Articles
Are Your Meetings Like This?
It's true. Ducks hold meetings in the park. And they are remarkably similar to business meetings (held in conference rooms, for example). Here's what happens. 1) No one pays attention to anyone. Every duck is looking in a different direction. Most don't even appear to...
Are You Working Alone?
Remember co-workers? Those annoying people who you're forced to share an office with -- some of them friends, but most of them insufferable. If you're anything like me, one of reasons for starting a home business was to get away from these people. And yet, when you do...
Quick Tip – How to Set a Goal for Your Meeting
Goals are critically important for the success of a meeting. You must know what you want so you can ask for it. And the participants need to know what you want so they can help you get it. Without goals, a meeting becomes a journey without a destination....
Quick Tip – How to Set SMART Goals for Your Meeting
The first step in planning an agenda is to identify the goals for the meeting. Properly done, goals have five S M A R T characteristics. They are: > Specific. The goal must tell exactly what will be accomplished. For example: During the next hour we will develop a...
Why Training Fails
Sometimes when I conduct my workshop on Effective Meetings, one of the participants will ask, "Where's my boss?" And I say, "Your boss claimed to be an expert on holding effective meetings." Then the person laughs. "My boss needs to attend your workshop more than...
Appraisals – Learn How To Love Them
Appraisals have a pretty bad reputation in many organizations. Managers dread having to give them and employees hate having to take them. But by simply focusing on 7 high-value components of appraisals, you can turn them into one of the most important activities you...
3 Worst Mistakes People Make in a Presentation
Truly memorable disasters don’t just happen. They require a special blend of misunderstanding and misguided effort. Here are three ways to guarantee a disaster in your next presentation, and how to avoid them. Mistake #1: Believe in Magic Show up hoping that a...
6 Factors Of Career Success
What do employers look for in potential employees? That was the question that was posted recently on a career discussion forum online. Naturally, for each different position, the particular answers to that question would be different. However, there are some common...
Successful Team Building Techniques
In business, it does not matter whether you work in a typical office a shop or a factory. You are built up of a group individuals with specific goals towards producing the goods that the company sells. This is what defines a team. From the most mundane task like...
Great Business Standards – Do You Have Them?
If you are a business owner, you probably follow certain standards within your business. I'm talking about those "rules" you set up and follow - your business etiquette. For example, my standards include: • not working on Fridays, evenings or weekends • not answering...
Getting Along with Critical People
We all have to deal with critical people at times. You know the type - the person who can spot a flaw from across the room, gives unsolicited advice, frequently complains and passes judgment, is negative and seems impossible to please. We can all be critical. Every...
Five Tips To Managing Your Small Business
Managing a small business is rewarding, both personally and financially. However, it is also stressful and time consuming. By keeping in mind the following five tips, small business owners can better manage their business and feel less stressed. Maintain a healthy...
Do You Know What Your Customers Want?
"The True Function of Any Successful Business is to Sell People Precisely What They Want To Buy" - Bob Serling I suppose the above seems rather obvious. After all, no customers, no business, right? But if the failure rate of businesses today is any indication, then...
Customer Relationship Management
Changing consumer attitudes are driving Customer Relationship Management. Fuelled by Internet induced expectations and an even increasing mood of self reliance among customers, companies have to compete in an environment where communication, buying processes, data...
Corporate Identity Management
Competition is great in the market world today and in order to get your business noticed, you will need good corporate identity management. You need to bring together all of the good qualities of your company as well as emphasizing what a great benefit your company...
Aligning Corporate Teams
Picture yourself entering a corporate meeting, team meeting, or business meeting. There you are sitting in the room, while someone in the “expert” or “boss” chair speaks to you or at you. There you are, not aligned with that person’s mission or vision. There you are,...
A Guide To Performance Management
Nowadays, a great significance is being given to Performance Management, as companies incorporate them in their effective management strategies. However, a lot of people find this process a complicated one, mostly because of the many options that it offers – on the...
A Golden Rule To Manage Job/Workplace Stress
A Golden Rule To Manage Job/Workplace Stress: Having gone for a sea bath, don't be afraid of the oncoming waves. Take your plunge! * Getting a job, involves lots of stress. * Getting a job, without the stressful environment, is a blessing. * Getting a job, with the...
9 Facts About Coaching – You Need to Know
What is Coaching? Coaching is a fairly young discipline, so there are a lot of definitions of the term "coaching". Let's take a look at various descriptions offered on the World Wide Web. Coaching can be defined as: * A process providing an individual with feedback,...
6 Ways to Maximize Learning
Here's how to gain the most from training events. 1) Know what you want Before the workshop, set learning goals for yourself. What do you want to learn? How can this program help you? What would make you feel that your time was well spent? 2) Ask for what you want As...
6 Steps to Effective Communication
Effective leaders are known for being excellent communicators. Here's what to do. 1) Avoid "Not." Negative talk encourages arguments, counter attacks, and attempts to solve your problems. It also creates a negative impression. For example, when you say, "I can't," you...
5 Action Ideas to Deal with Difficult People
When was the last time you had to deal with a difficult customer? It was probably and external customer but perhaps it was an internal customer, such as a member of your team, a colleague or even - your boss! I'm sure that you always want to provide exceptional...
Are You Going Above and Beyond in Your Industry?
The logistics associated with starting your own business leave little time or energy for anything else, including keeping up with current trends and developments in your industry. Start-up founders get very often get so wrapped up in the day-to-day minutiae of getting...
Creating the Right Company Culture
Whenever you start your own business, there are always a few fundamental factors to address, in addition to the infinite amount of small details. One of these is the creation of your company culture. Your company culture determines your professional values and the...
