Category: Planning & Management

Article Contributed by Dr. Joey Faucette

Nearly all of the trees on our farm had dropped their leaves by last month except for one maple tree.  This one maple tree held on to its leaves like a kid hanging on to his blanket when mom says it has to be washed.  Finally it let go of its leaves.

The other trees were gray and looked like sticks.  This last maple tree put on a show of color, its green leaves turned yellow, then orange, and red against the mundane backdrop of the woods.

A botanist would say the maple tree’s combination of rainfall, nutrients and sunlight determined its leaf dropping.  But it seemed that tree was unique.

Is your business like this maple tree, uniquely displaying its exceptional qualities in a negative world?

Or, does it blindly follow the mundane crowd and join the chorus of negativity?

Here are three areas of your business in which you can stand out and display your best, maple tree characteristics in the New Year:

Priorities

Balancing business relationships—customers, employees, and vendors—with business tasks is a matter of priorities. Your business exists because of relationships. Yet it exists to do something for and with them.

Wherever you lean on the fulcrum of priorities, make sure you create a healthy balance.

How will you know when you’re in balance in 2012?

Write down your ideal priorities balance and keep it in front of you. Think of it as a mirror to see your priorities reflected back for evaluation.

Core Values

The people with whom you do business know your core values without you ever stating them formally. Your business displays them every day in every way.

Are customers greeted warmly on the phone? As they walk through the door?

Do you authentically speak truth when negotiating?

Can your employees count on you to train and equip them to do well on the job?

Make a list of your core values. Read that list often, preferably every morning, to remind yourself, “This is who I am and how my business operates.” Share the list with others.

Unique Contribution

Odds are there are other businesses in your market that do what you do or something similar, like that maple tree stood beside other trees in a forest.

What is the unique contribution your business makes that causes it to stand out in the company forest in which your customers walk around?

How do you what you do in a manner that attracts positive people—customers, employees, suppliers?

If we surveyed your market and asked them for the first word that pops into their mind when they hear your business name, what would they say?

Be unique.

Avoid the herd mentality.

Stand out in your market by choosing your business’ priorities and core values, and doing business out of your unique contribution.

Be a maple tree business.

About the Author

Dr. Joey Faucette is an international speaker, business coach, and best-selling author of the #1 Amazon business book, Work Positive in a Negative World: Redefine Your Reality and Achieve Your Business Dreams. He has taught business professionals this life-transforming process for over two decades, leading individuals in organizations of every size to achieve amazing results. He is the founder of Listen to Life, a company that coaches people to redefine their reality and fulfill their business dreams. He is the host of the syndicated radio show, Listen to Life. Discover more at www.ListentoLife.org, connect with him on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter @DrJoey, and become a Facebook fan at Work Positive.

Article by Dave Thomas

With 2012 right around the corner, many entrepreneurs are already thinking about how they can dial up more return on investment (ROI) in the New Year.

While 2011 has produced mixed results for millions of entrepreneurs, many of these same individuals are looking at what they want to accomplish in the coming year, how they will go about doing just that, what their resource requirements will be and how they can learn from this year’s mistakes to not repeat them moving forward.

If you have not already set all your goals in motion for the New Year or you have but have some questions regarding them, now is a perfect time to review the pending year and what needs to be accomplished in the next 12 months.
Among the things to look at are:

•    Are your 2012 goals credible or just a shot in the dark? – The goals should be those that appear attainable given what many financial experts predict will still be challenging times in the months to come. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment and failure by setting unattainable goals. Work within the projections of your industry, your staff resources and most importantly, your budget;

•    Industry projections – While no one entrepreneur can say with 100 percent certainty what 2012 will bring, it is important to take an overview of your respective industry to see what is being forecast. If the forecasts are for moderate to increased growth, then proceed accordingly. If the forecasts, however, are for limited to maybe even stagnant growth, proceed with caution. It is much better to go a little more on the conservative side and be pleasantly surprised than to be all systems forward and be thoroughly disappointed;

•    Zero in on core competency – Put the prime focus on your known money makers. While it is good to want to expand your wings, you have to make sure your prime products and/or services continue to serve not only regular customers but attract potential customers. If you’re thinking of expand products and/or services, make sure your core items do not lose focus in the process;

•    Properly price your products and/or services – Given that many consumers are having trouble making ends meet, be sure you don’t price yourself out of their business. If a number of your customers or potential ones are having monetary issues, consider that when setting the prices for 2012. Yes, you are here to make a profit, but what profit will you be making if you have less customers? As an example, the retail gas station that is selling gas for $4 on one street corner is potentially going to make more money than the retail station across the street who is selling the same product for $3.85. That being said, the station selling it at $3.85 can potentially make up the difference and then some by pulling in more customers attracted to the lower price;

•    Review 2011 numbers and trends – It is important each and every year to look at how the past year went and what can be learned from it. Look for trends as far as when sales were at their highest and low points, how you did with your present staff levels, any trends regarding concerns and/or complaints from customers and so on. Always remember that the past serves as an educator for the future;

•    Be prepared for the highs and lows – Very few companies can run the 52-week period from start to finish without some bumps along the way. Be prepared ahead of time on how you will handle the tougher parts of the year, including what actions will be needed if sales go into a prolonged slump etc. Most importantly, have contingency plans in place so that you and your staff can weather the storms;

•    Embrace all aspects of the web – While it seems like a no-brainer, there are still many entrepreneurs who are not fully embracing all the Internet has to offer them. From social media to video and podcasts, make sure your business is utilizing all the various electronic tools. Social media can be looked at as perhaps the best in that it is essentially free, short of time and effort. Be sure that you maximize your Web site in all your marketing efforts to reach as many visitors, who are then hopefully turned into customers, as possible. If you have not already, be sure to review your Web site efforts so that it is at maximum capacity to be visited by search engines and in turn consumers. A well optimized Web site will quite simply add to your company’s bottom line, so what are you waiting for?

With uncertainty filling the minds of many entrepreneurs heading into 2012, those who have reviewed 2011 and previewed 2012 stand the best chance to reap the rewards.

About the Author:

Dave Thomas, who covers among other subjects’ workers compensation, writes extensively for Business.com, an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

Article Contributed by Skip Weisman

In today’s economy business leaders can’t afford to accept under-performing personnel in their companies. Yet, in a recent survey 44% of them reported being unhappy with the performance results of their employees.

In order to solve a problem such as this, employers need to first identify the cause and then create viable options for applicable solutions. There can be many reasons why employees under-perform and some leaders may point to poor attitudes, low motivation and individuals’ inability to work with others, or accept and adapt to change.

Although those reasons may be absolutely valid on the surface, there are always underlying issues that have led to the causes identified by the business leader.

There are only two aspects to evaluate with under-performing employees. It’s either due to an individual’s:

• ability, or
• their attitude.

In either instance, the employee is not at fault.

There are three primary mistakes business leaders make that prevent employees from being engaged in their workplace and contributing at higher levels:

1. The organization has not given the employee a reason to be engaged and motivated, or to contribute more than minimum effort.
2. The organization has created an environment that is actually de-motivating and dis-engaging.
3. The employer failed to hire the right person for the job or to ensure the person hired is working in a role that fits their talents, skills and interests.

Business Leader Mistake #1 – Not Giving Employees a Reason to be Engaged, Motivated & Contribute

Many business leaders mistakenly believe that providing someone the privilege of a steady income and certain quality of life via a paycheck should be enough to create a motivated employee.

Yet, studies continue to show that salary and benefits, although important for providing base levels of motivation, is not enough to generate higher levels of engagement.

Many managers and leaders say they are frustrated with the feeling they have to continually find ways to light a fire under their people to get them to do what needs to be done. Instead they should be investing energy in connecting to their employees on a personal level to instead find ways to light a fire within them.

One extremely effective way to do this is to apply the Employee Motivation Equation.

The Employee Motivation Equation begins with creating an inspiring vision for the company that employees at all levels will be excited to contribute to. Daniel Pink, in his 2010 book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us identified “Purpose” as one of the key motivating components for a 21st Century workforce.

Business Leader Mistake #2 – Creating a De-Motivating Environment

In any new relationship there is always a honeymoon period where all the parties involved have good feelings about the possibilities moving forward. It’s the same when a new hire joins a company.

Unfortunately, a survey of about 1.2 million employees at mostly Fortune 1000 companies in the early part of this century conducted by Sirota Survey Intelligence, and revealed in 2005 that in 85% of companies, employee morale sharply declines after an employee’s first six months on the job, and continues to fade in ensuring years.

In a significant number of companies, as this Sirota research shows, something is occurring in these work environments that causes an enthusiastic and engaged employee to change their attitude.

Many factors can be attributed to this drop off, some of which include:

• Poorly communicated job descriptions and responsibilities causing uncertain performance expectations for the individual,
• Inequity in managers addressing inappropriate behaviors and poor performance of co-workers,
• Managers that play favorites and communicate disrespectfully in the workplace,
• Lack of positive feedback for contributions made

Business Leader Mistake #3 – Making a Wrong Hiring Choice

In the haste to fill positions, often those making the hiring decisions fail to invest enough time in making sure the new hire is a good fit for the position. A “good fit’ includes assessing skills, talent and job experience perspective, plus checking into the potential new hire’s personality, including beliefs, attitudes and motivations.

Additionally, sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances employees are asked to fill roles not originally intended, and for which their skills and talents are not the best fit.

In these situations, despite the employees best efforts they are unable to meet desired performance expectations, and both the employee and the employer become disenchanted with the relationship. Yet, the onus must be on the employer to get it right when inviting someone into his or her work culture.

Before proclaiming employees are unmotivated, and/or unwilling, to perform to expectations and bring positive attitudes to the work environment start evaluating these three workforce mistakes from an organizational leadership and communication perspective to see if there is room for improvement.

About the Author:

Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert. He’s the author of the white paper report titled, “The 7 Deadliest Sins of Leadership & Workplace Communication: How Leaders and Their Employees Unknowingly Undermine Morale, Motivation and Trust in Work Environments.” The white paper is available as a free download for a limited time at www.HowToImproveLeadershipCommunication.com . If you’d like to learn how you can improve your work environment by improving communication contact him directly with any questions, or for a complimentary Strategy Session at 845-463-3838 or e-mail to Skip@WorkplaceCommunicationExpert.com

Article Contributed by Skip Weisman

Forty-four percent of business leaders at various levels and a variety of industry categories reported disappointment in the performance results of their employees, in a survey recently conducted by Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert Skip Weisman.

In the survey, whose results were released this week, 70% of those struggling business leaders also believe they need a new approach to how they communicate so they can better motivate for better results.

Leaders responding to the survey indicated significant frustration in motivating their people due to a number of key factors, including:

. An inability to rally team members to focus on a common goal,

. Dealing with a lack of cohesion between employees, and

. Employees looking outside of themselves for reasons of sub-par performance

. Employees engaging in excuse-making and

. Employees engaging in distracting behaviors that take attention away from the job at hand.

Another big issue for these organizational leaders was a lack of time to invest in connecting with their team members, both as a group and also individually, in one-on-one discussions.

This is why these leaders reported they felt they needed a new approach to how they communicated with their employees to improve performance.

Despite reporting an investment of 37% of their time communicating one-on-one to motivate employees to meet the performance expectations for their role, the business leaders responding to this survey felt they needed to change their approach.

The reason for this desire to change their approach to their own leadership communication is that 37% of a leader’s total communication time communicating one-on-one is significant, and the return on their investment is not adequate.

There are three ways to address this issue:

– increase the time allotted to one-one-one communication with employees (I would recommend raising it to 50%)

– improve their style and message so that it leads to behavior and attitude changes that lead to performance improvements

-evaluate the type of one-on-one conversations the leader is having with their team members, and adjust to attain better performance. There are three primary types of one-on-one discussions a leader might have:

• issue/problem based
• performance based
• career based

In order to improve an individual team member’s performance more time must be invested in performance and career discussions and less on issues/problems.

Another vital determination leaders must make is whether the lack of performance results is due to an individual’s attitude and motivation or their skills, talents and ability.

Without determining if the problem is one of attitude or one of ability, there is a high-probability the wrong solution will be applied potentially causing more stress, frustration, a loss of resources, and continued disappointment in performance results.

About the Author:

Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert. He’s the author of the white paper report titled, “The 7 Deadliest Sins of Leadership & Workplace Communication: How Leaders and Their Employees Unknowingly Undermine Morale, Motivation and Trust in Work Environments.” The white paper is available as a free download for a limited time at www.HowToImproveLeadershipCommunication.com . If you’d like to learn how you can improve your work environment by improving communication contact him directly with any questions, or for a complimentary Strategy Session at 845-463-3838 or e-mail to Skip@WorkplaceCommunicationExpert.com