As one who appreciates the infinite value of good health, I don’t believe whoever invented Coca-Cola did a favor to the human race. But I take my proverbial hat off to the Coke employee in this little anecdote related and commented upon by Angela Sinickas of Sinickas Communications, Inc.
A woman tried to buy a Coke from a vending machine, but it malfunctioned and swallowed some of her money. By a happy coincidence, the worker from Coca-Cola who refills the machines showed up at that moment. Hearing her story, he apologized, returned her money and offered her a Coke for free. Praiseworthy in itself, but there’s more.
The woman insisted on paying for her drink, but took the opportunity to express her shock at how much one had to pay for a bottle of Coke nowadays. The worker commiserated with her about how high prices were, but explained in the nicest way just how much the higher price of oil affected the cost of his product, from the oil used to make the plastic bottle to transportation costs. He mentioned specific percentages and dollar figures. He quoted how low Coke’s profit margin actually was on that bottle she’d just purchased.
A good ending, but how did he know so much?
So how did that potentially negative encounter with the Coca-Cola brand end? The customer didn’t walk away believing that tomorrow she would be paying less for Coke than she did today, but she certainly left with a far more positive feeling both for the brand and for the way her concerns had been addressed. And that, after all, is what good customer service is all about!
But how did the vendor maintenance man, who presumably ranked pretty low in the corporate pecking order, happen to be so knowledgeable on the intricacies of product costing? One must assume, points out Ms. Sinickas, that he was appropriately briefed , whether on a formal or informal basis, by someone inthe company who served as an internal communicator. And the successful imparting of that knowledge requires a careful definition of goals followed by meticulous planning and preparation.
In Sinickas’ words: “Especially in difficult financial times, the more we communicators can do to help our employees learn what they need to know in order to interact more positively with customers, the more we demonstrate our own value to the bottom line. Let’s be sure we actually measure that ultimate behavioral impact we have, not just whether our employees heard our messages.”
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Automotive Repair Business
Starting an automotive repair business requires through knowledge and experience of automotive repairs. Moreover, it also demands learning ability, patience and determination, in order to turn into a successful entrepreneur.
To start with any business, the most essential pre-requisites are, capital, complete knowledge about the technical and commercial aspects of the business, considerable experience of working at the grass root level and enough space to set up the business. Apart from this, strong determination, patience, urge to compete and move ahead in the business and most importantly, an ability to learn new things and take calculated risks, are a few important qualities required to become a successful businessman.
Opening up an automotive repair business is the first step towards turning into an entrepreneur and become an 'employer', rather than remaining an 'employee'. You might have assisted some other mechanic for a few years, but now it is your turn to begin with your own automotive repair business and thus, stand out distinctively in this enormous business competition. Automotive repair business is not a child's play. You need to plan a lot and then move further to launch your business. Here are some factors that you need to consider before starting the automotive repair business.
How to Open an Auto Repair Business?
How to run a successful auto repair business? Well, planning, organizing, managing and sustaining the four most important pillars, holding the success of any business and automotive repair ones is not an exception to it. You will be facing ups and downs, success and failures, etc. However, it is imperative to face all of them and yet, sustain in the competition. However, these are advanced aspects of the business (but you need to be aware of these in the beginning itself). Starting an automotive repair business needs the consideration of the following factors.
Volume and Scope of the Business
Logical thinking and planning are the most significant factors involved in this part. Logical thinking refers to thinking about the scope of your own knowledge and capacity to handle the business. If you want to evolve gradually, you can begin with an automotive repair business offering few services such as, tire replacement, brake repairs or replacement of other parts of the vehicle. You can include, operations which are not too complicated and can help you earn considerable profits. Once, your business gets settled, you can move on to introduce newer and advanced services, which will attract more customers, thereby contributing to larger profits. Logical thinking would thus decide the scope of your business. Planning refers to the process which starts, once the logical thinking process gets over. Once, you have decided on everything you can, start planning things accordingly, like arranging space by either buying it or taking it on lease, mobilizing financial funds, etc. Planning would thus decide the volume of your automotive repair business.
Checking Out the Law
As soon as you are done with planning the preliminary necessities, you can proceed to check out law and order, associated with setting up an automotive repair business. The most important document in this regard is the licensure to open the business. It is necessary to obtain a license from the Department of Agriculture, garage operating license and sales certificates and documents in order to open and further run the automotive repair business.
Organizing and Managing Financial Funds
Capital is amongst the most important factors required to set up a business. For this, you need to contact financial institutes offering business loans. Look out for financial institutes offering a low rate of interest (needless to say!). You need to prepare an automotive repair business plan and then explain it to the concerned authorities, so that they get convinced about the success and substantial nature of your business. Using the financial resources wisely, also forms a significant part of starting and operating the business.
Set Up Business Systems and Recruit Staff
Your automotive repair business is not just a garage, but it is a well planned organization, which intends to offer the best possible customer service. It is therefore necessary for you to set up well defined and well organized systems, so that the administration, as well as the operations department of your business, function efficiently. For this, you need to open a bank account in the name of your business and also initiate an invoice system, so as to define a pattern of printing work orders. Now, another challenge in front of you is to, recruit staff. You will need experienced mechanics and some people looking after the administration issues of your business. Contact recruitment agencies for this purpose. This would ensure, some good candidates applying for a job in your organization. Set up parameters for technical knowledge, personal qualities, intellectual abilities, experience etc, while interviewing and further, recruiting the candidates. Once employed, clear out things such as, payments, code of conduct, entry and exit formalities, leave policy, operating procedures etc.
Marketing, Promoting and Advertising
From the point of view of attracting more and more clients, you need to do some marketing and promotional activities. You can either do the work yourself, by studying the current market situation, position of your nearest competitors and the needs and demands of the customer. Or else, you can opt for marketing services providers, who will do the work for you, by charging the stipulated fees. Promoting and advertising, go hand in hand, you need to advertise and then promote your business, so that people come to know about your services. Prepare automotive repair business cards to advertise your business on an individual level. You can contact advertising agencies and specify the targeted customers and the area, wherein you want your business to be advertised the most. Read more on business marketing.
Automotive repair business is a serious one and therefore, fulfillment of commitment and optimum customer satisfaction, do have a lion's share in increasing the profits of your business. Remember, the more organized and dedicated you are, the more are your profits and the higher is your success rate. So now, just go ahead and initiate your first step towards becoming a successful businessman. Good luck!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
How to Make a Budget
in today's tough financial conditions, there are many people who want to know how to make a budget plan to save on or cut down their expenses. This article comprises the steps regarding how to make a budget and stick to it.
The main aspect of knowing how to make a personal budget is first cutting down on the expenses, assessing your exact income, comparing it will the recurring expenses, and then planning how you will spend the money in an economical manner. Another factor related to budget planning is that you should essentially have a strong determination to keep the spending and expenses low. There are many cases when people plan a budget, but due to an improper determination, they incur expenses much more than what they actually planned. If you are wondering how to make a budget for college students, you just need to note down the financial support from parents and your own earnings; and compare these two common factors with your expenses related to rent, food, supplies and books, etc. This will surely help you in making a good budget. If you are thinking how to make a budget chart, simply refer to the following steps.
Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly Budget
Before you start your financial planning, decide on what is the time period that your are making the budget for. Is it monthly, quarterly, per six months, or yearly. This is the first step that you need to take which will give you a general idea as to what the volume of the expenses and income will be. A majority of the people want to know how to make a budget on a monthly basis, as most of the bills come every month. Planning a monthly budget is a good way to keep elaborate details of the income and expenditure. A monthly financial plan can also be a part of the yearly budget. Normally, individuals prepare a yearly budget for a long term basis. Preparing a yearly budget may require lot of calculations and estimates.
Figure Out Your Income
The next step in budgeting is to assess and note down your aggregate income. You need to list your fixed income and not the occasional income. Usually, fixed income includes per month salary, child support, alimony, and other similar means. Sometimes, you may earn an additional income using your hobby, but this cannot be considered as a regular income. A budget should be a record which lists all the certain sources of income. If at all, you are self-employed and your income is not regular, you can estimate the median financial gains per month for making a budget plan.
Find out the Expenses and Spendings
This is when you need to know how to make a budget sheet. Make a budget sheet and include all the expenses that you have to incur in the time frame you are making the budget for. The sheet may list all the fixed expenses such as monthly rental, car insurance payments, car loan defrayals, telephone and other bills; or variable expenses such as food and entertainment expenses and electricity, water, and gas charges, etc. Evaluate an average of the total expenses that you normally incur in the decided time frame.
Compare Income Over Expenditure
Now, you should compare your income (all taxes paid) with your expenditure for that particular time frame. This is a very crucial part of budget planning. Calculate how much amount you have left after paying all the expenses. For making a good budget, there should necessarily be a certain amount left after paying all the expenditures. If the expenses are more than the overall income, you firstly need to cut down on the expenses, get rid of debt, and try to save money. If there is some amount left after paying the expenses, you can think of calculating how much money can approximately be saved.
Make a Detailed Budget Plan
You can now make a detailed budget plan with listing all the expenses, allotting the payments to the respective expenditures, and determining how much amount can be saved monthly or quarterly or whatever the time frame might be. Make sure you keep a track of all the petty spendings by storing the bills and receipts. This will certainly help you in preparing the budget for the next time period.
Make a Detailed Budget Plan
You can now make a detailed budget plan with listing all the expenses, allotting the payments to the respective expenditures, and determining how much amount can be saved monthly or quarterly or whatever the time frame might be. Make sure you keep a track of all the petty spendings by storing the bills and receipts. This will certainly help you in preparing the budget for the next time period.
Leadership
The Responsive Manager/Leader
The Responsiveness Paradigm outlined elsewhere in this newsletter is applicable at a number of levels. For example, it applies to organizations in general, and the ability of the organization to respond to the needs of customers, staff and other stakeholders (eg. politicians, etc). It applies to non-supervisory staff, and their ability to respond to the needs of their managers, customers and co-workers. This month we are going to look at responsiveness as it applied to managers, leaders and/or supervisors.
Influence Of The Responsive Manager
The responsive manager tends to succeed by building bonds of respect and trust with those around him/her. Staff respond positively to responsive managers; they work more diligently, work to help the manager and the organization succeed, and will go the extra mile when necessary. That is because responsive managers act consistent with the principle that their jobs are to help their staff do their jobs. So, a basic inter-dependence emerges based on behaviours that show concern, respect and trust.
Responsive managers also influence those above them in the hierarchy. Because responsive managers have the ability to read and act upon the needs of their "bosses", they are perceived as helpful and reliable, or in a simple way, very useful. This allows them to get the "ear" of people above them in the system, and further helps get things done when needed.
Contrast this with the limited influence of the UNresponsive manager. The unresponsive manager is restricted in influence because those around him/her do not respect or trust them to look out for their welfare. Influence is more limited to the use of power coming from the formal position, and fear, a motivational component that is hard to sustain over time. Unresponsive managers tend to be perceived as self-interested, or at best uninterested in the needs of those around them. They also tend to be perceived by those above them as less reliable and less useful due to their focus on empire building, organization protection, and self-interest, rather than getting done what needs to be done.
How Do They Do It?
Responsive managers apply a number of specific skills and abilities to the task (as outlined generally in The Responsiveness Paradigm article). Above all, they appear to be "withit". Withitness
has a number of components. First withit managers are able to put aside their concerns to listen to (and appear to listen to) those around them. As a result, they know what is going on, and know what is both said, and said between the lines. They have the knack of appearing to know what people need even if those needs are not expressed directly.
However, knowing what is going on, and identifying the needs of those around them is not sufficient. The responsive manager also acts upon that knowledge, attempting to help fulfil the needs of employees, superiors, etc. Responsive managers wield influence to solve problems for those around them, often before even being asked.
Here's an example:
I was responsible for automating an office system in a government department. As happens sometimes, the Management Information Systems people were not keen on our going our own way on the project, despite the fact that they had indicated they could not do it for us in the near future. As a result their cooperation (needed for the project) was patchy. As team leader, I faced a number of roadblocks, despite the fact that our Assistant Deputy Minister wanted to see this project come to fruition. I regularly reported back to our Director, outlining progress and roadblocks. Every time I communicated roadblocks to the Director, they were removed within a short time, despite the fact that I did not request direct action. In addition, the Director advised and counselled me on how to deal with the "systems people" so I could have maximum impact. Despite the roadblocks, the project was completed on time and was very successful, much to the chagrin of some of the systems people, who I think were hoping we would fail.
This is a simple story, but one full of meaning. In this situation the Director was able to identify the project leader's needs with respect to the project, listening carefully, and identifying actions she could take to "smooth the path". Not only was the Director able to remove obstacles and fulfil the need of the project leader, but the Director responded on a deeper level, helping to teach the Project Leader methods of becoming more effective, fulfilling yet another need. All of this was assumed to be the proper role of the Director, and was done without expressing all of the needs specifically or explicitly.
We can contrast this with the unresponsiveness of the MIS people. They lectured, they fussed, they predicted dire consequences, rather than offering consistent, responsive help. They focused not on responding to the needs of their clients, but on some other factors having to do with control, and their own needs. Eventually, their lack of responsiveness resulted in the very thing they did not want; loss of control of the project. As a result of this project their overall status in the organization suffered, simply because at both an organization and individual level they were seen as barriers, rather than useful.
Let's look at one more example.
An employee had been working for a government branch for about a year, having moved to the city as a new resident. In a casual conversation, the supervisor noted that the employee wasn't looking at his best, and asked how he was feeling. The employee explained that he hadn't been feeling well lately, and sounded very tired and overwhelmed. The supervisor determined that the staff member didn't have a local family doctor, asked if he would like the supervisor to arrange an appointment, and proceeded to do so immediately. The problem turned out to be a minor one.
In this example we see again the ideas of "withitness" and responsiveness. The supervisor was able to identify that the staff member was in need of some help, despite the fact that the staff member did not state this explicitly. Note that the supervisor didn't pressure the staff member to go to the doctor, but identified needs, checked them out, and then acted upon them. In this case, help consisted of direct, helpful action.
Conclusion
These two examples are the stuff of loyalty and commitment. They are remembered years and years after the fact, and continue to extend the influence of managers. In this sense responsiveness is a critical component of management success, because it allows managers and supervisors to get things done, for the benefit of all players.
In the limited space we have, we have attempted to give you a feel of what responsiveness means. You might want to extend your own understanding by considering some of the following questions.
1. If you are a manager or supervisor, how can you modify your own behaviours so that you become and are perceived as more responsive by a) your staff, b) your boss and c) your customers?
2. Again, if you are a manager or supervisor what is your definition of the "responsive employee"? Can you identify your "favourite employees", and consider how they are responsive to you? Our bet is you will find that your most valued employees are responsive.
3. If you are non-management, what would you need to do to be perceived as more responsive by the people around you?
The Responsiveness Paradigm outlined elsewhere in this newsletter is applicable at a number of levels. For example, it applies to organizations in general, and the ability of the organization to respond to the needs of customers, staff and other stakeholders (eg. politicians, etc). It applies to non-supervisory staff, and their ability to respond to the needs of their managers, customers and co-workers. This month we are going to look at responsiveness as it applied to managers, leaders and/or supervisors.
Influence Of The Responsive Manager
The responsive manager tends to succeed by building bonds of respect and trust with those around him/her. Staff respond positively to responsive managers; they work more diligently, work to help the manager and the organization succeed, and will go the extra mile when necessary. That is because responsive managers act consistent with the principle that their jobs are to help their staff do their jobs. So, a basic inter-dependence emerges based on behaviours that show concern, respect and trust.
Responsive managers also influence those above them in the hierarchy. Because responsive managers have the ability to read and act upon the needs of their "bosses", they are perceived as helpful and reliable, or in a simple way, very useful. This allows them to get the "ear" of people above them in the system, and further helps get things done when needed.
Contrast this with the limited influence of the UNresponsive manager. The unresponsive manager is restricted in influence because those around him/her do not respect or trust them to look out for their welfare. Influence is more limited to the use of power coming from the formal position, and fear, a motivational component that is hard to sustain over time. Unresponsive managers tend to be perceived as self-interested, or at best uninterested in the needs of those around them. They also tend to be perceived by those above them as less reliable and less useful due to their focus on empire building, organization protection, and self-interest, rather than getting done what needs to be done.
How Do They Do It?
Responsive managers apply a number of specific skills and abilities to the task (as outlined generally in The Responsiveness Paradigm article). Above all, they appear to be "withit". Withitness
has a number of components. First withit managers are able to put aside their concerns to listen to (and appear to listen to) those around them. As a result, they know what is going on, and know what is both said, and said between the lines. They have the knack of appearing to know what people need even if those needs are not expressed directly.
However, knowing what is going on, and identifying the needs of those around them is not sufficient. The responsive manager also acts upon that knowledge, attempting to help fulfil the needs of employees, superiors, etc. Responsive managers wield influence to solve problems for those around them, often before even being asked.
Here's an example:
I was responsible for automating an office system in a government department. As happens sometimes, the Management Information Systems people were not keen on our going our own way on the project, despite the fact that they had indicated they could not do it for us in the near future. As a result their cooperation (needed for the project) was patchy. As team leader, I faced a number of roadblocks, despite the fact that our Assistant Deputy Minister wanted to see this project come to fruition. I regularly reported back to our Director, outlining progress and roadblocks. Every time I communicated roadblocks to the Director, they were removed within a short time, despite the fact that I did not request direct action. In addition, the Director advised and counselled me on how to deal with the "systems people" so I could have maximum impact. Despite the roadblocks, the project was completed on time and was very successful, much to the chagrin of some of the systems people, who I think were hoping we would fail.
This is a simple story, but one full of meaning. In this situation the Director was able to identify the project leader's needs with respect to the project, listening carefully, and identifying actions she could take to "smooth the path". Not only was the Director able to remove obstacles and fulfil the need of the project leader, but the Director responded on a deeper level, helping to teach the Project Leader methods of becoming more effective, fulfilling yet another need. All of this was assumed to be the proper role of the Director, and was done without expressing all of the needs specifically or explicitly.
We can contrast this with the unresponsiveness of the MIS people. They lectured, they fussed, they predicted dire consequences, rather than offering consistent, responsive help. They focused not on responding to the needs of their clients, but on some other factors having to do with control, and their own needs. Eventually, their lack of responsiveness resulted in the very thing they did not want; loss of control of the project. As a result of this project their overall status in the organization suffered, simply because at both an organization and individual level they were seen as barriers, rather than useful.
Let's look at one more example.
An employee had been working for a government branch for about a year, having moved to the city as a new resident. In a casual conversation, the supervisor noted that the employee wasn't looking at his best, and asked how he was feeling. The employee explained that he hadn't been feeling well lately, and sounded very tired and overwhelmed. The supervisor determined that the staff member didn't have a local family doctor, asked if he would like the supervisor to arrange an appointment, and proceeded to do so immediately. The problem turned out to be a minor one.
In this example we see again the ideas of "withitness" and responsiveness. The supervisor was able to identify that the staff member was in need of some help, despite the fact that the staff member did not state this explicitly. Note that the supervisor didn't pressure the staff member to go to the doctor, but identified needs, checked them out, and then acted upon them. In this case, help consisted of direct, helpful action.
Conclusion
These two examples are the stuff of loyalty and commitment. They are remembered years and years after the fact, and continue to extend the influence of managers. In this sense responsiveness is a critical component of management success, because it allows managers and supervisors to get things done, for the benefit of all players.
In the limited space we have, we have attempted to give you a feel of what responsiveness means. You might want to extend your own understanding by considering some of the following questions.
1. If you are a manager or supervisor, how can you modify your own behaviours so that you become and are perceived as more responsive by a) your staff, b) your boss and c) your customers?
2. Again, if you are a manager or supervisor what is your definition of the "responsive employee"? Can you identify your "favourite employees", and consider how they are responsive to you? Our bet is you will find that your most valued employees are responsive.
3. If you are non-management, what would you need to do to be perceived as more responsive by the people around you?
10 Tips for Becoming a Smarter, Social Business Person
The web is filled with social networks: We have Twitter for meeting new people, Facebook for old college buddies, and Bebo for those of us who don’t want to hang out with the mainstream. Those social networks are rarely viewed as corporate services — they’re relaxing at the end of a long workday, not playgrounds for more business activity. But I would argue that social networks provide value to a business person on several levels, whether it be for those furiously working each day in a cubicle or for others closing big deals on the golf course.
Social networks can help make you a smarter business person, and there’s a lot of corporate value to be found in them. (Did you know that Dell has made over $6 million from Twitter alone?) It’s time to exploit them for your business, and here’s how:
1. Get involved. The only way to use social networks to improve business is to join some sites. LinkedIn is a good start, but you’ll need to do much more if you plan to make your social life profitable. Social networks require participation. If you don’t get involved, you’ll never find value in the social web.
2. There’s more than LinkedIn. There’s little debating that LinkedIn is ideal for those who want to network with other professionals. But Twitter, Facebook and the rest also provide real value to a business person. In many cases, they allow you to find folks you might have otherwise missed offline. They also provide you with a “cheat sheet” of information, like interests and education, that could help you close a deal. For example, I recently got in touch with a local professional who needed some basic tech services. I used Facebook to get to know him and what his interests were. When we finally had a chance to meet, I referenced his love of the New York Yankees and some films we both enjoy to get the conversation started, which may have helped me close the deal.
3. It’s networking, but online. One of the first rules you learn in any business school is to network. It’s not always what you know, it’s who you know. Social-networking sites are ideal for those who want to network. You can use them to get back in touch with old friends, get to know colleagues, or network with other local professionals trying to do the same. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to get to know clients when you’re introduced by a mutual acquaintance.
4. Don’t underestimate Twitter’s value. It might not seem like the best choice for a business person at first glance, but after further inspection, you might find that Twitter is a fine networking platform. It’s filled with active members who want to get to know others, and there are far more professionals than you think. And thanks to several third-party Twitter tools, like WeFollow, it shouldn’t take long to find folks in your area you want to target. WeFollow lets you find people based on categories. So if you want to find entrepreneurs, you can. If you want to find marketing professionals in New York, you can do that, too.
Dell, for one, has shown just how important Twitter can be to a company’s bottom line by offering sales through its Twitter feed, listening to what customers are looking for, and telling those followers about available coupons. In the meantime, besides the $6.5 million it’s pulled in from using the site, it’s attracted a whopping 1.5 million followers looking for deals.
5. Join the conversation. Once you join social networks and you know who you want to target, start talking. Get to know what they discuss and join that discussion. Social networking is not about being shy; it’s about being willing to open up in an online world that has stayed anonymous for far too long. That means you’ll need to talk about your interests and topics that others in your social network are engaged in.
6. It’s not about the numbers. Although some believe the more friends or followers you have on your favorite social network, the better, I don’t. If you want to turn your social life into more business, find followers and friends who either improve your relations with the surrounding community or increase your prospects of securing clients. Don’t waste time with big follower numbers. Most times, it’s that core group that will provide the most value. A company in my hometown currently has a little over 200 followers on Twitter. But according to that company’s owner, they’re some of the store’s most reliable customers; when the owner sends out sales information or coupons, these are the folks who are most likely to redeem them. Twitter lets you engage in extremely effective marketing for free.
7. Don’t stick to business. The worst thing you can do on a social network is just talk about business. Remember that many folks want to leave business at the office. Use social networks to find common ground and get to know each other. When you feel comfortable that a relationship is developing, then throw in the business.
I learned this lesson the hard way when I first started using Twitter. I didn’t discuss topics my followers cared about. Instead, I focused all my tweets on the tech business. Some folks stopped following me; others asked me to stop talking about business so much. It was a great wake-up call. Today, I talk about tech and business, but I also discuss other topics that are important to me and my followers.
8. Don’t go overboard. Don’t think that you need to join every new site that crops up. Instead, stick to two to four social networks. By doing so, you can still be on the sites that other folks are on, but you won’t get caught up in trying to update every site you use.
I wish someone had told me this a long time ago. At this point, I belong to well over 35 social networks. They range from the big ones like Facebook to relatively unknown services like Plurk and Identi.ca. For a while, I tried to keep all those profiles up-to-date. But it became too time-consuming and I was forced to scale back. Today, I maintain active updates on Twitter, Facebook and FriendFeed. Everything else is left dormant.
9. Share what you know. Social networks provide value because users can share their expertise. If you’re into stamp collecting, let us know. If you’re an expert in derivatives, tell us about it. Don’t simply regurgitate what you see in so many other places on the web. Although I write about technology for a living, I’m actually quite knowledgeable in financial topics and baseball history. I was surprised to see how many of my social-networking buddies have those same interests, and it’s helped us form a better professional bond.
10. Remember your employer. Anything and everything you say is a direct reflection on those who employ you. Don’t use profanity. Don’t say nasty things about the competition. Just as you would at any dinner meeting, represent your company well. Companies have worked with PR companies for years to disseminate only the information they want shared, and today, any employee can say anything with a click of a button. If you plan to help your business through social networks, remember that your job could be on the line if you say the wrong thing.
These are just some tips to being a smarter, social businessperson. If you have any others to share, let us know in the comments below.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Effective Meetings
Managing Meeting Problems
If you are called upon to chair meetings, you will doubtless encounter some common problems that occur when any group of people get together. While these problems are common, if they are left unmanaged, they will cause long term problems. Unmanaged meeting problems will result in wasted time, frustration, and a general dread of attending meetings in which these problems occur unchecked.
Before we discuss some strategies for addressing these common problems, one basic approach needs to be stressed. Make sure that there are agreed-upon roles and processes for the meetings. That is, it must be clear to all attendees what is expected in terms of behaviour, and how breeches of these expectations will be dealt with. One critical role that MUST be defined is that of the chair. Attendees and the chairperson must be on the same wavelength.
We suggest that a group that meets on a regular basis establish meeting parameters, roles and chairperson authorities early in their life cycle. We also suggest that the group revisit these parameters periodically to see if they are working, or need revision.
Remember that when roles and authorities are not clear from the outset, meetings can deteriorate into procedural wranglings" that are largely unproductive. Get the roles clear from the beginning so that you will not have to deal with them in each and every meeting.
Long-Windedness
Some people are naturally long-winded. They talk a lot. Unfortunately, long-winded people can monopolize meeting time, and turn off other meeting participants.
If you are chairing a meeting with long-winded people in attendance, you need to take some action. The general rule to any intervention is to start with the most subtle or mild approach, and then increase "force" as required.
Try using a non-verbal "stop sign". One common one is holding up one's hand, palm outward towards the speaker. Generally, this will be better received by the speaker if it is accompanied by a smile rather than a frown or obvious anger. Make sure that you don't thrust your hand too quickly, since that will be considered an aggressive act.
Another non-verbal tactic is the "Aha sign". The "aha sign" consists of one finger held up, and is used to signify that you are enthusiastic about a point the speaker has made. Generally, you will follow up this sign with a comment like "John, your point about x is excellent. I really want to hear what Barb thinks about that idea." You couple the non-verbal sign with what we call a "redirect" cue (see next point).
Use the redirect cue to signify that you want another person to respond to the issue. It is best to jump in when the speaker is catching a breath, saying something like "Mary, thank you for your ideas. Brent, do you have any comments on whether we should [whatever]?"
Finally, you may have to take a strong stance. For example, interrupt with "Fred, we have agreed that it is important that we accomplish x,y, and z before we leave today. I appreciate your comments, but I am going to insist that we move on. Perhaps if we have time at the end of the meeting, we can come back to this." Then move immediately to the next agenda item. Keep in mind that this approach may result in some ruffled feathers. It may be appropriate to speak privately to the long-winded person after the meeting to explain why you felt this was necessary so that meeting goals would be met.
Involving The Silent
Some people are naturally reticent to speak in meetings. The chairperson must respect individual differences of this type, while at the same time setting up a climate that increases comfort levels, and inviting quiet attendees to be more involved.
You can ask silent group members to be involved. The way you do it is important. The best approach to involve a shyer person is to pose a specific question to that person. The question should be one that the person can answer easily. After the initial answer, you can probe for more detail. For example:
Chair: John, you talk to more customers than any of us. Do they ever talk about what they want from us?
John: Uhh...sometimes.
Chair: What kinds of things do they tell you?
Also, make sure that meetings are respectful and that ideas and people are not attacked. Again, enforce rules that have been established by group consensus early on. If necessary, when a person's position is being challenged, support that person by highlighting a positive aspect of what the person has said.
If there are chronic silent meeting attendees, you may want to approach each one privately to ask if they are benefitting from attending meetings, and to find out if there is any way that the meetings can be made more effective.
Managing Disputes
Conflict in meetings can be productive. If the conflict energy can be funnelled into developing constructive solutions, new ideas can emerge from the conflict. However, some disputes that occur in meetings are about things other than finding solutions. They may be about personal agendas, stylistic differences, power or other things. Meetings are usually not the best place to address these agendas.
Disputes that are non-constructive are characterized by lack of listening, personal attacks or innuendo, and hostile tones of voice.
First, the chair should avoid taking sides if the dispute is non-constructive, although if the chair is also the group manager, it may be necessary to supply an arbitrary solution. If the chair is at the same organizational level as the disputing parties, stay away from taking a side.
Second, stop the dispute early. As soon as you see signs that the discussion is becoming non-constructive or insulting, jump in. For example, you can say something like "I don't think we are going to resolve your disagreement at this point, so I am going to ask that we move on. John and Mary may want to talk about this in private."
Or, "Remember that we agreed that we would discuss issues rather than personalities. If we can return to the issue at hand, we can continue this important discussion, otherwise I am going to ask that we stop now."
Third, don't become involved emotionally. React calmly and firmly, not with anger.
Finally, if a full scale verbal brawl ensues, consider adjourning the meeting. A coffee break may be enough to cool off tempers. If not, the meeting may have to be stopped. There is no point having non-constructive angry discussions where nobody is listening.
Conclusion
The chairperson plays important roles in managing meeting problems that occur. If rules have been developed by the group, it is far easier to enforce these rules without appearing to be arbitrary or heavy-handed. By managing the long-winded, the silent people involved in disputes, a considerable amount of time can be saved, and meeting can become more productive and positive for all those attending.
If you are called upon to chair meetings, you will doubtless encounter some common problems that occur when any group of people get together. While these problems are common, if they are left unmanaged, they will cause long term problems. Unmanaged meeting problems will result in wasted time, frustration, and a general dread of attending meetings in which these problems occur unchecked.
Before we discuss some strategies for addressing these common problems, one basic approach needs to be stressed. Make sure that there are agreed-upon roles and processes for the meetings. That is, it must be clear to all attendees what is expected in terms of behaviour, and how breeches of these expectations will be dealt with. One critical role that MUST be defined is that of the chair. Attendees and the chairperson must be on the same wavelength.
We suggest that a group that meets on a regular basis establish meeting parameters, roles and chairperson authorities early in their life cycle. We also suggest that the group revisit these parameters periodically to see if they are working, or need revision.
Remember that when roles and authorities are not clear from the outset, meetings can deteriorate into procedural wranglings" that are largely unproductive. Get the roles clear from the beginning so that you will not have to deal with them in each and every meeting.
Long-Windedness
Some people are naturally long-winded. They talk a lot. Unfortunately, long-winded people can monopolize meeting time, and turn off other meeting participants.
If you are chairing a meeting with long-winded people in attendance, you need to take some action. The general rule to any intervention is to start with the most subtle or mild approach, and then increase "force" as required.
Try using a non-verbal "stop sign". One common one is holding up one's hand, palm outward towards the speaker. Generally, this will be better received by the speaker if it is accompanied by a smile rather than a frown or obvious anger. Make sure that you don't thrust your hand too quickly, since that will be considered an aggressive act.
Another non-verbal tactic is the "Aha sign". The "aha sign" consists of one finger held up, and is used to signify that you are enthusiastic about a point the speaker has made. Generally, you will follow up this sign with a comment like "John, your point about x is excellent. I really want to hear what Barb thinks about that idea." You couple the non-verbal sign with what we call a "redirect" cue (see next point).
Use the redirect cue to signify that you want another person to respond to the issue. It is best to jump in when the speaker is catching a breath, saying something like "Mary, thank you for your ideas. Brent, do you have any comments on whether we should [whatever]?"
Finally, you may have to take a strong stance. For example, interrupt with "Fred, we have agreed that it is important that we accomplish x,y, and z before we leave today. I appreciate your comments, but I am going to insist that we move on. Perhaps if we have time at the end of the meeting, we can come back to this." Then move immediately to the next agenda item. Keep in mind that this approach may result in some ruffled feathers. It may be appropriate to speak privately to the long-winded person after the meeting to explain why you felt this was necessary so that meeting goals would be met.
Involving The Silent
Some people are naturally reticent to speak in meetings. The chairperson must respect individual differences of this type, while at the same time setting up a climate that increases comfort levels, and inviting quiet attendees to be more involved.
You can ask silent group members to be involved. The way you do it is important. The best approach to involve a shyer person is to pose a specific question to that person. The question should be one that the person can answer easily. After the initial answer, you can probe for more detail. For example:
Chair: John, you talk to more customers than any of us. Do they ever talk about what they want from us?
John: Uhh...sometimes.
Chair: What kinds of things do they tell you?
Also, make sure that meetings are respectful and that ideas and people are not attacked. Again, enforce rules that have been established by group consensus early on. If necessary, when a person's position is being challenged, support that person by highlighting a positive aspect of what the person has said.
If there are chronic silent meeting attendees, you may want to approach each one privately to ask if they are benefitting from attending meetings, and to find out if there is any way that the meetings can be made more effective.
Managing Disputes
Conflict in meetings can be productive. If the conflict energy can be funnelled into developing constructive solutions, new ideas can emerge from the conflict. However, some disputes that occur in meetings are about things other than finding solutions. They may be about personal agendas, stylistic differences, power or other things. Meetings are usually not the best place to address these agendas.
Disputes that are non-constructive are characterized by lack of listening, personal attacks or innuendo, and hostile tones of voice.
First, the chair should avoid taking sides if the dispute is non-constructive, although if the chair is also the group manager, it may be necessary to supply an arbitrary solution. If the chair is at the same organizational level as the disputing parties, stay away from taking a side.
Second, stop the dispute early. As soon as you see signs that the discussion is becoming non-constructive or insulting, jump in. For example, you can say something like "I don't think we are going to resolve your disagreement at this point, so I am going to ask that we move on. John and Mary may want to talk about this in private."
Or, "Remember that we agreed that we would discuss issues rather than personalities. If we can return to the issue at hand, we can continue this important discussion, otherwise I am going to ask that we stop now."
Third, don't become involved emotionally. React calmly and firmly, not with anger.
Finally, if a full scale verbal brawl ensues, consider adjourning the meeting. A coffee break may be enough to cool off tempers. If not, the meeting may have to be stopped. There is no point having non-constructive angry discussions where nobody is listening.
Conclusion
The chairperson plays important roles in managing meeting problems that occur. If rules have been developed by the group, it is far easier to enforce these rules without appearing to be arbitrary or heavy-handed. By managing the long-winded, the silent people involved in disputes, a considerable amount of time can be saved, and meeting can become more productive and positive for all those attending.
The Impossible Colleague - Tips For Dealing With Difficult Coworkers
This month marks the return of our On The Line Column, where we deal with difficult workplace situations in a question and answer format.
Problem
For the past few years I have had to work fairly extensively with a colleague who is just impossible. He is arrogant, stubborn, sometimes abusive, and acts like he is right about almost everything. At first I tried to ignore it, but it just gotten worse. It's so bad, I feel like every night when I go home, all I think about is how miserable this person is. It is also affecting people around us, since we all spend so much time talking about this person.
How do I deal with this situation?
Answer
Most people use the term personality conflict to describe this situation. I don't like that term because it implies that the problem is largely unfixable since it is unlikely that either you or the other person is going to change their personalities. To get anything constructive out of this you are going to have to get down to specific behaviours, not personalities.
Some background things to consider. These situations tend to occur over time. Small annoying behaviours left unattended move to bigger more annoying behaviours. You indicate that you tried to ignore these things at the beginning, and that probably contributed to the problem. Consider these basic principles:
In any relationship, both people influence the other's behaviour. In almost every conflict situation, both parties bear some responsibility for where "things are at".
Focusing on blame will just drive you crazy. The key to these situations is to focus on what YOU can do to make things better. It doesn't matter who is at fault, if your concern is to make things better.
You have little control over the personality, and even behaviour of another person. Your best bet is to focus on your own behaviour change. Ask yourself: What am I doing that contributes to this unpleasant situation, and What can I do to change what I am doing. It sounds like what you are doing now isn't working so you have to look for another approach.
Here are some ideas:
1. At a time when both you and the other person or calm, ask if you can talk to them (do it privately-this is between the two of you). Approach the situation in a non-accusatory manner (not easy if you are frustrated). Try something like this:
John, I've noticed that you and I seem to have our differences. I have some ideas about how we might be able to work more effectively together, but I would like to know from you what I can do to help. Can you think of anything I could be doing so we could get along better?
Follow his up with proper listening, so John knows you are truly concerned and interested.
When possible find things to agree on, and offer something. If the conversation is going well, you might want to make a request (one is good). Like the following:
John, what would help me is that when we are at meetings and I am talking, that you wait until I am finished to make your comments, since it really distracts me if you talk before I am finished, and I can't listen properly to you when I am distracted.
2. Since you are clearly frustrated, it is likely that you are doing things that convey your frustration to the other person. You shouldn't have to take abuse and smile, but neither should you be attacking or reacting in kind. It is important that you deal with things firmly, but nicely, and without dramatics. No eye-rolling, no heavy sighing, no guerilla activities. If the other person is rude or nasty to you, you can respond with quiet dignity and set limits regarding the specific behaviours, but if you react angrily, you will almost always make the situation worse.
3. Immediately stop making the situation one for public discussion or discussion with other staff members. This is disruptive to the organization, but worse, it will make it more difficult to fix the situation. When you gossip about someone else, you tend to focus on the worst parts, and paint that person in a negative way. That affects your thinking and actually shortens your patience, particularly when you get covert support from others. Do you want to win or do you want to fix the problem (Note: you usually can't "win".
4. The time to have dealt with this situation was early on, with a combination of politeness, firmness, and limit setting. In some situations, the conflict has become so polarized that you may need help in dealing with it, both practically, and personally, to change your way of looking at it. One possibility is to talk to your manager and explain the situation as objectively as possible. That means saying something like: John and I seem to be having some trouble getting along, and it seems to be affecting everyone". Please don't go in trying to convince the "boss" how bad the other person is...it just makes you look like the problem.
Request help or suggestions, and focus on fixing the problem, and taking some responsibility for it. The outcome may be that the manager may bring you both together to talk about the situation and work out a plan, or even that you and the other person might get involved in mediation, or some other form of intervention.
5. Please keep in mind that you have both rights and responsibilities in these situations.
Your responsibilities include:
* approaching the other person in a polite, problem-solving way to work things out.
* avoiding actions (like gossip) that make the situation worse.
* a willingness to recognize that you have probably contributed to the problem.
* listening to the other person rather than trying to convince or bully them.
* seeking help from others in a dignified, open and constructive way.
Your rights include:
* setting behavioral limits and consequences when nasty, abusive behaviour is directed at you.
* the expectation that the other person will work in an open problem solving and courteous way.
* an expectation that management will help, but may not be able to solve the problem without your cooperation and that of the other person.
Problem
For the past few years I have had to work fairly extensively with a colleague who is just impossible. He is arrogant, stubborn, sometimes abusive, and acts like he is right about almost everything. At first I tried to ignore it, but it just gotten worse. It's so bad, I feel like every night when I go home, all I think about is how miserable this person is. It is also affecting people around us, since we all spend so much time talking about this person.
How do I deal with this situation?
Answer
Most people use the term personality conflict to describe this situation. I don't like that term because it implies that the problem is largely unfixable since it is unlikely that either you or the other person is going to change their personalities. To get anything constructive out of this you are going to have to get down to specific behaviours, not personalities.
Some background things to consider. These situations tend to occur over time. Small annoying behaviours left unattended move to bigger more annoying behaviours. You indicate that you tried to ignore these things at the beginning, and that probably contributed to the problem. Consider these basic principles:
In any relationship, both people influence the other's behaviour. In almost every conflict situation, both parties bear some responsibility for where "things are at".
Focusing on blame will just drive you crazy. The key to these situations is to focus on what YOU can do to make things better. It doesn't matter who is at fault, if your concern is to make things better.
You have little control over the personality, and even behaviour of another person. Your best bet is to focus on your own behaviour change. Ask yourself: What am I doing that contributes to this unpleasant situation, and What can I do to change what I am doing. It sounds like what you are doing now isn't working so you have to look for another approach.
Here are some ideas:
1. At a time when both you and the other person or calm, ask if you can talk to them (do it privately-this is between the two of you). Approach the situation in a non-accusatory manner (not easy if you are frustrated). Try something like this:
John, I've noticed that you and I seem to have our differences. I have some ideas about how we might be able to work more effectively together, but I would like to know from you what I can do to help. Can you think of anything I could be doing so we could get along better?
Follow his up with proper listening, so John knows you are truly concerned and interested.
When possible find things to agree on, and offer something. If the conversation is going well, you might want to make a request (one is good). Like the following:
John, what would help me is that when we are at meetings and I am talking, that you wait until I am finished to make your comments, since it really distracts me if you talk before I am finished, and I can't listen properly to you when I am distracted.
2. Since you are clearly frustrated, it is likely that you are doing things that convey your frustration to the other person. You shouldn't have to take abuse and smile, but neither should you be attacking or reacting in kind. It is important that you deal with things firmly, but nicely, and without dramatics. No eye-rolling, no heavy sighing, no guerilla activities. If the other person is rude or nasty to you, you can respond with quiet dignity and set limits regarding the specific behaviours, but if you react angrily, you will almost always make the situation worse.
3. Immediately stop making the situation one for public discussion or discussion with other staff members. This is disruptive to the organization, but worse, it will make it more difficult to fix the situation. When you gossip about someone else, you tend to focus on the worst parts, and paint that person in a negative way. That affects your thinking and actually shortens your patience, particularly when you get covert support from others. Do you want to win or do you want to fix the problem (Note: you usually can't "win".
4. The time to have dealt with this situation was early on, with a combination of politeness, firmness, and limit setting. In some situations, the conflict has become so polarized that you may need help in dealing with it, both practically, and personally, to change your way of looking at it. One possibility is to talk to your manager and explain the situation as objectively as possible. That means saying something like: John and I seem to be having some trouble getting along, and it seems to be affecting everyone". Please don't go in trying to convince the "boss" how bad the other person is...it just makes you look like the problem.
Request help or suggestions, and focus on fixing the problem, and taking some responsibility for it. The outcome may be that the manager may bring you both together to talk about the situation and work out a plan, or even that you and the other person might get involved in mediation, or some other form of intervention.
5. Please keep in mind that you have both rights and responsibilities in these situations.
Your responsibilities include:
* approaching the other person in a polite, problem-solving way to work things out.
* avoiding actions (like gossip) that make the situation worse.
* a willingness to recognize that you have probably contributed to the problem.
* listening to the other person rather than trying to convince or bully them.
* seeking help from others in a dignified, open and constructive way.
Your rights include:
* setting behavioral limits and consequences when nasty, abusive behaviour is directed at you.
* the expectation that the other person will work in an open problem solving and courteous way.
* an expectation that management will help, but may not be able to solve the problem without your cooperation and that of the other person.
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