seem simplistic, but the most productive top-achievers are typically methodical users of To-Do lists.
Be sure to rank each task on your To-Do lists by priority, such as high, medium or low. As you tackle the items on your list, always tackle the highest priority tasks first, and those of lower priority as time allows. Obviously, your highest priority tasks will correspond with the achievement of your highest priority goals.
I’ve found that a 3-ring binder kept near my computer is a good place for organizing To-Do lists, project notes, and other frequently used online information, within easy fingertip reach.
Once your goals are set, you’ll know exactly where you’re going (and what to stay focused on), and when you use a prioritized To-Do list, you’ll have a step-by-step plan for reaching your destination.
3) Exercise Self-Discipline
The best time management system in the world is worthless if we don’t exercise self-discipline.
It’s so easy to log on to the Net, just planning to “check your email,” and before you know it, get distracted by other things and end up spending much more time on things we hadn’t planned, and wonder where the time went.
I know, I know: It’s easier said than done, but exercising self-discipline will help us stay focused and avoid wasting time or getting distracted on less important activities. If you can stay focused on the most important tasks (which you’ve identified by setting goals and prioritizing your To-Do list), you’ll see greater results from your time and effort.
4) Automate Where Possible
I have written much more on this topic than the limited space in this article allows, but let me mention a few tools that aren’t new to online marketers, but whose time-saving value is often overlooked:
*Autoresponders
Autoresponders are very useful tools for automatically filling your prospects’ requests for information on your products and services, non-stop, 24 hrs of every day of the year.
*Email Filters
The “filters” feature of good email programs such as Pegasus and Eudora Pro make the automation of many email activities a snap. If you’re not using them, you don’t know what you’re missing.
~ Pegasus: http://www.pmail.com/
~ Eudora Pro: http://www.eudora.com
5) Periodically Analyze Your Business
In our quest for more value from the time we spend in our online businesses, it helps to stand back and periodically analyze which activities have been working - and which haven’t.
From there, we can give more attention to expanding what’s been working, and tweak, change, or eliminate what hasn’t. We can thus progressively see more profitable results from the time spent online.
Conclusion
If you want to get maximum benefit from the limited time you have to accomplish things in your online business, or any other area of life, you must manage your time well.
When you do, you’ll achieve more, and you’ll look back on your work with the satisfaction of knowing that you got the most important things done, instead of looking back with regret.
As Benjamin Franklin said: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
About The Author
Marty Foley is a successful home business owner and the founder of http://ProfitInfo.com/. His Internet marketing techniques and resources have helped set the standard in e-commerce, and have often been imitated by other famous Internet marketers. They can truly help you succeed online: http://ProfitInfo.com/
MFoley@ProfitInfo.com
