Some Employees Are More Trouble Than They Are Worth

Writen by Roberta Matuson

Some employees cost your company far more than they contribute. So why keep them?

Do you retain employees long after they have worn out their welcome? If so, you are not alone. Many organizations underestimate the damage these employees can do to the organization. They wrongfully assume that these employees don't have a direct impact on profitability, but is this really the case?

Impact on morale

Problem employees are highly skilled at hiding out. When problems occur they are the first to place blame on others. They are experts at deflecting criticism. They make conversations so uncomfortable that managers would rather work around them then deal with them.

When this occurs, assignments are given to others in the work group without explanation. Resentment builds as team members put in long hours to handle the extra workload. Dazed and confused, the star workers begin to search for signs of intelligent life on other planets since it's obvious to them that management has left the ship.

Cost of turnover

Ever notice how one department seems to have higher turnover than another? If you answered "yes" then ask yourself why nothing is done to correct this situation. If your company doesn't do anything to fix the situation, your employees will take the matter into their own hands. Employees are in a no win situation when saddled with one or two team mates who refuse to pull their own weight. Most bale out rather than wait for management to finally make a move.

Turnover can be measured in a number of ways but the end result is the same. Real dollars are being spent to replace and retrain employees. Add to this indirect costs like loss of client relationships; the decline of employee morale and chain reaction turnover and you can see how quickly costs add up.

Dissatisfied customers

Dissatisfied customers will move their business elsewhere and may never tell you why. But they will surely tell others of their situation. In today's fast paced world, mediocrity is not an option. Problem employees must be dealt with in a timely manner or business will be seeping out the back door.

Sidebar:

Five ways to address problem employees:

When an employee performs poorly or makes a serious error it is tempting to replace them like an interchangeable part on an assembly line. Here are five things you should do before ordering up a replacement:

1. Determine if it's a system problem or a training problem. Employers are quick to assume that problems are due to lack of training. But often problems exist due to systems problems. For example, no amount of customer service training can compensate for a poorly designed phone system. Make sure your systems are in working order before spending additional money on retraining problem employees.

2. Review the job expectations with the employee. It's impossible for an employee to know what is expected of them if they are never told. Give employees direct feedback. Tell them what you expect and how performance will be measured.

3. Be consistent and follow through. If you tell an employee that they have 90 days to turn their performance around then don't wait six months to evaluate their performance. Mark your calendar and follow up as necessary to provide guidance.

4. Hold managers accountable. Managers are compensated on results, which often do not take into account how well they manage and motivate staff members. If a manager is doing a poor job of managing performance then hold them accountable.

5. Determine if the problem employee is fixable. Sometimes it comes down to fit. You've got a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. When this occurs, it is usually obvious to both parties. Help guide the employee out of the organization by setting up an exit transition plan.

© 2005 Human Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.

Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (http://www.yourhrexperts.com) and has been helping companies align their people assets with their business goals. She is considered an expert in generational workforce issues. Roberta publishes a monthly newsletter "HR Matters" http://www.yourhrexperts.com/hrjoin.cgi which is jammed with resources, articles and tips to help companies navigate through sticky and complicated HR workforce issues. She can be reached at 413-582-1840 or Roberta@yourhrexperts.com.

Online Employee Time Clocks

Writen by Marcus Peterson

Online employee time clock service (a web-based application) is an entirely different system from the usual employee time clock system that records employee arrival and departure times by manually entering work hours in a database or sending reports to an accounting staff. By using online employee time clocks to record work hours, an industry can track time more efficiently and allow extra time for constructive activity.

Online employee time clock service can be accessed through websites. A username and a password are given to protect personnel information. The data is recorded on an online form and recorded. In essence, an employee clocks in and out. Online employee time clock service includes all the standard timesheet and hourly rate entry functions, project tracking abilities, as well as automatic salary calculations and comprehensive time and cost reporting. Some online employee time clocks can even feed directly into a check writing software program for automatic check processing (to be verified and authorized by the employer every pay period.) This can be a valuable time-saving measure, in that it will take the accountant less time to process payments, thus freeing up more time for accounting employees.

This service enables employees and administrators to submit and analyze data from any location, at any time. Online services may also include provisions for expense calculations, and some offer their services in several languages. Certain websites offer online employee time clock service sometimes free of charge or at a discounted rate. But make sure you are getting all of the whistles and bells you originally set out to attain.

Employee Time Clocks provides detailed information on Employee Time Clocks, Employee Time Clock Software, Online Employee Time Clocks, Employee Computer Time Clocks and more. Employee Time Clocks is affiliated with Employee Scheduling.

Business Management Case Study 2500 Mobile Oil Changes Is It A Viable Business

Writen by Lance Winslow

If you started a mobile oil change business could you charge $25.00? Would people pay that price for services? Would people forgo the low prices at Wal-Mart of $12.99 for the added convenience of you doing such a service at their homes or offices? Recently this question came up with a gentleman who wished to start an a mobile oil change business in a town which did not have a Super Wal-Mart (only Super Wal-Marts) change oil, regular ones do not have those auto services.

The gentleman was getting ready to launch a small mobile oil change business and he stated: "I think people would be willing to pay $25.00 for a simple oil change if you came to them. Then include wipers, air filters (big considering the price of fuel) and top off fluids."

Indeed there are lots of other things people need, but also realize that this adds up front inventory costs, trying to stock all the possible oil filters, air filters (both engine and cabin), fluid types, etc.. As far as windshield wipers are concerned; well, wipers, are not so bad because you can by three or four types and cut blades to length.

When starting a small mobile oil change business from scratch it is important to watch costs and only carry inventory for what you will need. Additionally it makes sense to try to keep it as simple as possible with only a few add-on services, which you can provide quickly, without adding you too much cost. There are all considerations to be thinking on if you are considering starting a mobile oil change business in your area. Think on this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Pinch Dollars Not Dimes

Writen by David Knowles

Instinctively we are constantly looking for ways to cut costs, save here and there and run a tighter than tight ship, all the while conducting our business in an effective and professional way. Sometimes it is not easy but if you want to survive as a business and stay in business this is something we all must do.

Have you herd the phrase "stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime"? Well this saying typifies the plight of many small businesses today. I have consulted with many small business owners and have been a small business owner my self and I know how enticing it can be to try and make your customer base conform to your needs instead of vice versa. Let me give you an example I used to work in a large office with many employees. We started the tradition of all going to lunch together, sometimes choosing the location took longer than the actual act of eating. Many times we would vote unanimously for one of the great mom and pop places that had become a great diversion from typical lunch menus, unfortunately most of the time someone in the group would say I can't go there because all I have is a card, and they don't accept them. There were 10 to 12 people all ready and willing to spend money at your place but you ran the numbers and decided you did not need credit card revenue.

We would all like to suppose that our products and services are so superior that we can set the rules. Just remember there are hundreds even thousands of businesses competing for that consumer dollar. Plastic has become the preferred form of payment in the United States and is closing in fast in all other parts of the world. Accepting credit/debit cards is not just important for larger businesses it is most important for the small business. You are establishing a client base, you are setting yourself apart from you competitors, and you are telling every patron or perspective patron that you want their business.

Statistics show that the average person has regular contact with 30 people a week, 30 people that they exert some type of influence over. Whether they may be family, friends co-workers or subordinates. An endorsement or a condemnation coming from this person has a much greater propensity to set the consumer's mine ether for or against you than does untold dollars spent in advertising.

If you follow this rule of thumb you will most likely come out on top, "never turn down a paying customer".

http://www.oinksolutions.com/cms/merchant_services.php

Growing A Successful Organization

Writen by Sue E. Thomas

There are lots of things that can help an organization grow, but what is the most important step in the growth of a company. Keep in mind,that companies are not entities that can grow by themselves; companies do not grow. A company can improve productivity, gain new customers, capture new markets, acquire new technology, increase efficiencies, develop creative approaches, increase profitability, etc., but only through one prime ingredient - it's people!

With that in mind, it's common sense to grow and develop the asset responsible for growing the company, right? But many organizations don't see it that way.

Without increased learning inside the company, a company can only grow a finite amount. To recognize the truth behind this statement, just look at technology. Our world is changing at a very rapid pace. If we can't keep up with the changes, we fall behind. And in order to keep up, remain competitive and be successful, we need to ensure that our people have strong "core competencies".

Take a look at your current workforce. What's missing? Are your people trained sufficiently in the software programs they use to do their jobs? If not, that knowledge gap may be costing you in lost productivity and time.

Do you have high turnover? You may need to review your hiring process. It might also be valuable to look at the skills of those doing the interviewing. Have they been properly trained to conduct effective interviews? Do they possess a thorough understanding of the critical skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviors needed to be successful in the position?

What about morale and the other intangible and hard-to-measure areas (i.e. attitudes) that affect the company? Can you develop these areas in your employees? The softer skills are hard to measure, but attitude, morale and successful behaviors can be developed when you hire the right people.

It's time to rethink how we look at growing our organizations. In order to grow, we must continue to develop our most valuable asset - our people!

Sue E. Thomas, president of Managing Asset Potential (M-A-P, LLC), has over 25 years of business experience, 17 years of equine experience and 15 years of Human Resource Management. She possesses an in-depth knowledge of human interaction and team dynamics. She has extensive skills in organizational development, leadership development, facilitation and executive coaching. For more information visit us at http://www.mapotential.com

Feedback Make It Descriptive

Writen by Alan Fairweather

Have you ever heard yourself say to a team member - "You're really great" - "You're a star" - I think you're brilliant" - "You're doing a great job!"

It's got to be a plus point that you're giving Confirming Feedback and there's nothing intrinsically wrong with any of the statements above; however, they could be better. There is also the danger that these statements could come across as a bit patronising.

Managers who find it a bit difficult to give Confirming feedback might also feel uncomfortable with these types of statements.

One of the other reasons for giving Confirming Feedback is to get more of the same behaviour; the statements above may not ensure that. Let me give you and example of what I mean.

Fred has just submitted a report which you're pleased with and you decide to tell him so - "That's a great report Fred; you're brilliant at writing reports!"

But what made the report great and why is Fred so brilliant at writing them? It would have been better to say - "I liked the way you structured that report Fred, the words you used and the use of diagrams made it easy for me to understand. Thank you for the time you have obviously put into it." Fred now knows what it is you like about his report and is more likely to write it in a similar way in the future.

This is what we call being Descriptive. You are describing to the team member what you saw or heard that you liked. This carries much more weight than a - "Well done!" Managers who are uncomfortable with Confirming Feedback find this easier to do because it takes the "emotion" out of the statement. There is also less risk of sounding patronising.

It's even more important to use descriptive statements when you see or hear something you're not happy with.

This is where we need to do a lot more thinking and a lot less reacting.

It's so easy to react when a team member does or says something we don't like. We say things like - "You've got the wrong attitude!"- "You're hopeless!" - "That was a stupid way to deal with that situation!" - "You'll need to shape up!" - "You're not very responsible!" Statements like these will only get the team members back up and won't get the change in behaviour you want.

Let's say that one of your team turns up late for the third time in a week. You decided to ignore the first two late situations but this third time has made you angry. You might say - "You've got the wrong attitude to this job, you're always late and I'm not having it. If you're late again you'll receive an official warning."

That statement is not descriptive, it's reactive. It stresses you, it de-motivates the team member and it's unlikely to resolve the situation. A descriptive statement would be - "I'm unhappy with the fact that you've been late for work three times this week. I'm willing to hear your reasons for being late and agree with you how we can prevent this happening in the future."

You're letting the team member know that you're not prepared to accept their lateness but you're willing to hear their side of the story. When you describe performance you are focussing on specific behaviour. You describe what you see and what you hear in clear terms that the team member can also see, hear and understand.

If you're not prepared to accept that then you need to tell them so. However, you may wish to make a judgement call and accept their timekeeping. At the end of the day it comes back to outcomes - are they producing the results? You may have to consider how their timekeeping affects the other members of the team.

I've only talked about lateness here however there are many other situations where you'll be required to give some Productive Feedback and coach people. It could be the way the team member speaks to a customer or a colleague. It could be for failing to produce the required results. Whatever it is, using descriptive statements and coaching the individual will resolve the situation in terms of your interests and the team members.

Discover how you can generate more business by motivating your team! Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team" This book is packed with practical things you can do to get the best out of your people. Click here now http://www.howtogetmoresales.com

http://www.alanfairweather.com

Commercial Office Space Dont Waste Your Money

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Commercial office space is unnecessary when you first start out in computer consulting. Unless you have a very compelling reason for renting commercial office space, save your money. You're much better plowing that money back into marketing and promotional expenses.

Even a tiny commercial office space is going to be $400 - $600 a month. A low traffic retail store is even more; at least a $1000-$2000 per month. Rather than waste that money on commercial office space, invest it in marketing and business development. You're going to need to do these things whether you have commercial office space or not. There is no reason to add to your overhead expenses.

When you start out, a home office is the best choice. Until you bring on a lot of staff, it's really not going to benefit you to have a commercial office space. Most of the time you will be servicing clients at their office, going on sales calls, or attending networking events.

In computer consulting your clients will not be coming to you. You go to them. The time you spend in your own office is minimal. The money you spend on your office space should be minimal as well.

You might think that you need commercial office space if you want to run seminars. These are an excellent marketing tool but you can rent executive office space very reasonably. This type of commercial office space is rented on an as need basis by the hour or day.

The Bottom Line on Commercial Office Space

Commercial office space is expensive. There is no reason to put yourself on the hook for $500 or $1,000 a month or more, every single month just to be able to do say you have an office. The time you or your clients spend in your office does not warrant renting commercial office space. Use your home office for as long as you can and rent out space by the hour or day as you need it.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of computer consultants around the World get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too get more steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

Corporate Kits At Wholesale Prices

Writen by Jimmy Sturo

Corporate kits, or sets of documents that are used to track and enter information for the purpose of registering a new corporation, can be applied to wholesalers. Wholesale prices are less than retail, as it involves high volumes. In the wholesale market, quality is key. The customer looks for good quality at competitive prices. Corporate kits includes the corporate seal, printed or blank minute books, by-laws, printed stock certificates and receipts, stock transfer ledgers, government forms, and a padded 3-ring binder with matching slip case.

Customers these days have many options to choose from. Many companies offer kits at competitive wholesale prices. The wholesalers are ready to deliver goods without any added cost. Companies are very prompt and flawless in their services. They dispatch the company seals the same day the order is placed. All the company seals are produced through the same process, so the difference in price does not arise through production. The end product is always the same, whether you buy it from a wholesaler or a retailer.

It is advisable to buy at a wholesale rate first and then check it with the prices as quoted daily by the wholesaler. The kits should reach the retailer within a stipulated period of time. Some wholesalers also offer gifts and discounts for bulk sales. They render services all over the globe, not just domestically. Corporate kits and stock certificates are available for all different types of corporations.

One has to be very cautious while dealing with wholesalers. Negotiate well to find a business deal best suited to your needs and budget.

Corporate Kits provides detailed information on Benefits of Corporate Kits, Buy Corporate Kits, Corporate Kit Estate Binders, Corporate Kits and more. Corporate Kits is affiliated with Corporate Gift Incentives.

Business Intelligence In Taxation

Writen by Kostis Panayotakis

Government Finance Divisions manage the execution of the fiscal policy:

• management of the taxation and tax audit process
• management of the budget execution process

Within the taxation framework, each State aims to support its taxation policy:

• Support the efficient capture and processing of tax declarations
• Assure the collection of tax revenue according to plans
• Manage and reduce the risk of Citizen non-compliance: reduce tax evasion levels and fight financial crime
• Support the analysis of alternative future tax policies and relevant decision making, e.g. consequences of a change on State revenue
• Enhance the Citizen experience, during the tax compliance process (e.g. offer e-government services).

It is proposed that a 'tax monitoring data mart', be designed based on the dimensional model approach. A proposed high–level logical data model is depicted in the picture (check resource below), based on the assumption that a critical mass of data (geographic & time dimension) in a sufficient data quality exists, rendering the implementation feasible. The proposed high-level data model depicted in the figure, is a star schema with a number of fact tables surrounded by a set of common (or conformed) dimensions. The fact tables are of the 'accumulating snapshot' type, meaning that they accumulate information throughout each individual taxation transaction lifecycle. Most taxation types have a yearly lifecycle (i.e. personal income tax). VAT involves more frequent transactions. This data modeling approach offers advantages, compared to the operational systems data models (usually normalized database schemas):· The model is quite simple and can be easily understood by business (non-IT) users · The model's simplicity has also positive consequences to the performance of queries Based on this infrastructure which would monitor the taxation lifecycle of various taxes, the Government can produce information:· on a taxpayer's holistic view (all transactions she / he made) and support the non-compliance risk scoring and general tax audit process · on tax collection time-series analysis· on the time it takes between reception of tax declarations & clearance· on the tax collection speed· on the Taxpayer demographics (i.e. average declared income per professional code, geographic distribution of income)· total tax collected by tax office, compared to tax office attributes

The model is expandable when the following principle is applied: the star schema dimensions (time, tax office, taxpayer) are conformed allowing the application of queries via conformed dimensions across different fact tables (drill across queries). This approach is known as Datawarehouse Bus Architecture.

Copyright 2006 - Kostis Panayotakis

The 'tax monitoring data mart' is depicted in the following link http://www.pleroforea.com/tax_monitoring_process_data_mart.htm A 'tax audit case data mart' is depicted in the following link http://www.pleroforea.com/tax_audit_case_data_mart.htm Relevant material on Business intelligence can be found at http://www.pleroforea.com

Computer Service Business Resources For Recruiting Personnel

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

You will need to recruit computer service business personnel not only at the start of a business but continuously after that. There are many resources available to those in the computer service business looking to hire employees, and a computer service business manager able to think creatively will attract better candidates. Advertising, referrals, promotions and the Internet are excellent sources for computer service business managers looking for new personnel.

Ads

Advertising, while the first thought for most computer business managers is by no means the only hiring tool. Classified ads can attract a lot of resumes, but will not weed out unqualified candidates. Ads can also be very expensive, so those in the computer service business taking out ad space should focus on writing adds that target those with as many of the desirable qualities as possible. Those looking to use advertising should think about using agencies or the marketing department to write the most efficient ads.

Promoting From Within

Computer service business managers might be able to use a current employee to fill an opening. Promotions can help build morale within a company, but the individuals promoted must have the right qualifications. When looking for candidates, you may want to look outside the computer service business as well.

Hiring With Referrals

Many times you can find the best candidate within your circle of friends and acquaintances. As a computer service business manager you can also ask current employees to recommend someone within their network. Be careful with this process, and make sure to screen potential employees the same way you would when using any other computer service business hiring tools.

The Internet

As a computer service business manager you should scan the Internet and visit competing websites on a regular basis for candidates. Many business recruiters save significant money by using Internet referral services.

In the computer service business recruiting can be very labor-intensive and costly. Make sure to use resources beyond advertising to ensure you get the best qualified person.

Copyright MMI-MMVII, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

Performance Appraisals The 5 Biggest Mistakes Managers Make And How To Avoid Them

Writen by Anna Johnson

Performance appraisal.

Or, if you prefer, performance review.

Whichever term you use, mention it to a dozen of your friends -- whether they typically give or receive performance appraisals -- and notice the responses you get.

A grimace?

A roll of the eyes?

Tension?

A satisfied smile?

Let's face it, mentioning "performance appraisal" gets such mixed responses because people have such mixed experiences.

Which is only to be expected... except I bet most of the responses you get are negative.

If your respondents aren't hostile, or scornful, then they're clearly unimpressed.

Why?

Why are performance appraisals seen to be negative experiences?

I mean, isn't a performance appraisal simply a meeting between a manager and a member of his or her staff, where together they appraise the staff member's performance during the year (or other time period) and agree on goals for the coming year?

Well, that's the theory.

But in reality, many managers handle performance appraisals quite poorly. And the result is not only an unpleasant meeting, but one where the manager and his or her staff member never quite understand each other, never quite appreciate the other's point of view, and never quite settle on appropriate goals for the coming year.

It's almost inevitable that the staff member will end up less happy and less productive than he or she was before!

In fact, there are five (5) big mistakes that managers often make in conducting performance appraisals. Fortunately, these mistakes are easily avoided once you make a conscious effort to avoid them.

Let's discuss each in turn.

Mistake #1: Waiting For The Performance Appraisal To Give Feedback

This is the biggie, and all too common. It's where a manager fails to give someone adequate feedback on their performance during the year, and then dumps it on them in the performance appraisal meeting.

Unfortunately, the feedback is almost always negative, so the employee ends up sitting there in shock -- at best, wondering why his or her manager didn't say something sooner; at worst, feeling unjustly victimized.

And you have to wonder -- how can a manager expect an employee to do the right things, the right way, if the manager hasn't provided any guidance or feedback all year?

The solution: make it a habit to tell your employees if they've done a good or poor job, and if it's a poor job, explain how they can do things better in the future.

There should be no surprises in the performance appraisal!

Mistake #2: Overemphasizing Recent Performances

It's all too human to remember, and give greater weight, to recent events rather than earlier events. However, this can lead to an inaccurate and unfair assessment when it comes to reviewing an employee's performance.

To avoid overemphasizing an employee's recent work, take note -- and ideally take notes -- of the employee's work throughout the year.

Mistake #3: Being Too Positive Or Negative

Some managers feel uncomfortable giving negative feedback and consequently, can omit to give employees the constructive criticism they need to improve. And then there are other managers who are instinctively too negative, leaving the employee wondering if they can do anything right!

While, as a manager appraising someone's performance you should give your honest opinion... you also want your employee to understand and appreciate what you're saying.

So instead of being too positive or negative -- which can result in the employee not believing what you say -- think about the impact on the employee you want, and communicate your feedback accordingly.

Mistake #4: Being Critical Without Being Constructive

Following on from Mistake #3... some managers can be too critical and neglect to provide any constructive advice on how an employee can improve.

This doesn't help the employee or the manager. Even if your criticisms all have merit, if you don't explain how the employee can improve, he or she is likely to miss the validity of what's being said and simply think he or she is being victimized. Not to mention the fact that his or her performance won't actually improve.

So if you need to be critical, be constructive too!

Mistake #5: Talking Not Listening

The final big mistake that managers make in performance appraisals is doing too much talking and not enough listening.

These meetings are supposed to be interactive -- where the manager doesn't simply relay his or her own appraisal of the employee's performance during the year, but also listens to the employee's viewpoint.

If, for example, you have criticized the individual's performance -- it's not only fair, but important, to get the employee's response as to why he or she may have underperformed.

Moreover, a key objective of the performance appraisal is to agree on goals for the following year. How can there be true agreement and commitment to such goals, if you don't learn the employee's point of view?

As you've probably gathered, you can avoid these five mistakes -- it just takes a little effort. It's certainly worth it -- if you think employee satisfaction, productivity and performance are important!

Anna Johnson is the author of the How To Manage People System, including her book, How To Manage People (Even If You're A Control Freak!). Get Anna's FREE 12-page report How To Be An Outstanding Manager -- The 8 Vital Keys To Managing People Effectively.

Beyond Management Coaching When Things Are Getting Out Of Control

Writen by Chris Stowell

Leaders and Managers often ask us, 'What do you do when you have tried to coach and counsel an employee about a performance concern, and the employee has not responded?

Unfortunately, we see far too many cases where the leader hasn't, in good faith, tried to coach the employee or to put the leader's concerns into words. Often, leaders look for a quick fix alternative to what is perceived as a difficult and painful confrontation.

We have also learned from first-hand experience that management coaching is not a one-shot effort. It takes regular ongoing discussions and experiences to achieve the level of support and cooperation needed. When you have truly exhausted all your good-faith efforts to coach an employee into change, you have the right to move to the next best alternative, a coaching based solution.

In certain situations, employees have grown accustomed to and dependent on heavy authority in the workplace, or they just don't feel attached to the job or organization. We are not advocating that the leader wait for someone to pass out a permission slip to try a different approach; rather, the leader should tell the employee that the management coaching approach hasn't worked and it is time to take a different path. Probably the best thing a leader can do is literally call a time-out, pull back, and reexamine the entire interpersonal/working contract or agreement with the employee. The leader needs to reconsider the basic assumptions and understanding about the employee's role and terms of employment in the organization. This is a major renegotiation effort.

It is very possible that the job demands or personal expectations and objectives of the employee or leader have changed sufficiently that a real pressure point has been created in the leader/employee relationship. Remember, a social contract between a leader and employee works as long as there is "mutual consent and valid consideration" for both parties. If a new agreement and shared vision of common goals can be reached, then a new state of leader/employee stability and equilibrium will be achieved. If not, the leader and employee should begin to explore and plan a way to separate effectively.

Some leaders say they can't get along without the employee. No problem – you simply need to look for creative ways to restructure the employee's job or reassign or retrain the employee to cut your losses and limit your exposure. You may consider "down-sizing" the employee's role to fit the needs of the situation.

Another strategy is to pursue a path or formal disciplinary or probationary action. Obviously this is riskier; it may be a path of no return in the sense that cultivating a healthy relationship in a climate of hostility and possible resentment, anger, and embarrassment over disciplinary action is difficult. You may be forced to pursue this path to the unpleasant end of a separation, the ultimate challenge for any leader.

The other thing you may consider is to take two aspirin, grin and bear it, and go on lots of short vacations.

If you would like to learn more about CMOE's 27 years of management coaching research and experience, please contact a Regional Manager at (888)262-2499.

To learn more why organizations such as Pfizer, Chevron, Texaco, Samsung, and others have chosen CMOE please visit their website.

Ignorance And Uncertainty

Writen by Mamak Mamaku

Perfect competition assumes that consumers, firm and factor suppliers have perfect knowledge of cost and benefits. In the real world, there is often a great deal of ignorance and uncertainty. Thus people are unable to equate marginal benefit with marginal cost.

Consumers purchase many goods only once or few times in a lifetime. Cars, washing machines, television and other consumer durable fall into this category. Consumers mat not be aware of the quality of such goods until they have purchased them, by which time it is too late. Advertising mat contribute to people's ignorance by misleading them as to the benefits of a good.

Firm are often ignorant of market opportunities, price, cost, the productivity of factor ( especially white-collar workers ), the activity of rival, etc.

Many economic decisions are based on expected future conditions. Since the future can never be know for certain, many decision are taken that in the retrospect will be seen to have been wrong.

In some case, it may be possible to obtain the information through the market. There may be an agency that will sell you the information or a newspaper or magazine that contains the information. In this case, you will have to decide whether the cost to you of buying the problem here is that you may not have sufficient information to judge how reliable the information is that you are buying!

Project Management Fast Tracking With Gantt Charts

Writen by Liz Cassidy

Gantt charts are useful tools for analysing, planning and controlling complex multi stage projects.

Gantt Charts can:

Assist in identifying the tasks and sub tasks to be undertaken

Help you lay out the tasks that need to be completed

Assist in scheduling when these tasks will be carried out and in what order

Assist in planning resources and needed to complete the project,

Assist in working out the critical path for a project where it needs to be completed by a particular date.

When a complex or multi stage project is under way, Gantt charts assist in monitoring whether the project is on schedule, or not. If not, the Gantt chart allows you to easily identify what actions need to be taken in order to put the project back onto schedule.

An essential concept behind project planning is that some activities are dependent on other activities being completed first. For example, it is not a good idea to start building the walls in an office block before you have laid the foundations; neither is it a good idea to put the cake mix into the tin without greasing the tin first.

These dependent activities need to be completed in a sequence, with each stage being more-or-less completed before the next stage can begin. We can call dependent activities 'sequential'.

Other activities are not dependent on completion of any other tasks. These activities may be done at any time before or after a particular stage in the project is reached. These activities are called are nondependent or 'parallel' tasks.

To learn more on how to draw up a Gantt Chart; refer to my previous article on Gantt Charts.

Sometimes it is necessary to complete a project earlier than originally planned or than your previously drawn up Gantt Chart says is possible. In this event you will need to take action to reduce the length of time spent on each task and stage. This is called fast tracking.

One way to fast track a project is to pile resources and funds into every single project task to bring down the time spent on each task. This would probably consume huge additional resources and is a very expensive way to complete a project. In my early days as a chemical engineer on a huge Chemical plant, this method was normal.

A more efficient way of fast tracking would be to look only at activities on the critical path. ie Fast track only those tasks which are dependent on other tasks being completed. A construction example is using tilt slab concrete walls which are made at the same time as the foundations are being laid. Resources are added only to those activities which are on the sequential critical path. Costs would still increase but in a more planned and controlled manner.

This method works also well when a deadline on the project is missed, and remedial action is needed to gain time and catch up to the original timetable.

Liz Cassidy, founder of Third Sigma International is an author, Speaker, Trainer and Executive Coach dedicated to facilitating results in the businesses, professional and personal lives of her clients. For more information http://www.thirdsigma.com.au

What Crosscultural Training Can Do For You

Writen by Brenda Townsend Hall

International business is more complex than ever before. Success in every sector is now seen in global terms. Yet success in working with colleagues from different cultures is no easy goal. In order to connect, we have to communicate effectively and we can only do this in an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding and trust. Cross-cultural training helps you understand the underlying cultural values that drive behaviour—you first understand your own cultural background and then other people's.

Its outcomes should be first to take the confusion out of cross-cultural encounters. For example, you arrive in Madrid for a business meeting. In your own working environment appointments are made and only changed in exceptional circumstances, and usually with plenty of notice. But when you arrive at your hotel in advance of the next day's meeting you find a note telling you the appointment has been rescheduled. From your perspective this is tantamount to an insult. You feel angry, frustrated, perhaps puzzled. But that's because you come from a typically 'monochronic' background. Spain is much more 'polychronic' and, while you are very time- conscious, punctual, schedule-orientated, many Spanish are easy-going about time, appointments and timetables. It's not an insult, simply a manifestation of a more relaxed view of these matters. If you had understood this before doing business in Spain you would not have been thrown by this sudden change in the schedule.

As well as helping you to understand the differences in other people's behaviour and attitudes, it helps you to overcome perceived barriers. In the situation above, you could arrive at the postponed meeting in a hostile and unreceptive frame of mind. Your business meeting could already be jeopardized by your sense of having been insulted. But if you understand the different behaviour in relation to a different culture's values, you can simply enjoy the additional free time in Madrid and arrive at the meeting ready to thank your counterparts for the unexpected opportunity to do some sightseeing. No hostility, no barriers.

A further benefit of cross-cultural awareness is that it helps you to become more objective. When cross-cultural issues are unresolved, you risk taking the situation personally, as in the example above. But when you understand that different behaviour patterns are entirely normal in another environment, you can stand back and analyse the situation more effectively. Let's say you have been negotiating with Chinese counterparts and feel ready to close the deal. At the end of the meeting, the Chinese thank you for your contribution but say they will now go away to consider the agreement. If you don't understand the collectivist nature of the Chinese decision-making process, you could come away feeling that the negotiation had failed, you may take this as a personal failure. But if you understand the group-orientation of your Chinese counterparts, you will be able judge the negotiation in a clearer light. You will even be able to offer additional input by expressing your willingness to supply further information to the group if they need it.

Team-cohesion is another area that benefits from cross-cultural understanding. Obviously it will be pointless if you as an individual understand these nuances but the rest of your team does not. When you return from a mission such as that described above, they too will think the negotiation has failed unless they understand the issues. As a team you will be able to develop more coherent and effective strategies if you all know what is involved in doing business across cultures.

Cross-cultural training will help you improve your communications skills. You will learn how to listen with real understanding. That means listening with your eyes and your mind as well as with your ears. Let's say you, a man, invite a female secretary from the office for a coffee after work so that you can get to know each other in a more relaxed atmosphere. She looks down at the floor, thanks you and says she'll come. You wait in the café but she doesn't turn up. If you had been listening properly this should be no surprise. She didn't look you in the eye and you ought to know that in her culture it is not usual for a woman to meet a man who is not her husband, father or brother alone but, at the same time, she would have found it impossible to openly refuse an invitation from her boss. As you learn to listen and understand you will develop the communication skills you need to deal sensitively but effectively with your international colleagues.

Cross-cultural training helps you understand how to prepare the ground for mutual understanding by helping you win the trust of those you work with. When people can see that you are sensitive to their beliefs and traditions and respect them, they will be more willing to look at new ways of doing things and finding mutually acceptable solutions.

Brenda Townsend Hall is writer and trainer in the field of business communications and cross-cultural awareness. She is an associate member of ITAP International (http://www.itapintl.com)

A Checklist For Organized Executives

Writen by Cynthia Kyriazis

I could begin this article by providing a checklist of organizing techniques for you to incorporate into your daily work routine. The goal would be to become and remain organized, improve your time management and reduce your stress while increasing your productivity. This checklist could include items such as managing incoming information, keeping the desktop free of clutter, creating a user-friendly filing system, etc. And I suspect there are many other organizing and time management consultants out there who could provide something similar. But I want to share a different type of list with you.

It's a list with a bigger picture. It's got more to do with preparing yourself to move forward than with taking immediate 'action steps'. In fact, it's about the groundwork you need to lay in order to have the action steps work.

Reality check

Are you organized? Are you an effective time manager? Ask yourself. Then ask others. If you are a supervisor, you are a role model and your actions are studied by others. You might not have asked for this particular role, but your staff or team is watching and wondering how they can be just like you… or not anything like you. Same is true of your peers. How often do I hear, 'If you think my desk is bad, let's go for a walk and I'll show you Ted's.' So take a reality check and be honest.

Skills check

Do you have the skills necessary to become organized? Contrary to popular belief, an organized person is not genetically pre-disposed to this condition. Getting organized is a learned skill. Some of us had great role models, some had poor role models and some had no role models. Some of us are organized in one area but not in another. Whatever your situation, there is plenty of information out there on ideas of how to improve your skills and plenty of help to guide and support you to success.

Emotional intelligence check

Daniel Goleman coined this phrase and spawned a revolution. Without emotional intelligence the rest seems somewhat moot. Ask yourself some tough questions about what you need to do to be more successful and less stressed. Chances are that getting organized and becoming a more effective manager of your time might crop up as areas of importance.

What will you do about it?

Copyright 2005 Cynthia Kyriazis. All rights reserved.

Cynthia Kyriazis is an organizing and time management consultant, trainer, speaker, coach and author with over 20 years management experience in multi-unit corporations. Organize it, a division of Productivity Partners, Inc. is an organizational training firm she founded in 1995 and has been serving Fortune 500 clients ever since. Cynthia works with business and their employees to help improve performance and realize productivity gains.

Cynthia has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kansas City Star and the Legal Intelligencer. She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), member of the Kansas City of the International Society for Performance Improvement – (ISPI-KC) and consultant to the American Coaching Association.

Creativity Management Structure And Goals

Writen by Kal Bishop

What do creativity managers do?

Replace the word management with the word optimisation.

That's what creativity managers do: they optimise the quality of the idea pool (creativity) and the implementation process (innovation).

There are many methods of optimisation and the creativity leader must be aware of all of them, in other words, he or she must synthesise them for optimal effect.

Areas [within creativity] that need managing include motivation, organisational culture, organisational structure, incremental versus radical effects and processes, knowledge mix, group structures, goals, process and valuation.

Areas [within innovation] that need managing include idea selection, development / prototyping and the art of commercialisation.

It is worth noting that 4000 good ideas result in 4 development programs, which in turn results in 1 winner.

Structure and Goals

Do structure and goals enhance creative output or is a "do your best" approach more effective?

Structure and goals are often resisted. Common complaints include "I feel like I'm conforming" and "you can't force creativity."

However, defining the problem, setting boundaries and incremental goals moves the creator from an original state to a goal state, gets the creative juices flowing and forces out ideas. With structure, you can complete a screenplay (for example), within a set period. Without structure, I won't be surprised if that screenplay rots half-finished under your bed for years.

Structure and goals have to be tempered with the concept of incubation. The reverse of the above is that richer ideas result when the problem is allowed to fester in the unconscious mind.

Hence a combination of time pressure and incubation achieve the best result.

Learn more…

Download the MBA research, learn about this topic at http://www.creativity-management.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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Download the MBA research, learn about this topic at http://www.creativity-management.com/

Lessons From A Sponge

Writen by T.J. Schier

As most of you know, cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants is happily employed at the Krusty Krab - a quick serve seen by millions of kids every day on Nickelodeon. Quite a few funny restaurant experiences seem to happen to the SpongeBob crew - they even made a movie about them.

Having an 8- and 10-year old, I recently saw the SpongeBob SquarePants movie and there was actually a valuable restaurant lesson to be learned (that somehow stayed with me after 90 minutes of torture). The second Krusty Krab restaurant was getting ready to open and SpongeBob thought he was going to be the manager, yet he was passed over for a "more mature" candidate. He was crushed. How many times have we done that to our employees?

The lesson to take away is this: Think about training from the inside before recruiting from the outside. How many potential management candidates do you have working for you that lack a bit in maturity, leadership skills, or management experience, and you simply pass them over and look to the outside for answers? We continually hire new managers, lose them after 1.3 years, and hire another. How about reallocating our efforts (and dollars)into teaching our existing employees the skills they need to become great managers.

Based on data I've come across, companies that have a higher rate of internal promotions tend to have longer tenured managers, lower management turnover, and lower employee turnover. Why? These folks are already bonded to the brand—they know what it's like and they buy-in. They simply need to know there is a career path in the organization and the opportunity to succeed (with employer-directed development provided).

Need a new manager? Comb your roster, find out who is interested, see what skills they are lacking, and get them trained, perhaps by a mentor or coach. Numerous assessment tests are available to help you identify what skills your employees need to develop.

Courses are available through many companies. Even the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (www.nraef.org), in affiliation with the Harvard Business School, provides management classes.

Yes, it is an investment. But that investment is safer than the typical recruiting churn. By providing opportunities to your current employees, you're ultimately encouraging them, and others, to stay longer. Now that's something to absorb!

T.J. Schier is service professional, consultant and speaker with over 20 years experience in operations and training. Founder and president of Incentivize Solutions and podTraining, T.J. has helped numerous clients enhance their service and training programs and spoken to tens of thousands of managers, franchisees and operators in various fields. Visit http://IncentivizeSolutions.com/ for more info motivating today's employees, training today's generation and delivering outstanding guest service; or http://podTraining.us/, a unique new system and the foundation of 'i-learning' - using the device of today's generation, the iPod - to train your workforce.

Tips For Collecting Past Due Accounts Receivable

Writen by Greg Beverly

During a consultation with one of my clients this week, he proudly stated, "Greg, our past due accounts receivable are down from over $100,000 in October to less than $30,000 at year end! I still can't believe what a difference those simple steps made in our collection process." Later the same day, I spoke with a prospect who told me that more than half of his current past dues were more than 120 days. "I've tried everything I know to try. I'm just going to have to start beating the bushes for more business or I'm not going to make it." If both continue down the same path, which one do you think will be the most successful?

My client has been very busy over the last few months taking action so he would NOT be in this position. Unfortunately, the second owner is typical of many business owners today. Complacency when things are going well can be an absolute killer. Sales were good. Profits were good. What else could you ask for? Did you realize that many businesses who closed their doors last year had record sales? Did you realize that many of them also had record profits? The difference between profits and cash flow can be the difference between success and mediocrity, or even failure. One of the worst drags on cash flow is lack of accounts receivable management. How do I know this? I have been through it personally and I learned the hard way that failure to properly manage your accounts receivable can seriously damage your bank account. I was once forced to write off more than $40,000 in receivables to two separate clients…clients that I trusted…clients that I did special favors for and let them slide when they were late. I did it because I liked them…and I trusted them. Big mistake when you let emotions cloud your judgement in the collection area. When that happened it was painful and I don't like seeing that happen to others when I know how it can be avoided.

But from all adversity, there is a lesson to be learned. Everyone needs a system for collecting accounts. A system alerts you to specific steps at specific times and takes the guesswork out of sending letters and making calls. A system uses a letter that has been proven to work again and again, a call script that has been proven to work again and again and utilizes it increase your cash flow and significantly reduce your past due accounts receivable.

To survive in business, you must always keep your finger on the cash flow pulse. Many business owners I know are so focused on sales and profits that they forget that profits don't pay the bills…cash does. Some of the most cash flow challenged companies in the world are those that are growing the fastest. One of the best ways to keep the cash flowing is to manage your receivables with flawless consistency.

Make sure that accounts receivable management has dedicated space on your calendar every single week.

And remember, accounts receivable management is not an event. It's an ongoing process that requires regular action. It requires a plan, constant attention, and dedication. Complacency and procrastination can kill you.

Greg Beverly, CPA, MBA has more than 21 years of experience helping business owners get the most from their business. For more information on how to reduce your past due accounts receivable and give your cash flow a boost, visit his website at http://www.accountsreceivable.yougethelp.com

Implementation The Catalyst Of Change For Management To Reach That Next Level Of Success

Writen by Leanne Hoagland-Smith

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 incredible inspiration power within these plans lay untouched because few individuals understand how to implement the plan.

Implementation is multi-faceted. This action requires a combination of consistently applying knowledge and skills including communication, decision-making, delegation, goal setting and goal achievement, prioritization, time management and working with the psychology change. However without steady and demonstrated values by all involved, especially those initiating the plan, implementation will falter and succumb to the inertia of indecision and procrastination.

By respecting everyone's needs, the management begins to build What's In It For Me (WIIFM) leading to What's In It For Us (WiIFU). When working on plans whether strategic or departmental, I have learned to validate current behaviors by asking the following question: What do you need from me so that you can successfully implement this plan? This question builds a bridge between management and the team where all now are the catalysts for change.

Successful implementation of change happens when we embrace a clear purpose, attitudes of partnership and steadfast demonstration of core values. Then, everyone can be a "Catalyst Champion" to change.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, is the Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she builds peace and abundance by connecting the 3P's of Passion, Purpose and Performance through process improvement. Her ROI driven process solutions affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation with a variety of industries. She aligns the strategies, systems and people to develop loyal internal customers that lead to external customers. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for June 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or leanne@processspecialist.com if you are seeking amazing results.

Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith, http://www.processspecialist.com

Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

The Need For Project Management

Writen by Eric Gurr

First, all projects must have a goal. What needs accomplished? Building a deck? Restoring a car? Planning a company move? Without a clear goal you cannot expect a successful outcome.

Sponsor
To begin, the project must have a sponsor. Someone or some group that wants something completed. The sponsor will help procure necessary resources and the support needed to complete the project.

Manager
Someone responsible for completing the project needs to be identified. This person may be the sponsor or it may be someone hired specifically to complete the goal. He will be the project manager. The project manager's role will be to plan the project, ensure the project stays on track, and ultimately accomplish what the sponsor wants.

Planning
The project manager should begin by understanding what the sponsor wants. Does the sponsor have a time window to meet? The project manager can then begin the task of sorting through what resources are available and what resources are needed.

Next will be the task of planning the project. The project manager will conduct research and use existing resources to help plan the various task required to complete the project. Most projects need tools for keeping up with the project. These tools may involve formal project management tools or a simple spreadsheet. A gantt chart may be used to track the status of the tasks and time line. A spreadsheet may be used to outline and manage the budget. Problems that are encountered also need to be tracked and resolved. Regardless of the tools, keep it simple. Over planning or complex tracking systems can impact the completion of the project by draining the use of valuable resources.

Managing
Once the project is planned, the Project Manager needs to get the project moving in order to meet the expected time line. He has to keep up with the resources, update progress on the tasks, and quickly resolve problems that arise

Communication
The project manager must always communicate well with the team members, the sponsors, and other interested parties. This communication will come in various forms like summary project reports, gantt charts on the key milestones, and fiscal status. A lack of effective communication usually leads to major problems with most projects and even possible project failure.

Post Mortem
Regardless if a project is complete successful or failed miserably a GAP analysis on the project should be performed to evaluate the sponsor's original goal versus the final results. This is also the time to review the life of the project, what went well and what didn't go well. An honest post mortem will help improve future projects your organization may undertake.

Success
Celebrate your completion of a successful project and recognize the team.

Mark Combs is a partner with IntraLink, a Cincinnati Ohio based consulting company. He can be reached through http://www.intralinkinc.com. A Cincinnati Ohio based computer consulting and website design, search engine optimization business since 1994.

Most Meetings Should Last Less Than An Hour

Writen by Greg Ballard

There are not many bigger wastes of time than meetings, unless you plan them well. Meetings on a particular topic or periodic informational meetings are fine as long as there is a format that is strictly followed and chatter is kept to a minimum. These types of meetings may last no more than ten to fifteen minutes or may last up to an hour. If they routinely last an hour or longer, then you want to re-examine your format or the purpose of the meeting.

For a meeting to discuss a particular topic, send out preliminary information to be read prior to the actual meeting. Ensure they read it (yes, ask them beforehand if they have read it); this will focus everyone. Have an agenda that you pass out at the beginning of the meeting and stick to it. Encourage everyone to participate to get the best ideas; this will also help your future meetings as everyone will feel they have a stake in the decision-making process. However, rein in chatter that is getting off topic.

For a routine informational meeting, send out the agenda ahead of time (normally two working days is fine) and also bring copies of the agenda to the meeting. Stick to the agenda, rein in chatter, and do not allow the meeting to become a drawn out bull session.

If you have scheduled a one hour meeting and you are finished in fifteen minutes, that is perfectly fine. Do not drag out the meeting just because you have scheduled more time.

When you have the information you need, dismiss the meeting. Let whoever wants to linger to do so, but let those who must go depart the meeting at a definite ending point. After a few meetings like this, your people will become familiar with the format and your expectations. You will actually get more input because your smart, hard-working people will know they will not be there indefinitely, and therefore will not be afraid to contribute ideas.

Sometimes there are major decisions that may require more than an hour for a meeting; however, these meetings should be the exception, not the rule.

Do not confuse these suggestions about meetings with brainstorming sessions. Brainstorming sessions should be freewheeling. The information above relates solely to meetings to discuss a particular topic and routine informational meetings.

Drawing on his experiences in the U. S. Marines, in the corporate world, and as a small business owner, Greg Ballard has published his book Small Unit Leadership, a concise, yet definitive guide for new, junior, and middle level leaders. His accumulated knowledge and insights greatly benefit not only individuals in positions of responsibility, but also those companies or organizations that have multiple levels of leadership. His website is smallunitleadership.com

Managing New Managers Are Usually Too Hard On Themselves

Writen by Helen Wilkie

Moving from staff into management for the first time is exciting—but it can also be scary.

There's so much you don't know. Somehow managing looked so easy from the outside, but now that you actually have to do it, you realize it's more complicated than you thought. Before, you had certain tasks to accomplish and you knew you had the skills to do them. You still have responsibility for those tasks, but now you have to see that the work is done effectively by other people. That's a whole new task in itself, and you're not sure you're up to the job.

You also find that it's hard to concentrate on the planning that is such an important part of managing, because emergencies large and small seem to arise all the time and people keep running to you to resolve them. The expression "When you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember you were trying to drain the swamp" might have been written for new managers!

In these early days, you must learn not to be too hard on yourself. Management skills are not built into our human DNA—we have to learn them as we go. Promise yourself you'll learn at least one management lesson every day. Set aside a few moments at the end of each day to think about that day's lesson and how you'll use it to improve your management skills. Sometimes these lessons will be hard, but each one will give you something to build on if you are willing to learn.

Each day will bring you new challenges, new experiences—and new successes. It's easy to forget the successes and focus on all the things that didn't go so well, so I recommend you keep a diary of all your new experiences. Then, on those days when you think becoming a manager was all a horrible mistake, you can read over your diary and remind yourself just how far you've come.

Becoming a manager is a journey. Like any journey, it offers both good and bad experiences, enjoyable and not-so-enjoyable aspects, positive and negative events. Just take it one stage at a time, learn from each experience—good or bad—and you'll gradually find yourself becoming more and more comfortable in your management role.

Helen Wilkie is a professional speaker, trainer, consultant and author who has worked with hundreds of newly appointed managers and understands their special challenges. Visit http://www.TheManagersJourney.com and sign up for her series of free management skills teleseminars.

The Power Of Talent

Writen by Mike Myatt

I recently read a blog post on all the reasons not to hire "superstars" and I could not have disagreed more with what I read. I have always subscribed to the philosophy that the quality of an organization's talent will have a direct correlation to their success...In other words the better a company's talent the more successful the enterprise will be. In today's blog post I will discuss the benefits of hiring Tier-One talent.

I so vehemently disagreed with the blog post I noted above that I decided to put forth a point-by-point rebuttal below for your consideration in hope that you won't fall prey to the flawed logic espoused by who for sake of this post shall remain a nameless blogger (I'm feeling kind today):

Point: "Superstars = Expensive. Seek a superstar, and expect to pay a bundle. Financially, and the other stuff: feelings of entitlement, benefits, environment necessities, yadda, yadda, yadda."

Myatt's Counterpoint: To put it bluntly, you get what you pay for...Real talent produces real results and is worth the investment. I'll take a proven performer over a want-a-be performer eleven times out of ten.

Point: "You demotivate your current crop of talent. Jimmy's been working his butt off for your company. Instead of promoting him, you bring in a superstar — give him power, authority, extra resources and benefits. What does that signal to Jimmy? Importantly, what does that signal to your other employees?"

Myatt's Counterpoint: I have absolutely nothing against promoting from within, however if you have the ability to attract a "superstar" and you don't do it, shame on you...Inserting a bonafide superstar into your business makes the statement that your company values talent and will raise the chinning bar for all employees. There is an old saying: "Talent Begets Talent" and I wholeheartedly believe this to be true. Moreover, my definition of a superstar does not mean primadonna, rather it means team player. I expect our top talent to mentor our up-and-coming superstars.

Point: "The people became superstars elsewhere because they thrived in the right environment; they became superstars because they had fit the mold, the structure, and the culture of their organization. Since your company won't have the same environment, superstars probably won't achieve the same results in your company."

Myatt's Counterpoint: The issue described above has nothing to do with talent, but rather it describes a lack of discernment on the part of the leadership and/or management doing the hiring. A superstar by definition is a proven performer and it is up to the leadership and/or management doing the recruiting to determine if the company can create an environment that will allow the proven performer to flourish prior to making the hire. If you properly support great talent you'll receive great rewards...Moreover, the point noted above would also hold true for a junior hire as anyone regardless of talent will fail if not supported. That being said, superstars have a better chance of successfully navigating a challenging environment than someone less talented.

The following quote is something taken from an article I authored some time ago on the topic of talent and I believe it accurately summarizes my feelings on the subject at hand: "Quality human capital is a catalytic asset that can be effectively leveraged across the enterprise to generate creativity, collaboration, momentum, velocity, client loyalty, a dynamic corporate culture and virtually every other positive influencing force in the corporate universe. It is quality talent that designs best practices, understands the value of innovation, overcomes obstacles, breaks down barriers, creates growth and builds a lasting brand."

The bottom line is that if you follow the advice of the unknown blogger quoted above with regard to talent you will have a mediocre company doomed for failure. My advice...Hire the best talent you can find!

Mike Myatt is the Chief Strategy Officer at N2growth. N2growth is a leading venture growth consultancy providing a unique array of professional services to high growth companies on a venture based business model. The rare combination of branding and corporate identity services, capital formation assistance, market research and business intelligence, sales and product engineering, leadership development and talent management, as well as marketing, advertising and public relations services make N2growth the industry leader in strategic growth consulting. More information about the company can be found at http://www.N2growth.com or by viewing http://www.N2growth.com/blog

Consultants

Writen by Mary Anne Winslow

In this article I will provide examples of advisors used by well-known clients and examine the outcome in terms of achievement and breakdown. I will also summarize the model the consultancy firm used to get the results.

An example of success in consulting work was done by Eagle Technology Consultants who were approved by the Coca-Cola Foundation to increase their profit margin in their business. Also, an example where the involvement of a consultant speeding up the process of achieving results will be discussed. This is similar to a slow chemical reaction taking place between two elements, and to speed up the process a catalytic element is introduced to finish the process quickly.

Among the many reasons a firm seeks the services of a consultant, the following are perhaps the most important. The first one is the search for suitable information in order to ensure that the best possible decisions are taken in each case. Another one is to resolve a particular or general problem that the firm may be faced with. Also, the firm may seek an independent opinion concerning a previously undertaken course of action. Others include simply being able to ask for an expert's opinion or confirmation when the cost involved prohibits such an expert's being a permanent member of staff and when the client wishes to maintain or increase his or her position, as well as when some structural adjustments become necessary because of a changing or new political panorama.

When taking on the services of a consultant, clients analyse the cost of the project, the benefits that may result from it and the quality of the work performed, as well as the possibility of integrating the consultant's advice within the firm's activity. Even though dissatisfaction with or rejection of consultants may arise, it does not necessarily mean that their work had no impact on the client's firm nor that no change was derived from it. Rather, this could stem from the fact that all too often consulting is an overlooked part of a businessman's training. All in all, if the consulting process is to produce - or foster - any change in the organisation, the focus should be on the training of its members. Schein states that emphasis should be placed on helping others - managers and employees - to learn to help themselves; to help them to understand what is happening in and around the firm.

The term "consulting" allows for many possible interpretations. Usually it conveys the idea that the consultant contributes with input to a management system which is not always rational. The consultant, however, is not a magician who discovers what the client does not know. Consulting is a planned intervention in a firm whose aim is to identify existing problems and to introduce the most suitable ways of resolving them. The consulting firm must set the emphasis in helping clients to help themselves, and not on solving their problems nor on giving them expert advice. Thus, consulting consists of a group of activities carried out to help clients to detect and understand those events of the consulting process that occur in their environment, and to exert some influence over them. By this, it is meant that consultants help clients to understand what is happening around them and teach them to learn, so that their understanding is improved and adjustments can be made so as to allow them to reach the required objectives.

Wilkinson defines the task of management consultancy as "An independent and objective advisory service provided by qualified persons to clients in order to help them identify and analyze management problems or opportunities. Management consultants also recommend solutions or suggested actions with respect to these issues and help, when requested, in their implementation. In essence, management consultants help to effect constructive change in organisations through the sound application of substantive and process skills."

In my consultancy work, the consultant always uses some ideas based on a model system. An experienced and a professional consultant would choose certain models to meet the requirements of the client and also identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the models. There are four models which are popular in the consulting industry - the doctor model, detective model, salesperson model and the travel agent. I will define the four models and relate it to Eagle Technology Consultants work.

The doctor model is the most popular model used by many consultants, and is based around a medical analogy. The assumption here is that the client is suffering from some sort of an illness that needs to be cured. Consultants who use this model presume that either the client or the organisation is need of some sort of treatment. Therefore the consultant will start by trying to find out what the problem or the illness is, and then look for a medication or a solution. The detective model is based upon the principle that something is wrong, therefore they need to find the person or people that are responsible so that it can be changed or removed. When this model is used it is assumed that there is an implication of a criminal conspiracy, and that is why the problems have occurred. If this does happen, then there is a tendency to have some sort of a cultural surrounding the consultancy work which is associated with the blame. An example could be where an accident has happened within the workforce and the client wants to know why it has happened, and how to resolve it. This model looks at the clues that are associated with the breaking of the law.

The salesperson model brings upon the assumption that the consultant has a product or service which will be appropriate to the client, and will be of benefit to the organisation. With this model comes a problem of where the client gets the assumption that the consultant has a bag full of tricks ready to produce the right product to solve the issues. Therefore you will not see many consultants using this model.

Mary Anne Winslow is a member of Essay Writing Servicecounselling department team and a dissertation writing consultant. Contact her to get free counselling on custom essay writing.

5 Questions Great Managers Ask And They Arent Hard

Writen by Martin Haworth

However hard we try, we seem to make life more difficult for ourselves; more challenging; more complex. Yet it needn't be so. try out these five questions with a regularity; a discipline and you will reap rewards. You will certainly reap rewards.

1. What do my customers want?
   Getting inside the head of your customers is a recipe for success. Taking the role on of one of your customers or clients and seeing from their perspective helps structure a sound and growing business. Better still, ask them what they want, need, what irritates them and thank them for their insights. Take complaints as a real positive - for knowing what went wrong, gives you information you can correct and grow stronger on.

2. How do I get the best from my people?
   Enjoying the benefits of truly 'turned on' people in your business, makes a huge difference. Finding out what they need to be successful for you can be more challenging. But wait! Have you asked them what they need to do their best for you? Be sensitive and responsive to their needs. This simple step will provide you with all the people strategies that work. Many solutions will be very easy to do and can build belief and trust in you as a manager. The bigger challenges can be solved by using your people to have a positive and constructive input. It will be worthwhile - for everyone.

3. How can we make best use of our resources?
   What resources? People, goodwill, reputation, location. USP, and more... Well, make sure first of all that you understand what they are. Ask your customers and people what you represent to them - and then do more, much more of it. Then review those things that you can do less of, save resource costs on. Focusing on what you are best at and dropping things that don't create value for you can be very value-creating.

4. What wastes our time?
   It's a simple question, but with an easy answer. What value is created when I spend time on this activity? If your challenge is to make £100 an hour profit for your organisation, is what you are spending your time on doing just that? What things do you and your people do, which does not? Try stopping doing things, some of which you may have done for months and years, when little or no value is created and switch to more things that do. Stop some things and start others - simple as that.

5. What do we need to change?
   Constantly reviewing where you are in your business and making small course adjustments, like the autopilot of a jumbo jet, will maximise your performance. But whilst leading the cultural shift can develop autopilot-mode, the first steps are for managers to spot-check all they do manually. Doing this will encourage your people to start to do it themselves. Remember, the best time to review, review, review, is when you are successful. And then be very challenging and honest about yourselves. Build it in, make small but significant changes regularly, once you have evidence of drifting off course. That makes for a consistently healthy & growing organisation and reduces the need for cataclysmic change.

Are you up for this refreshing challenge? What better way to start your new focus on your business, organisation or team?

Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.

...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

Cpa Review Classes

Writen by Max Bellamy

Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) are accountants who have passed the Uniform CPA exam under the supervision of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and possess state requirements for licensure as a CPA. Only CPAs are professionally qualified to provide the public, attestation along with auditing opinions on publicly distributed financial statements. Many states forbid those without a CPA license to label themselves "public accountants."

While CPAs are recognized by the common public typically for their tax know-how and for "doing the paperwork" for minor companies, they are exclusively educated for the attestation task mentioned above, and also for all-purpose business information that enables them to function competitively in the private sector.

CPAs have to go through rigorous education and training and educate themselves with the economics and tax structure of their country, and this needs special coaching classes. These classes are called 'CPA review classes.' They equip a CPA to understand all the nitty-gritty details of tax and accounting and business. They train them to understand the complexities and clauses involved in specific business conditions, as well as the business law and tax structure laid down by the government's budget. They are taught on advisory skills and inter personal relations, as well as in how to increase the client's profits and minimize their losses. They are taught all the particulars of tax documentation and the paperwork that they are so famous for.

CPA review classes are in almost all states in the US, and they are affiliated to all the prestigious universities. There are many independent review classes that are conducted by individuals or organizations that deal with finance and accounts. The study and reference material for these classes are available at different sources, and the most famous are the Internet sources. These days the Internet has made CPA review classes available online.

CPA provides detailed information on CPA, CPA Exam, CPA Review, CPA Firms and more. CPA is affiliated with Expense Report Software.

How To Understand Russian Business Mindsets

Writen by Rana Sinha

There are some fundamental mindsets of the Russian business people. Any person doing business in modern Russia or with Russians would benefit from knowing these as much of business behaviour is guided by mindsets.

These five mindsets are

1. How things happen or don't

2. Decision making – Hierarchy

3. Concept of time

4. Connections – "Blat"

5. Faith in own system

6. Conspicuous consumption

How things happen or don't

In Russia how things happen or don't is a mystery very difficult for outsiders to understand. For example, in neighbouring Finland things (excluding matters to do with politics) usually happen rather systematically in a bureaucratic fashion and the process is usually rather transparent. In Russia nothing important happens without a crisis or big drama which forces people to act and the forces behind such crises could remain hidden from view. When you are caught up in this "period of inaction" don't tell the Russians that they are lazy or inefficient. This is a big mistake. They are immensely proud of their culture, their status as a superpower and achievements like space exploration.

Decision-making – Hierarchy

Russia is a very hierarchic society and decision-making processes are very different from western (especially Finnish and Swedish) models. The hierarchical nature of Russian society with very large power distance is very important to remember in business dealings. Who approaches whom in business dealings is crucial to the success. Nowadays, Russian businesspeople pay a lot of attention to how they are dressed. Russian people in general probably spend more money from their family budget on clothing then any other nation in the world. Those who can't afford to buy top fashion brand clothing (such as Versace, Armani or Hugo Boss) prefer to be dressed in cheaper but still well made clothing. There is an old Russian proverb--"They want to meet you depending on how you're dressed and they say good bye depending on how wise you seem."

Concept of time

Many business people in neighbouring Finland have started adopting the American concept of time - time is money. This is rather strange to the Russian concept of time. Though he may not appear to be very academic, the Russian businessman is very conscious of how Russia rose from Novgorod days to become a superpower. Russian time does not go in a straight line; it is more like a process of quantum leaps and small circles with no clear line joining the circles. So this concept of long time permeates every action of the Russian businessman. If you lose your nerves when things are not moving fast, you show signs of immaturity.

Connections – "Blat"

In Russia nothing significant moves without "Blat" or connections. People remember and count favours like currency. There is a great emphasis on building and maintaining personal cordial relationships through respect, presents, favours and counter favours.

Faith in own system

The neighbouring Finns and Swedes believe that the Finnish or Swedish version of the democratic welfare state is the greatest achievement of the human mind and they are very proud of it. The Russians have a messianic approach to being Russian. For them it is the embodiment of the dream about perfection: nature, the world, man, man's life, the dream about the Golden Age, about the heavenly city – Modern Rome. They believe that Mankind always goes onward only if the divine light lit the way. Until the fall of communism they seldom doubted this messianic mission. The current state of Russia, with the high prices, insecurity, terrorist attacks and failure of post-communist capitalism to bring heaven on earth has seen the Russian mindset moving towards, "Let's learn and adopt everything Western!" while never forgetting "Mother Russia knows best." The fact that people complain about current state of affairs doesn't erode this basic messianic faith. The following joke highlights this faith.

"A Russian and an American die and they both go to hell. Satan, the manager in charge of hell, asks them, "Which hell do you prefer, the Russian one or the American one?" "What's the difference?" the Russian asks. "In the American hell, you will be forced to eat one bucket of waste every day; in the Russian, two," Satan explains. The American decides to go to the American hell. The Russian, being a patriot, chooses the Russian hell. One year later the two men run into one another. "How's life?" the Russian asks. "Can't complain," the American answers. "I eat one bucket of waste every morning, and then I'm free for the rest of the day. What about you?" "It couldn't be better!" the Russian explains. "Just like back on earth! They're either late with waste deliveries, or they're having bucket shortages."

Conspicuous consumption

The American economist Torstein Veblen first coined the term in his "The Theory of the Leisure Class" back in 1899. Veblen argued that economic life is not driven by notions of utility, but by social vestiges from pre-historic times and much of today's society is just a variation on early tribal life. This tribal character of Russian life is very central to understanding the stratification of Russian society. Brands and visible symbols of success are priority number one. Here is a nice joke, which is very descriptive about the NRs or Nouveau Riches.

After a car crash a NR is lying on the side of the road, weeping aloud. Oh, my BMW! - He wails, - Oh, my BMW!!! A passer by is shocked to hear it and asks "How can you cry about your car, when you've just lost your entire hand?" The NR evaluates the situation and resumes his cries: Oh, my Rolex! "

Rana Sinha was born in India, studied and lived in many places and travelled in 80 countries, acquiring cross-cultural knowledge and building an extensive network of professionals. He has spent many years developing and delivering Cross-cultural Training, Professional Communications skills, Personal Development and Management solutions to all types of organizations and businesses. He now lives in Helsinki, Finland and runs http://www.dot-connect.com, which specializes in human resource development as well as communication and management skills training with cross-cultural emphasis.

Aligning The Trifocal Valuedriven Viewpoints Inside Every Organization

Writen by Jidé Odubiyi

The three cultures inside every organization are analogous to the story of the three blind mice and the elephant. The perspective of each mouse is framed by the part of the elephant it touches. It was almost a decade ago when Schein (1996) wrote about the three cultures of management. He asserts that there are three communities in organizational setting— executives, engineers, and operators—and they do not fully understand each other. In Shein's view, when the three communities are not aligned, their actions limit organizational learning.

Schein defines the management culture as a set of basic tacit assumptions shared by a group of people. These assumptions color the way they perceive, think, feel, and behave. His tripartite conception of this culture is similar to Stephen Covey's (1991) discussion of how individuals' value judgments affect interpersonal relationships. The first way is when people interact at the deep value-based level that forms the core of the group. The second is when the group tries to convey a public image. The third involves the way the group actually operates on a day-to-day basis, which consists of making compromises about their values to achieve immediate goals.

We Can't Judge a Book by its Cover

Shein states that observing a group or an individual's overt behavior does not always help one understand a group's culture. Underlying values and assumptions drive an individual's behavior and the way the person perceives and thinks about the world. These values can be viewed as ideologies, which remind this author of the observation that a theory is driven by value, space, and time. Books on theories advise that a researcher can understand and replicate theories with the space and time assumptions, but it is very difficult or impossible to manipulate the value variable.

It is these values or ideologies that lead to the three groups within an organization. The executives' values can be viewed as primarily political (i.e., focused on the bottom line or the return on investment to please the share holders). The executive culture consists of the chief executive officer and his/her subordinates, who use the global occupational community as their point of reference (Schein, 1996). Most of their decisions are colored by political objectives. The engineer culture consists of designers and technocrats who use their professional association as their point of reference. Their decisions are motivated primarily, by bureaucratic ideologies. They carry out the mandates of the executives, for example: improve the bottom line. This may involve the design and automation of the processes without any concern for the number of employees that may be displaced. The operator culture is driven by their rational ideologies and past successes. They collaborate to meet production schedules, yet in many instances, they cannot understand the actions of the engineers and the executives. It is imperative to understand the contributions of each of the three factors to decision making.

Those who lead organizations should reflect on Schein's observation--whether society is missing the point by primarily focusing on how engineers and executives learn. He claims that such a view is counterintuitive, given that the most appropriate way for the three cultures to understand one another is by understanding each other's values. These values determine their behaviors. Fulmer and Wagner (1999) support this view in their discussion on leadership lessons—learning from the best.

Where to go from here?

Organizational leaders in the US should realize that it is counterproductive to espouse teamwork and cooperation but reward only best-performing individuals. In this author's view, this is a fundamental difference between the Japanese and American systems. The Japanese promote teamwork and reward the team.

Schein describes other paradoxes in organizations. For example, while information technology specialists see networking as a way of removing hierarchy, executives view hierarchy as a tool for enforcing control and coordination. Schein's final suggestion is that organizational participants need to understand the inherent values upon which assumptions are based, understand one another, and address organizational problems from the same point of view for the sake of the organization's survival. Recognizing that three cultural mind maps, mindsets, values, cultures and/or viewpoints exist within every organization is critical to resolving organizational issues and providing satisficing solutions. The ability of the three cultures to recognize and work with each other's value-laden viewpoints can improve interpersonal communications, lift employee morale; improve productivity, and increase retention rate.

Covey, S. R. (1991). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon & Schuster, New York, NY. Fulmer, R. M., & Wagner, S. (1999). Leadership: Lessons from the best. Training and Development, 53(3), 28-34 Schein, E. H. (1996). Three cultures of management: The key to organizational learning. Sloan Management Review, 38(1), 9-20.

Dr. Odubiyi is the author of Blueprint for a Crooked House—a book that reflects on the factors that caused the collapse of a $10 billion global joint venture between AT&T and British Telecom. He is an associate professor of computer science at Bowie State University in Maryland. He was a Principal AI Researcher and R&D Manager at British Telecom North America/Concert Global Communications (USA). http://www.blueprintforacrookedhouse.com