Does just the mention of the word 'spreadsheet' cause your mouth to go dry? Do you immediately think of sums, formulae, and figures?

Well fear not any more -- I'm here to tell you that spreadsheets aren't just for sums!

I'm going to share with you my favorite top five tips on how you can use spreadsheets in your every day business to help you keep organized and on top of your work - and there isn't a formula in sight!

No.1 'To Do' List

How do you manage your day-to-day tasks? Do you have a notebook for your To Do lists and cross out each one as you go along? Or do you have little yellow post-its stuck all over the place? Is this really the best way of managing your daily tasks?

Spreadsheets are a great way for you to organise your To Do list. Set up headings in the first row and add your tasks below. You can then sort your list by any column that you choose, making it an interactive To Do list. And best of all, your list is contained in one place.

Create a shortcut to your To Do list and place it on your desktop so that you can access it easily, or just keep it open and minimise your screen each time you're not using it.

No.2 Log Registration/Password Data

Another great way to use spreadsheets is to keep track of all those websites that you've registered at, and need to insert a username and password in order to gain access to.

Even though I try and keep to the same username/password I sometimes find that a website will require you to insert your username or password in a certain way, with digits as well as letters, or a minimum of six characters etc. etc. and then it starts to get confusing remembering which username/password for which site!

Set up a spreadsheet to track key data, and keep tabs on this crucial information in one easy-to-use place. As your list starts to get longer, you can also sort your data into alphabetical order, making it even easier to find your registration details.

No.3 Create a Simple Mailing Database

Another great use for a spreadsheet is to set up a simple mailing database. Perhaps you've researched a target market and want to send them a mailing. By creating a spreadsheet to input their name, address, phone number, email address, and website you can easily keep a track of your data.

You can also use this data to carry out a mail merge via Word. Create active hyperlinks for the email and website addresses and you can email or visit their website directly from your spreadsheet.

And if you add an additional column for 'Responses' you can simply monitor your success rate too!

No.4 Track Potential Clients and Follow-ups

If you regularly have enquiries from potential clients, whether they're phone calls or directly via your website, you can set up a spreadsheet to track this data. You can see where your enquiries are coming from, which method of marketing is the most effective, and if the prospect turned into a client.

You can also add an additional column for 'Follow-up Date' and perform a sort on this column so that you know who to follow up with and when!

No.5 Monitor a Project/Activity Planning

Because spreadsheets also accept date formats they are a great way to track projects or plan activities. You can easily use autofill to create a date timeline too. Use the column headings for your dates, and the rows for your activities.

As you work along the timeline, you can hide the columns with past dates, showing only those columns for current and future dates. And if you want to be really creative, use different colours for the cells to represent different activities.

There are so many more projects that you could use a spreadsheet for that don't require you to input complicated formulae. When I was compiling this list for you, I thought of twice as many again, all of which would help you to organise your day-to-day business activities.

Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com.

• 0 Comments

  

"Wisdom is the integration of thought and analysis based on accumulated
experience." Elkhonon Goldberg "The Wisdom Paradox"

Improvement starts with acceptance that a business doesn’t have to be
sick in order to get better.

Some years ago the CEO of a 3rd generation manufacturing company asked
that I conduct an evaluation of his credit operation. The company was
expanding into Europe and with the expansion came greater demands on
the ability to extend credit and cash flow. Following breakfast at my hotel
the CEO and I drove out to the factory and administrative offices. On the
drive out the CEO continued the story he’d started over breakfast. His
grandfather and father had built the business and now he and his brother,
who was the VP of sales, were trying to take the company to the next
level in growth.

We parked in the back of the building and as we walked through the
production area on the way to the administrative offices, we must have
passed by at least 20 production people…and there was silence. Not one
of the employees we encountered said good morning, hello boss or even
nodded…and neither did the CEO.

We met with the CFO, the Credit Manager, the Customer Service
Manager, and the A/R and A/P Managers…all women. The brother?,
he’d stuck his head into the room and then disappeared.

I’d ask a question of the group and as one of the women would start to
answer the CEO would butt in…soon the women shut up and the only
voices heard were mine and the CEO’s. After I broke up the meeting I
went to each member of the group individually to ask my questions.

On the way to the airport the CEO and I stopped for lunch and he wanted
to know what I thought needed to be done. I told him that his people were
approaching credit and A/R management in an old an out of date risk
management way…like many other companies. I told him that I had an
associate who in a week’s time could train his staff on our "profit "
approach and that he could help organize and document the knowledge
needed to ensure proper implementation.

The company president asked why I wouldn’t be doing the training, and I
said to him, "I don’t like you."

The man was shocked. "Why don’t you like me?", he asked. I was hoping
he’d ask and I said to him, "All the production people we passed were
brown or black and you didn’t greet any of them and on their part they
looked away from us. All the people in the front office are white and every
time one of the women in our meeting tried to say something you cut them
off as if what they had to say was of no value." I went on, "I don’t have to
look at any numbers to know that you have a high absentee and turn over
rate. Morale is bad because the employees don’t like you and that leads to
poor productivity and poor work quality. If you want to expand to Europe
you better know that those folks expect quality."

All was quiet for a few minutes and I wasn’t sure if I was going to have to
catch a taxi to the airport, and then he said, "You’re right , we keep retraining
new people and we’ve had a big problem with quality and with employees
stealing from us. My father and grandfather were loved by the employees
and they would do anything for them but neither my brother nor I seem to
have that ability." We drove to the airport in silence.

In my follow up report I suggested to the CEO that he and his brother find
themselves a GM (general manager) who liked people and wanted to be
liked in return. To his credit they found such a person and things got better,
he also had my associate out for the week.

The Point

Great Customer Service starts with great Employee Relationship Management.

It Will Make You or Break You

Marvin Minsky in his book , "Society of Mind" says that the human mind is
made up of thousands of learned agents/programs none of which on their own
define the mind, but collectively they make up the mind. Every business and
organization , including government, is a collection of people and none on their
own, including the CEO, define the organization but collectively they are the
company/organization.

Three Areas of Relationship Management

1. Employees. The highest priority is good relations with employees
because if they are unhappy your customers better look out. An
old friend once said to me, "If mama ain’t happy no one’s happy."
2. Vendors/Suppliers. Vendors are critical to your success and if you
disrespect and abuse them they’ll get even, and the word (buzz) will
get out on your company and then others will demand a higher price
to work with you,… if they‘ll work with you at all.
3. Customers. You might be able to get away with abusing consumers
because so many businesses do, because they have short memories
and because there’s a lot of them and more on the way. Business/
commercial customers are fewer in number and they have generational
memory. Get on the wrong side of a business customer and you find
that long after the reason is forgotten the bad taste lingers on.

In Closing

In human society all real meaningful change comes from the masses.
Institutions fight change even if it’s an improvement. James Russell Lowell
wrote, "He who is firmly seated in authority soon learns to think security
(their own) and not progress."

In a business change must come from the management team. Business
managers need to take time to seek out improvement or they’ll get lost in
the day to day details.

It’s up to the top managers to be leaders and set the example of what great
relationship management looks like, sounds like and feels like…and if they
can’t do it they need to get help.

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

• 0 Comments

  

This article is contributed by R.L. Fielding who writes regularly for Dittman Incentive Marketing.

“If only I could get people to do what I want them to do...”

How often have you thought that … or said that? And how often has the answer eluded you?

We’d love to think that employees will do the right thing and that customers will make the right choice, but since only a segment of your employees are motivated to do what you need them to do, and only some of your prospects have become customers (while the others remain only prospects), the question is … how can you get the rest of the people to see the light?

The answer lies in the “Zone of Self-Interest.” People will do the things you want if they perceive it to be clearly in their own best self-interest. And when that perception exists, you’ll be well on your way to exceeding your business goals.

Here’s How It Works

No matter what you need to accomplish, you can put a price tag on it. Some things lead to greater sales and others to lower costs. And as soon as you put a value on it, employee and customer loyalty rewards programs can help you accomplish it.

The approach is simple, and it’s proven to work. Identify a simple activity that you know to be key to your success and calculate the dollar value to you when it’s accomplished to your satisfaction…then reward it every single time it occurs. Every single time.

Every time a program participant does what you want done, he or she earns points (based on the value you’ve calculated). The points are redeemable for desirable merchandise, exotic travel, or other options. On a real-time basis, every participant can view a custom, personal statement, which details the credits and/or debits made to his/her account and the current account balance.

The Implication for You

The concept of the Zone of Self-Interest revolutionized the airline industry, then most other consumer businesses. Think about your own behavior and how it’s affected by the opportunity to earn free trips or hotel nights or merchandise for providing a seller with conscious loyalty. The rewards fall into your Zone of Self-Interest, and it motivates you to do something you normally wouldn’t do … and do it frequently.

Success breeds success. Unlike many programs that start with fireworks and finish with a fizzle, behavior reinforcement programs grow in effectiveness. With each passing day, the motivation power strengthens, and the bond between you and your program participants deepens. Simply put, a well-built behavior reinforcement program will produce more incremental revenue than it costs.

About Dittman Incentive Marketing

This article was provided by Dittman Incentive Marketing (http://www.dittmanincentives.com/), a quality leader in the field of people performance improvement. Since 1976, Dittman has helped companies achieve critical corporate goals via original, one-of-a-kind employee and customer loyalty rewards programs that inspire a sales force to sell more, customers to buy more, and others to do more.

R.L. Fielding Bio

R.L. Fielding is a freelance writer who has written on a wide variety of topics, with special expertise in the education, pharmaceutical and healthcare, financial service and manufacturing industries.

• 0 Comments

  

For a solo professional having an up-to-date contact management database is one of the KEY administrative systems you have to have for your business. And, even more important, is having a system in place to create effective follow-up. Your business is built on following up leads and building relationships.

If you don’t have a contact management system in place, you will not be able to follow-up effectively with prospects, you could lose clients, and you will not be able to build your business.

Your contact management system needn’t be a ‘bells and whistles’ expensive database but it does need to be easy to use, easy to maintain, and easy for you to find your contact data. Once your contact management system is in place you need to ensure that you keep it up-to-date and are using it to follow up with prospects.

Spreadsheets are a great tool for keeping track of your contacts, but even they have their limitations, particularly if your database is starting to get very large - anything over 100 contacts really needs to be on a computerised, contact management database.

My very favourite contact management system is ACT! It really meets all of the criteria above in that it’s:

Easy to use;

Easy to maintain; and

Easy to find contacts.

And here’s a tip I have for you – you don’t necessarily need the latest version, especially if you’re going to use it just for yourself. I bought my first version of ACT! (ACT! 6.0 2004) off Ebay for $20. If you’re going to buy software off Ebay check that it’s being sold as ‘brand new and unregistered’. This was a very small investment for me to make to see if I liked the system and once I knew it was ideal I had no hesitation in upgrading to the latest version.

Keeping your contact management database up-to-date can seem a bit daunting, particularly if you have a lot of contacts. Here are my top 5 strategies for creating effective follow-up and keeping your contact management system up-to-date.

1. Update as you go along! Whenever you speak with or email a contact take a few minutes afterwards to update your database with this information BEFORE moving on to the next task. For example, did your conversation end with you promising to contact them again in a months’ time? If so, note this down and create a follow-up task there and then so you don’t forget.

2. Touch base regularly. Each month go through your database and see who you haven’t had any contact with over the last few months. Send them a ‘just getting in touch with you’ email, or call them.

3. Don’t forget good old-fashioned snail mail! Even snail-mail has gone all hi-tech. A great follow-up tool, and one that I currently use, is Send Out Cards - it's really quick and simple to use. You can choose to send either a card or postcard, and it makes for a great ‘stay-in-touch’ service. And just as simple to use as email, only more personal! You can even upload your own handwriting font to personalise your cards even more.

4. Send a newsletter. Okay, it’s not exactly personal one-on-one follow up, but it is keeping you in touch with your database. Very often your newsletter will generate a response from your reader, which means you will be able to turn this into a one-on-one communication with your contact!

5. Keep the process going! Make it a habit to update your database regularly. If you don’t get the opportunity to update your database as you’re going along (Tip #1) spend 20 minutes at the end of each day reflecting on what you’ve done during the day, who you’ve contacted, what the outcome was, and enter all of this information into your contact management system.

Follow these 5 tips and you will soon see your business start to grow through effective follow-up!

Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com.

• 0 Comments

  

Common sense seems to be in very short supply. Perhaps it always was.

Even allowing for the creative and often hysterical reporting of the news media it is hard to avoid the conclusion that those making and executing laws and regulations in both Britain and the EU have taken leave of their senses. A previous culture of personal responsibility seems to have changed into a culture of dependence and blame.

Not, of course, entirely, but significantly.

This is wholly understandable. A society that rewards the feckless and punishes the responsible must expect the message to be understood and acted upon. Perhaps our rulers have forgotten that true compassion - indeed, true love - involves helping people to achieve and maintain their independence. Removing independence is theft of the most precious possession we have.

So far this sounds more like a political speech on behalf of the British Fascist Party than a basis for discussing what people need to learn. I make these points, however, because unless our education system starts with the right premise, everything else that it does will at best be ineffective and at worst be damaging.

I don't need to tell you the difference between education and training, between knowledge and reflection, between information and thought. So I'll skip the bit about facts, passing exams, exam marking and the roulette wheel of teachers who can (and those who cannot) forecast the likely questions with reasonable accuracy. I'll omit the scathing references I would have made about people who decry the Arts subjects. I'll nod only briefly towards the words of George Santayana (1863-1952) 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'.

I'll go on to why what we need to learn has changed so much and so recently.

My first point is that in the past few years and with considerable Government help, we have come to understand better the relationship between body and brain. If there is a work / life balance to be struck there is also a body / brain balance in need of attention.

Today we are at the threshold of understanding the mind. We have not got there yet but we will, and reasonably soon if I am not much mistaken. We have started to appreciate that the mental prisons we often feel trapped in are largely of our own making. We are all capable of much more than we thought.

Such potential brings with it the responsibility to use well the resources we manipulate and to learn a new view of the time over which we manipulate them. Strangely, our Victorian forebears had a better sense of this aspect of time than we do. They invested for what they saw as the future; we invest for the next annual - or half-yearly, or quarterly - sometimes even monthly - profit results.

Proper planning has never been so important and never so neglected.

Second, we need to learn the basic skills of interpersonal communication - or social intercourse, if you like. Whether you were in favour of invading Iraq or against it I think we can all agree that in the 21st Century settling disagreements by thuggery is an admission of failure on a breathtaking scale. But that thuggery doesn't originate in the White House or Downing Street, it originates in Coronation Street, in your local town, the nearby neighbourhood, in the way we speak to a traffic warden, in the way officials deal with us.

Have you noticed how people seldom ask questions of each other these days?

Maybe they think it's intrusive or not very polite. At a time when many of us are going to spend more time in front of our computers we need to improve our social intercourse and change it from the drinks party or the Friday night booze-up to intelligent, informed discussion laced with that unique ability we have to be amusing about serious matters.

Some races have always been rather inhibited about asking questions. We cannot afford such inhibitions any more. It leads to a collection of floating islands, not to a society.

Third, we need to learn the joy of work. We've separated work and leisure to the point where work is seen as bad and leisure is seen as good. But everyone knows that too much of either is wrong. To do this we must make work joyful, not always easy when rough conditions, noisy machinery, inconsiderate bosses, rapacious shareholders demand effort and forbearance that is above and beyond normal duty. For all that, work must become a place of joy.

We seem to have failed to learn that the true satisfaction of a job well done is not in dollars but in the heart of the person doing it. In my mentoring the simple and true story of Alf Tuck, the man who came to thatch the cottage roof, has transformed the attitudes of hundreds of people towards their work.

If you want to know it, please ask me by email, and I will send it to you.

Fourth, we need to reconsider what facts we need to know. Five years ago it was important to know quite a lot of facts. Today we need to know different facts:

- how to access and store information on the internet

- how to discriminate between right and wrong information and good and bad sources

- how to reflect on the facts we learn; facts by themselves are like random numbers; they only

- become useful when we interpret them and make decisions based on them.

Fifth, our civilisation is based on trust. That trust is based on truth, a commodity in very short supply at present. No truth, no trust. No trust, no society. There will never be perfect truth and we have to learn to distinguish between truth, lies and hyperbole. If we do not understand and accept the relevance of truth for our very existence, our society will increasingly fail.

There are many other things we have to learn, of course. These are, to my way of thinking, the five essentials. They are at present being neglected in favour of doubtful academic awards.

If you agree with my very brief summary of what people need to learn today there is one remaining question: where do we get the teachers to do it?

That's my question to you.

John Bittleston blogs at TerrificMentors.com, a site that provides mentoring for those who wish a change in career or job, wanting to start a business or looking to improve their handling of people (including themselves).

• 3 Comments

  

As part of what my company does in the talent representation business, we go to many photo shoots with our celebrities. From Playboy to Reader's Digest. From Sports Illustrated to Newsweek. An area of expertise i have acquired is the art of Hurry up and Wait! Even though most people don't do what i do, they understand this concept. I have a cure. One word really, PREPARATION!!!

The best way to reduce wasted time and focus on the job at hand is to have you, your staff, all parties involved prepared. For the obvious and the unthinkable. The tiniest detail can snag a multi million $ project. To have all of the duck in a row is always a monumental undertaking but one worthy of everyone's dedication and commitment.

Whatever your industry is, there are projects and programs that require fore thought. If you are in charge or aspire to be in charge here is a great moment for you to shine! There is nothing senior management likes less than paying for people just sitting around and doing nothing. Creating meaningful activity not just action with no purpose can undoubtedly facilitate continuity and expedience.

Whether you are on a photo shoot, media tour, television commercial shoot, corporate team building event, brain storming session, etc., plan to work and work your plan!

Evan Morgenstein: Entrepreneur, Consultant, Sports Agent, Motivational Speaker. Morgenstein started in the tech industry after graduating in 1987 from Syracuse University. Working for several partially owned IBM partnerships, Morgenstein learned from some of the best. He has parlayed that into a dominant company Premier Management Group in the celebrity talent and sports marketing industry.

• 0 Comments

  

I received an email that lead me to this story. In a very few words it explains why change is so difficult. At the same time, it asks you to take a look at your behavior to see how you are contributing to the success of the team. I post the original article below for your reading pleasure and I am including the link where I found the original article:

http://www.iwdp.co.uk/articles/think_outside_the_box.php. It was written by Gary Stuart Wicks is the Director of Media Services for TiggerOnSpeed Ltd.

This is a powerful story.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you do a particular thing in a particular way? Do you just follow the advice of those that have been doing the task the longest without further question?

Consider the following scenario, then consider your position within your company and ask yourself honestly, why?

Let's begin with a cage that contains five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of step ladders underneath it.

Before long, a monkey will go to the step ladder and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the first rung, spray all of the monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt to retrieve the banana resulting in another soaking for all five monkeys.

After a few more attempts any monkey making the trip towards the step ladder will be prevented by the remaining monkeys.

Now, remove the water source. Extract one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and heads towards the step ladder; to his surprise and annoyance he is instantly attacked by the other monkeys.

After a second attempt and resulting attack, he is aware of the fact that if he makes his way to the step ladder in order to retrieve the banana he will be assaulted by the remaining monkeys.

Next, remove another of the original team of five monkeys and once more replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes towards the step ladder and is attacked. This time though, the previous newcomer has taken part in the attack with enthusiasm.

Again, replace a third monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the step ladder and is in turn attacked.

Of the attacking force two of the four monkeys have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the step ladder, or even why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys that were aware of the water source and in turn were sprayed have now been replaced.

Nevertheless, no monkey will ever again approach the step ladder.

Why not?

Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been around here; and that's how company policy begins.

So, now you should be considering what you can do to avoid making the same mistakes as the group of monkeys; this is not something that can be instructed to you, this is something that only you can discover relative to your current position within the scenario.

If your team within the company acts in a similar fashion to the monkeys then you are undoubtedly not getting the best from your team, and therefore you are not providing your best to the company.

Do you want the presence of your company to suffer? Think outside the box.

Your Small Business Success Expert,
Ron Finklestein
info@yourbusinesscoach.net

After a successful consulting career, Ron Finklestein has spent the past 6 years building his business AKRIS LLC and helping entrepreneurs and business owners build their businesses by helping them solve the tough problems that hold them back. Ron is called The Small Business Success Expert by his clients because of his passion for their success and his knowledge of business.

• 0 Comments

  

Continued from previous article "What are Human Resources and Why Should It Matter to You?"

Macro HR is the strategic function of HR in a particular work environment. Macro HR encompasses the understanding of what HR means to a business. That is, how HR fits into the organization’s structure, mission and planning. Macro HR further incorporates policy and practice development and designating who administrates HR. Additionally, collective bargaining and union avoidance campaigns are generally considered macro related concerns. Some of the vernacular related to macro HR is strategic planning and organizational design and development.

Micro HR is the actual execution of duties as delineated at the macro level. These duties include the administration of policies regarding the selection, hiring, compensation, placement, performance management, promotion, conflict resolution, discipline and discharge of employees. Some of the terms commonly associated with micro HR are operations planning, practices, procedures and administration.

How Macro and Micro HR Impact the Bottom Line

As stated above, a business will encounter difficulties when it fails to account for changes to macro and micro HR practices and changes to our labor and employment laws. Such difficulties include an unsafe workplace, attendance issues, conflict, misconduct, union organizing campaigns, high turnover and litigation. Simply stated, when a business encounters HR related problems, money is lost.

Businesses have money coming in through the "front door" via revenue, venture capital, grants, investors, etc. However, much of this money can exit through the "back door" because of poor HR practices. For instance, time and money is lost when a business realizes, after-the-fact, that it hired the wrong employee and may now have to discharge that employee. Consequently, that business now has to spend money and time finding and training a new employee and may even have to defend its treatment and discharge of the former employee.

Recognizing and efficiently resolving these problems often costs a great deal of time, energy and money. However, time and energy spent upfront, proactively, on HR related matters could help to reduce, and in certain instances eliminate, the loss of money out the "back door." Thus, HR becomes an investment in capital. Time, energy and money is saved and increased productivity and profits result. This ideology is commonly referred to as preventive, positive or proactive HR. Also, this is sometimes referred to as the human capital management philosophy.

Knowing which HR practices to adopt and which HR disciplines to focus on is crucial in resolving macro and micro HR issues. A competent HR professional knows which disciplines and policies to focus on and understands how the legal environment affects HR. A competent HR professional also knows that effective HR helps transform business from just a place to work into an environment which provides employees varied opportunities for meaningful contributions. Meaningful employee contributions lead to decreased operating costs, innovation and increased profits. Implicit in this explanation is the fact that results are measurable via means such as before and after analysis and time and expense audits.

More about Utilizing an HR Attorney as a Consultant will be explained in my article next week. Do look out for it.

As a labor and employment attorney and businessperson, Charles Krugel has represented management in hundreds of negotiations, in-house and 3rd party proceedings. Charles has over 13 years of experience in the field and he has run his own successful management side practice for the past 7 years.

• 1 Comments

  

The simplest definition of human resources (HR) that I can offer is that it's the management of employees as a capital asset. A business acquires and manages employees, in a manner similar to acquiring and managing any other capital asset. Now what exactly does this entail?

Employees are human and they are a business resource. However, in the same way that machinery or equipment is capital that is acquired, utilized, appreciates or depreciates in value, and which can be improved, sold or discarded, HR relates to the management of employees in a similar manner. Although this explanation may seem callous, under closer examination it is evident that HR pays as much attention to the "human" half of its name as it does to the "resources" aspect.

HR concerns the approach and ideology a business adopts for the life cycle of its employees and its company culture. Recruiting, selecting, compensating, motivating, maintaining and promoting employees are all part of HR. HR further includes strategic, budget and succession planning. Consequently, to some extent, all businesses with more than one employee have HR concerns and practice HR. Furthermore, a business’ HR philosophy may be multidisciplinary or singular in approach.

For example, an HR ideology may focus more on labor and employee relations than on organizational culture and development. Yet, an effective HR philosophy has to acknowledge that because employees affect every facet of business, and are the human face of business, employees have the greatest impact on productivity and profits.

HR affects profit and productivity.

Therefore, in order to improve productivity and profits and decrease employment related expenses, management must know how to treat employees in a fashion which enhances their value. Ultimately, effective HR helps to maximize profits and productivity by minimizing employment related expenses and maximizing employee performance.

In U.S. industry, modern HR theories date back to the Industrial Revolution. Moreover, since the Industrial Revolution, HR has evolved along with changes in production, distribution, finance and, perhaps most importantly, legal and civil rights. HR poses problems for a business when it fails to understand how these changes influence macro and micro HR practices.

More about Macro and Micro HR will be explained in my next article. Do look out for it.

As a labor and employment attorney and businessperson, Charles Krugel has represented management in hundreds of negotiations, in-house and 3rd party proceedings. Charles has over 13 years of experience in the field and he has run his own successful management side practice for the past 7 years.

• 0 Comments

  

I outlined the steps you should take to prepare yourself for ‘The New Work World’. One of the essentials I mentioned was networking. Why is networking so important?

We all know how long it takes to establish a good business relationship. Doing so is an art. Learning to trust, understanding the give and take, setting the terms for mutual support. These things cannot be done in an instant. They take time. Start now. It will put you ahead of the others. Who are you going to have to rely on in your career and business?

Your colleagues, bosses, subordinates are the most important people as far as your career is concerned.

You will network with some of them because you like them. That’s valuable friendship. But your networking at work must go beyond that. You want to know what is going on in the business. Cultivate those of your colleagues who keep their ears to the ground. They can see the storms ahead.

Your customers, of course, come next.

But do we need to network with them? After all, they ARE customers. The answer is that eighty percent of your new business will come from your existing customers if you cultivate them. They are the second most important networking you will do. They must be high on your networking list.

Your suppliers are almost as important as your customers.

However clever and watchful you are you need the trust of your suppliers to be able to have trust in them. Never underestimate the help that a good supplier can give you if he is on your side – or the damage he can do if he isn’t. “You don’t see what the waiter does in the kitchen.” Your suppliers know what is going on in the business beyond your section of it. Their intelligence is invaluable. Make use of it.

Your shareholders – yes, even if you are not a Director it is sensible to know some of the shareholders.

They have a point of view and it’s a pretty important one as it determines the share price. Shareholders are knowledgeable but beyond their knowledge is a certain sense of the market often not observed by those too close to it. Make use of their knowledge. Use the knowledge of stockbrokers, too. Make friends with one or two. They have as close to an inside track as you can get these days. They don’t always get everything right – none of us does – but they are better informed than most.

Your competitors should be on your network list all the time. All business works well because of a mixture of competition and cooperation. Too much of either is bad. Often there is not enough cooperation. Besides, the next job is more likely to be with a competitor than with anyone else. How many of your competitors do you know?

The media are an essential part of your network.

They must be cultivated long before you need to give them a story. Find out which is the reporter dealing with your business – not just in the press but in TV, too, and on the radio; get to know them; socialize with them. You may become firm friends. That will be a great help to you when you have to mobilise their help.

Notice I have said ‘socialize’. Many people prefer to stick to their circle of friends and keep their non-work-time to themselves. In ‘The New Work World’ you can’t do that. You must be prepared to mix business and pleasure. The successful have been doing it for a long time. Now it’s your turn.

John Bittleston blogs at TerrificMentors.com, a site that provides mentoring for those who wish a change in career or job, wanting to start a business or looking to improve their handling of people (including themselves).

• 2 Comments

  

Entrepreneur: "Why can't we all just get along?"

Rodney King's 1991 plea has become part of our nation's vernacular. While the dialogue on diversity has led to passionate conversations about what it means to be civil, we still struggle with the essence of the question: Why can't we all just get along?

At the core of "getting along" are rules, obligations and norms that, when shared, provide the foundation for strong, stable relationships and flourishing communities. Through such conventions of civility, we learn about what polite behavior and manners mean to the community. Some might say these rules provide a sense of order; others would suggest that civility fosters feelings of well-being and positive relationships.

So, what can we do to foster workplaces that are more civil and respectful? First, we can have conversations about what being civil means for different people. This would provide some sense of shared norms, with the ultimate goal of creating respectful, valued relationships, strengthening communication, and fostering interpersonal and team collaboration. Some simple actions that we can all take include:

- noticing your point of view, particularly when you're holding tight to it, and making a point to seek out and truly listen to perspectives different than yours;

- being curious about and interested in others;

- choosing to speak with someone face-to-face if you think there may be room for miscommunication via e-mail or over the phone; and

- speaking up when others are excluded.

Being civil means being constantly aware of others and weaving restraint, respect and consideration into this awareness. Civility is attending to the community at large in our everyday interactions. The goal is moving beyond politeness, tiptoeing around conversations so as not to offend, or saying what you think you're supposed to say, to more authentic sharing.

The Unwritten Rules of Civility [Entrepreneur]

• 0 Comments

  

With steadily increasing global competition, it is more important than ever that each employee in your organization have a clear understanding of the company’s overall vision, be in alignment with the organizational goals, and have identified how their day to day activities contribute to the accomplishment of these objectives.

No longer do people have the luxury of arriving at work, completing their assigned tasks, and going home, thinking, magically, that everything will continue to work out as before. We are experiencing a rapidly changing business climate, which demands shifts in attitudes and creative thinking in order to meet the challenges of the future.

How can your company accomplish this throughout your organization?

Beginning, as author Steven Covey, reminds us, “with the end in mind.” As an executive, you must ask yourself and your team what the “ideal” looks like in each key area. In sales, for example, what would be the ideal situation? How would it appear? What about manufacturing, administration, and distribution? If everything were operating perfectly, how would you describe it?

Bringing key management together for this type of strategic planing session will result in your having identified a crystal clear vision for the entire organization, with each and every segment of the business functioning at it’s optimal level.

This visioning exercise can then be adapted and used by each department to create a “mini” version for their own area of responsibility and, further, to the individual, enabling she or he to relate their job to the bigger picture as well as their personal goals.

Once you have a clear vision of what the ideal would be in each area of your organization, the next step is to identify several goals by which you can measure your progress. For the sake of this exercise, we’ll use a one year time frame, since this is a reasonable period to institute change, while allowing you to experience success early on.

Looking at each segment of your business, what would have to happen to accomplish your ideal vision? If, for example, in distribution, the ideal was to achieve 100% on time delivery and no more than a 72 hour turnaround, what are the measurable goals that would support it’s accomplishment?

When setting goals, it is important to use the S.M.A.R.T. method , whereby each goals is Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timed. Specifically, what will you accomplish by when? Then, from your list of goals, you can develop 30–90 day milestones and further reduce those to identify the daily actions that must be taken in order to succeed.

For example, part of the vision for your sales department might be, “To be the best in our industry. To be the ‘gold standard’ by which our competition measures itself against.” This will likely translate to an increase in sales, improved customer retention, better referrals and so on.

From this, the sales woman in your New Jersey territory may, looking at her personal vision and goals, decide she wants to earn 50% more in commissions and calculates that this would require XX dollars in sales each quarter. From this, she has determined, based on past performance, how many sales per month she needs and, further, how many presentations she needs to make each week. This breaks down further into how many calls she needs to make each day in order to accomplish this, what additional systems she might implement to achieve better customer retention, and which networking functions would best support her vision.

With each and every individual, in each and every department, holding the same, clear vision and knowing their role in it’s accomplishment, you will experience a level of success beyond your wildest expectations.

Jim Donovan, is the author of several critically acclaimed self-help and business books, published in 22 countries, a highly sought after motivational speaker, and the President of Jim Donovan Associates, a peak performance consulting company that offers programs and services to help companies grow and prosper in today's competitive marketplace. To learn more visit JimDonovanAssociates.com.

• 0 Comments

  

In this article, I shall describe the most important attributes and activities to ensure success. I define success as being popular, powerful, rich, free and happy. A series of disciplines can show you the path but only you can tread it.

“I can provide the recipes but you must do the cooking.”

We all want to be popular. Every human being longs to be loved. Some deny that they feel this way. They really need help because they are denying a basic requirement of life. There is nothing wrong with seeking popularity but it must be sought in moderation. The desire becomes dangerous when it becomes more important than everything else. Most people go through short phases of desperately needing to be popular. That's all right as long as the need doesn't last. A normal wish to be liked by our friends and family is healthy. Indeed, if families devoted more effort to being nice to each other much pain and suffering would be spared.

Think about the people you like. Do they talk about themselves all the time? Of course not. If they did you wouldn't like them. So to be popular you must think of the other person. Most of us are wrapped up in ourselves a lot of the time. At its worst it is called selfishness and it is a serious problem. If you think it is someone else’s problem, you are probably wrong; it is more likely a problem for you.

Interesting people are nearly always popular. An interesting person is one who asks you a lot of questions about yourself, your life, your work, your play, your ambitions, your fears. They show a genuine interest in your views. They want your opinions. They may themselves have many excellent stories to tell; they may be wise beyond their years. If they are clever they will work their stories and wisdom into the way they generate your interest – through the questions they ask you. Success or failure for them is the response you give. It is rare indeed for someone not to respond when the subject being discussed is the most interesting in the world – the person themselves.

Interesting people are generally popular, but not always. They need to be nice as well. That means dealing decently with people, showing concern and care, helping when a hand is needed. That help must consist of two quite distinct elements.

One is demeanour - how you appear to others. In a nutshell, smile. People who smile genuinely generate warmth and a special, non-threatening intimacy. There’s another aspect to being nice, being polite. The encyclopaedia says that the purpose of politeness is to make all of the parties to an exchange relaxed and comfortable with one another. Think of politeness as giving face to the other person. We do it to those we meet socially and don’t know very well. Do we do it to our loved ones, within the family, to our colleagues at work? We should. The rude person, however loved, is never popular.

The other way to help I call ‘sleeves’ – roll them up and get on with it. Some people are better at one, some at the other. If you can do both you will be truly popular.

Will being popular make you successful? By itself, no, but it is a prerequisite to the other four forms of success. Without it, don’t bother going any further.

* * *

John Bittleston blogs at TerrificMentors.com, a site that provides mentoring for those who wish a change in career or job, wanting to start a business or looking to improve their handling of people (including themselves).

• 0 Comments

  

BusinessKnowHow: Networking is about creating an extended family. It's about developing connections, caring about people, increasing the size of your "tribe." Most of all, networking is not the awkward social ritual many of us think it is--networking is actually FUN!

Practice "Palm Up" Networking. When you network, are you giving, or grasping? Palm up networking embodies the spirit of service, of giving and wanting nothing in return. The universe has a perfect accounting system. Give to others, it'll all come back to you in time.

Do Daily Appreciation. Appreciate at least one person daily. Sometimes I do this via e-mail so I can be thorough. Simply tell someone how much you appreciate who they are, what they do, whatever about them moves you. They'll be flattered and you'll feel great.

Equalize Yourself with Others. We're all equal. Practice equalizing yourself with others--this will enable you to more comfortably interact with others, and to reach out to people of all walks of life.

Rolodex Dip. Flip through your contact database and pick a name. Then think of all the things you like about them. Now call them up to see how they are doing. They'll be surprised and delighted.

Pick a "Sensei of the Day": Your sensei can be a person, a pet, a plant, it doesn't matter. The important thing is to acknowledge that there is much to learn and you are being offered valuable lessons constantly.

Six Essentials for Networking [BusinessKnowHow]

• 0 Comments

  

Rajesh Shakya: There are numerous ways to fail as a project manager. Many Project Managers just live with their job as project manager and don’t actually manage the projects. Many Project Managers simply don’t get time to get updated with latest technology tools and best practices. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in particular that project managers can succeed.

Use project management tools effectively- Just to name a few for enterprise project management to personal project management- Microsoft Project, QualBridge Enterprise.

Manage your time well- Speaking of time, first of all you personally should be organized and achieve the desired outcome on time and on budget, then your project team will follow you.

Conduct meetings effectively- Meetings are necessary in completing projects - project planning meeting, stakeholder meetings, project team meeting, weekly briefing, daily scrum and so on.

Maintain a sense of humor- Activities in a project may go wrong. But you have to maintain a sense of humor so that you don’t do damage to your health, to your team, to your organization, and to the project itself.

Give and receive criticism- Learning the emotions of each of the team members is very important. Similarly, the ability to receive criticism is crucial for project managers.

Improve decision-making skills- You should be quick to give decisions and the decisions should be right, because your team members look to you for some approvals, choices from many options and prioritize activities.

Be adaptive- Accept any good suggestions if adaptable with project time, budget and resources.

Trust yourself- Trusting yourself and also team members is a vital component to effective project management.

Success Tips to Project Managers [Rajesh Shakya]

• 0 Comments

  

Inc: Most working professionals think it's important to have a sense of humor around the office, a recent survey found.

Among nearly 500 full and part-time office workers surveyed, 97 percent said they preferred workplace managers who could make them laugh, while 87 percent said their bosses were pretty funny, according to Robert Half International, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing services firm.

"Managers who can laugh at themselves or difficult situations are often seen as more approachable and in touch with the challenges their teams face," Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. He said a good sense of humor helped build rapport among staff and eased otherwise stressful situations.

Workers Prefer Funny Bosses [Inc]

• 0 Comments

  

Entrepreneurs: I've worked with entrepreneurs for more than 25 years, and most of the successful ones have created and developed their products on their own and love being independent. "Being my own boss" is the answer I usually get when I ask them what they like best about being an entrepreneur.

But in fact, successful entrepreneurs are not Lone Rangers -- which, for inexperienced entrepreneurs, should be regarded as a good thing. I've talked to more than 100 successful entrepreneurs over the past 10 years, and they frequently don't have a lot of business management experience, don't have any more money than the average person and typically have never tried to introduce a product before.

The key moment in their entrepreneurial process has been when they recognized their shortcomings and sought help from other people. That help is exactly what they need to succeed, and it can come in hundreds of forms, such as these:

A manufacturer willing to extend dating on orders
An industry connection who helps you fund your initial production run
A retailer who heavily promotes your product at its expense

You should think about the kind of help you will need right at the start, before you even begin to introduce a product to market. If you can prototype and make your product at home, you can probably survive on your own until you're ready to sell. But most entrepreneurs have products that require a little more investment upfront, and they could go broke if they wait too long to get experienced advice. Not only that, but getting help early will prevent a lot of mistakes in creating your product, and this will help you save money for the crucial tasks that lie ahead.

Teaming Up for Success [Entrepreneurs]

• 0 Comments

  

About Entrepreneurs: No question about it; you provide one of the most valuable services imaginable. However, without an ongoing and ever-increasing number of new, quality prospects, you'll eventually run out of people with whom to share the benefits. You might even end up asking yourself that most dreaded of questions in the world of sales, which is, "Who do I talk to next, now that my original list of names has run out?" That thought can be downright discouraging, can't it? Then again, it need not happen.

Develop profitable, win/win relationships with practically every new person you meet - whether one on one or in a social setting.

How to Cultivate A Network of Endless Referrals [About Entrepreneurs]

• 0 Comments

  

 Update: ClayValet » Here's an update on ClayValet (clayvalet.com), an online personal shopping service which we featured sometime ago. The Seattle-based company just recently debuted...

 Polar Shelves » Babygadget: These Polar bear shelves have to be the ultimate in fun product design, though one has to ask if they'd look...

 Simple Dog Vitamin » TrendCentral: Anyone whose family includes a dog knows that getting Fido to take his vitamins is even harder than getting the kids...

 Weather Forecast Umbrella » Crave: Sure, you can have the weirdest umbrella inventions, but none of these actually tell you when the rain is coming. Which...

Need more brand new promising business ideas and innovations around the world you wish you'd thought of? Visit CoolBusinessIdeas.com now!

Ever wanted to be the CEO of your very own Starbucks or Amazon.com? Fire your boss and be your own boss? Now you can, with BIZNESS! - the free biweekly business newsletter about new business ideas, opportunities and innovations from around the world. More than just new business trends, BIZNESS! helps the aspiring entrepreneur (you!) with small business advice, business tips, and entrepreneur resources and opportunities.

   Subscribe for free now!    

---