Management

Sales Management – How to Define Your Company's Sales Job – Part 1

2005-10-31T10:04:00.000-08:00

By Alan Rigg

Wouldn't you agree that every sales job is unique? Aren't there significant differences in products and services sold, target markets, target geographies, company cultures, lead sources, sales cycle lengths, and more? Given these many differences, how can you accurately define the parameters that will produce success in your company's sales job?

The questions asked in this article do not identify every possible factor you should consider as you analyze your company's sales position(s). However, reviewing these questions should spark useful thoughts concerning desirable salesperson characteristics. At minimum, if you carefully consider each question, you will become more consciously aware of key requirements than you were previously.

If you are a salesperson, you can also benefit from considering these questions, as they can help you identify target prospects and further refine your sales approach.

1. Nature of the Customer

What are your target markets?

Are they horizontal or vertical?

Do you sell to consumers, corporations, schools, state and local governments, etc.?

What level(s) in the organization do you sell to? (Purchasing, Engineering, Business Unit Manager, C-Level Executive, etc.)

Target markets drive numerous sales parameters including the typical sales cycle length, prime selling seasons, and specific knowledge or experience that may be required to earn credibility with prospects and customers. Wouldn't you agree that selling effectively to C-level executives (CEO, CFO, CIO, etc.) and other high-ranking officials requires different attributes and skills than selling to purchasing agents?

2. Nature of the Offering

Are your offerings complex or relatively simple?

Are they tangible or intangible?

Do they consist of stand-alone products or services, or bundles of products and services?

Does your company have a small portfolio of offerings or a large portfolio of offerings?

The nature of the offering(s) will determine the most effective Sales Style (see item #5), the importance of Learning Rate to sales success, and desired prospecting and opportunity qualification approaches.

3. Sales Environment

What kind of environment do your salespeople work in?

Are they office-based or home based?

Is most of their selling done over the telephone or in person?

Salespeople that work from a home office usually perform best if they are independent self-starters, whereas office- based salespeople may have the option of receiving more frequent direction and support from their sales manager.

4. Geography

How many sales locations does your company have?

Where are they located?

Different sales approaches are usually required to sell successfully in different locales such as downtown Manhattan (NY), Baton Rouge (LA), and Los Angeles (CA).

5. Sales Style

Which sales styles (Consultative, Relationship, Display, Hard Closer) are most effective in your target markets?

The nature of the customer and the complexity of the offering(s) should be considered when answering this question.

6. Relationship Preference

Is your company more concerned about:

Finding new customers?

Increasing account penetration and/or managing long-term relationships?

Both?

If both, please estimate a percentage for each.

Salespeople usually prefer one type of sales role to the other. If you truly want to accomplish both new business and account penetration sales goals, you may want to consider staffing two different sales positions.

7. Sales Cycle Length

How often do your salespeople have opportunities to close sales?

Several per day?

Several per month?

Several per year?

If a salesperson receives gratification from closing sales, he or she won't be happy in a role that offers just a handful of opportunities per year to exercise this skill. This kind of salesperson is often better suited to selling products or services that have shorter sales cycles and higher volumes of opportunities.

8. Prospecting

Do prospects come to your salespeople, or must your salespeople seek them out?

If the answer is "both", estimate a percentage for each.

If your sales position requires a lot of outbound prospecting, your salespeople will need more energy, mental toughness, and a positive attitude.

Seven additional parameters are covered in Part 2 of this article.

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don't Perform and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20 Sales Performance, helps business owners, executives, and managers DOUBLE sales by implementing The Right Formula™ for building top-performing sales teams. For more information and more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020salesperformance.com.

Sales Commission – What Return Should You Expect On Your Sales Compensation Investment?

2005-10-31T09:59:00.000-08:00

By Alan Rigg

This article answers the following questions:

How do most companies look at return on investment (ROI) for their sales compensation expense?

What portion of sales compensation expense do companies allocate to managing existing accounts versus pursuing new accounts?

Do most companies expect their salespeople to generate new, additional gross profit each year that is equal to or greater than their compensation?

One conclusion I have reached after working with many different kinds of companies is that there is little commonality in how they establish the desired return on investment (ROI) from their sales compensation investments. Every company's circumstances are different; as a result, what might constitute an acceptable ROI for one company will not be considered acceptable by another company.

Here are some questions to consider as you determine the desired sales compensation ROI for your company, and how that ROI should be split between existing accounts and new accounts:

What is the value of each sales dollar produced? Is the value different if a sales dollar is produced by an existing account versus a new account?

How does the time and effort required to maintain (and grow) existing customers compare to the time and effort required to bring on new accounts?

Do accounts operate pretty much on "autopilot" once they have been brought on board, or must your salespeople continue to invest significant effort (in terms of internal prospecting, opportunity qualification, proposal generation, relationship management, etc.) to maintain sales volume and profitability?

Once an account has been brought on board, can ANY salesperson manage the relationship, or is there something special about the relationship that exists between the current salesperson and the account?

I have seen cases where management held the opinion that ANYONE could manage and maintain the volumes of business that were being produced by major accounts. They questioned why they should continue paying high compensation to the salespeople who were managing those accounts.

In some cases management chose to reduce commission rates, which caused the salespeople who had been managing the accounts to leave the company. In other cases management simply switched account assignments and assigned less "expensive" (in terms of compensation) salespeople to the major accounts. Far too often the outcome from either approach was a slow decay in revenue that eventually added up to millions of dollars in lost sales.

Why did this decay in revenue occur?

Close inspection identified two key reasons:

The replaced salespeople had enjoyed truly special relationships with key players in the accounts. The key players' loyalty was to the salespeople, not the salespeople's employers. When the salespeople left, the key players saw little reason to continue to favor the salespeople's (previous) employers with their business.

The replaced salespeople were extremely responsive and provided extraordinary levels of service. In some cases these salespeople were unusually successful in navigating their employers' informal networks. This enabled them to solve problems and do favors for their customers with a timeliness that other salespeople could not match.

If you determine that some of your salespeople DO have enough bandwidth to bring on new accounts, here are questions to consider as you set their "new business" goals:

What level of market penetration has your company achieved to date?

How much additional market penetration can your company reasonably expect to accomplish within a specified time frame?

How many potential prospects exist in each sales territory?

How do these potential prospects compare to your existing customers in terms of revenue potential?

How many new prospects will a salesperson need to close to make any appreciable difference in their numbers?

Here are some final questions for you to consider:

What percentage return are you currently receiving on your sales compensation investments?

Do your salespeople produce multiples of their compensation in terms of profits back to your company?

Is it really reasonable to expect your sales compensation ROI to grow every year?

Conclusion

The questions asked in this article can help you determine the desired return on your sales compensation investment, plus develop targets for ROI from existing accounts and new accounts. Don't let the fact that some salespeople earn high compensation cause you to set your ROI goals too aggressively. Instead, focus on the question, "How much return do we receive on the sales compensation we pay?" A solid return on your investment means you are completely justified in making that investment!

Getting Motivated and Getting Results: How to Build the Right Sales Staff

2005-10-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

By Tom Richard

What can you do to motivate your sales staff?

Absolutely nothing.

I know it sounds contrary to everything you’ve come to believe, but if you want a team of great salespeople who get results, understanding this is the first step.

Every human being has internal factors that determine his/her success. Therefore, there are two types of people: those who are internally driven to succeed, and those who aren’t. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to arbitrarily influence these internal motivating factors.

Now maybe you’re having a hard time believing me because you once held a contest or another promotional event that seemed to really motivate your employees. But think of the salespeople who participated and succeeded from this event. They were probably the same people who always participate in your promotions and strive to do well.

The truth: You created an environment that fueled the drive of those who were already internally driven to succeed. Those who weren’t driven probably didn’t participate and had little to do with your great results.

Type 1: The Unmotivated

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to motivate someone who has no internal drive to succeed. Trying to motivate these people will NEVER produce the results you want and will only leave you disheartened and worn out. These are the people you do NOT want on your sales staff.

Type 2: The Motivated

A person with a natural drive to succeed can make a wonderful salesperson. They have what it takes to bring about the results you want. These results, however, do depend on that person’s environment. The environment that you create for your salespeople can either fuel or dampen that inner drive.

To have a successful sales staff, you must have two things: naturally motivated salespeople and the right environment to keep them motivated.

Finding the right people

Hiring the right employees for the job is the most critical step in building a successful sales team.

How can you tell who has what it takes and who doesn’t?

The best way to have great employees is to find them. Great employees do not answer your ad in the paper because they already have a job. Take the initiative and be on the lookout for great employees who work somewhere else, even when you are not currently hiring. When you are constantly scouting for truly gifted employees, you will find rare talent in strange places.

Another way to let the naturally driven stand out is to provide an engaging hiring process. One of the most inventive ways to challenge your prospective employees is to assign them an open-ended task during the initial telephone interview. Have them prepare something for their formal interview the following day. When they probe for more details, do not provide them.

A good candidate will understand that their approach to your task will show their approach to the sales process. Let the employee flex their sales muscles in order to win a job with your company. If they are truly driven, it will show.

Creating the right environment

Even those who are naturally driven can become unmotivated in the wrong environment, so it is essential that you create an environment that will prevent them from feeling unmotivated.

The things that dampen a person’s natural drive are obviously as different as his/her individual personality. In order to have a successful staff, you must have different management styles to match the unique personality and needs of each employee.

Some employees lose their natural motivation when they are micro managed, while others can lose their natural motivation when they feel left alone and unsupported by their superior. Then there are the employees that need constant positive reinforcement to keep their natural motivation alive and well, while others feel constant reinforcement is unnecessary, and even condescending.

The examples go on and on…

So, what is the best way to find out what keeps your employees motivated?

Ask them! Take 15 minutes to sit down with your employees and ask them some questions about things that they like and dislike. What do you do that is unnecessary or limits their motivation?

Being aware of what your employees like and dislike will help you create an environment that encourages each of your employees to reach full potential. This means happier, more productive employees, which will lead to better results and more sales!

Tom Richard is the author of a weekly ezine on selling skills. To subscribe to this free weekly ezine send a blank email to subscribe@tomrichard.com

The Sales Force of the Future: It's Not About Selling

2005-10-31T09:56:00.000-08:00

By Rick Johnson

Jeff Gitomer coined the phrase at a recent convention: "It's not about what you are selling, it's about what the customer is buying."

In reality, the customer is not buying your product, he is buying fulfillment for a need. Salespeople need to diagnose customers' business needs and create solutions that help improve customers' business performance. What is the customer really buying? Thomas Winninger, America's marketing strategist states it simply with the following examples:

"BMW doesn't sell cars, their customers buy a driving experience."

"Kodak doesn't sell film, their customers buy a magic moment."

"Hertz doesn't rent cars, they get you out of the airport faster."

Nowadays, salespeople must be problem solvers able to generate solutions for customers in their time of need. Therefore, they must possess a great deal of knowledge about their customers' business. Often, they must actually define what those needs are because the customer may not know, nor take the time to explain.

Customers want the "Sales Force of the Future" to have the knowledge and intelligence to comprehend and analyze their problems before showing up at the door. Customers will listen and buy from the salesperson that finds the "pain" and takes it away. They want solution providers, not the "coolest technology" with three adjustable speeds.

The "Sales Force of the Future" recognizes that it's not about what you are selling. It's not all about the product. They are knowledgeable about the customer's problem, what he/she is really buying, and translates the solution into the sale.

Old and New Formulas

As today's sales environment leans toward a more multifaceted atmosphere, salespeople must become strategists with a plan. This plan requires more knowledge about the business, better relationships and better solutions. Some old school salesmen may believe they know what it takes. They have the experience. They've been around a long time. They also may be wrong. The world is changing. The "Sales Force of the Future" is doing things differently. They recognize we can't afford to become complacent. Complacency destroys competitive advantage. As sales professionals, we can't become full of ourselves, no matter how long we've been in the field, no matter how much experience we have. Thomas Winninger emphasizes my point in telling the story of the tortoise and the hare.

In the fable The Tortoise and the Hare, the tortoise didn't win the race. The hare lost it. He lost it because he was stupid. He was too busy looking over his shoulder wondering what the tortoise was doing instead of taking advantage of his strengths. He was better, faster, quicker and smarter - but he forgot, he became complacent.

On the flip side, the "Sales Force of the Future" understands that everyday is a new learning experience. In the old days when I was a salesman growing up in distribution, sales success had a simple formula: Relationship Selling. A mentor of mine drilled that formula into my head.

Formula of Past Success: Develop a strong relationship with your customer, make friends with him, and he will find a way to buy from you.

Relationships alone will not get you the sale today. Of course, they are still very important, especially to get a chance to even apply today's formula for success. Today's formula is just as simple as in the past, but remember, it's not about what you are selling, it's about what the customer is buying. Figure out what he is buying - what solution the customer needs.
Formula of the "Sales Force of the Future:" Figure out what the customer is really buying. Become a total solution provider by taking away the pain.

Find the pain and make it go away, even if it has nothing to do with your product. It's about being a total solution provider. Today's formula works because it creates competitive advantage. It is the secret to success for the "Sales Force of the Future."

In times past, salespeople were trained to focus on their product. They knew everything about it - what features it had, the benefits, how long it could last and what the red button did when pressed. Salespeople talked about the product until they were blue in the face. Armed with brochures and warranties, they were ready to attack. But, in today's environment, customers want more, not just the latest technology and the best "widget" a person can buy. They want complete solutions to all their problems. Suddenly, the brochure and other marketing materials are simply support functions. Buyers are more educated, more professional and seek more than just products. They want efficiencies, market share and profit generation.

As Jeff Gitomer says, "You cannot puke all over your customers with features and benefits." In the old days, we were taught to spray the purchasing agent's office with talk about these features and benefits. When they asked questions we were trained to watch their lips, and when they took a breath, that was our sign to talk some more. In contrast, the "Sales Force of the Future" needs to LISTEN more than 80% of the time. UNDERSTAND the customer's behavior, goals, industry, problems, his way of thinking, how he makes money, his customer's customers, and ultimately, their problems. Again, it's about what the customer is buying.

Caution: The Solution May Not Be What it Seems

That is why it is important that the "Sales Force of the Future" understands the customer's customer and the customer's industry. Sometimes a solution that seems obvious is obviously wrong. My eight-year-old grandson, Zayne, drove that point home to me just last week. We got in the car to go down to the store. Being a responsible grandfather, I put him in the back seat and told him to buckle his seat belt. "Gee, Grandpa we're only going down to the store on the corner. Do I have to?" "Zayne," I replied, "It's a proven fact that more than 75% of accidents happen within 20 miles of your home." With the seriousness and pure innocence of an eight-year-old, Zayne looked at me puzzled and said, "Then why don't we just move? "

Finding the Pain

Be more knowledgeable and conscious of your customer's problem. You're no longer selling a product, you're selling a solution to make their life easier, happier, better, less complicated, or more fun. By understanding the customer's business and his customers, you help them make a profit through both cost reductions, improved efficiencies, increased value and increased sales. Those solutions come in many forms and may have nothing to do with your product. That's okay. Look for the pain regardless of what it is and focus on the solution.

Customers don't want products, they want profits - or ways to make profits. They want satisfaction, feelings of comfort, pride, praise and self-esteem. They are people just like us. Well, maybe they don't have the same crazy genetics that we have as salespeople, but they are just as smart, just as caring and have similar personal needs and feelings.

So, how do salespeople find the customer's pain and identify the problem? How do we figure out what they are really buying? You gain much of this knowledge by listening. I mean really listening. You don't focus on pushing product. You focus on the customer and what he is telling you. You research his industry. You talk to his customers and even his competitors, but carefully. Once you have this knowledge and understand your customer completely, you can provide intelligent solutions to almost any challenge. You have raised your customer's expectations of you and your company, which creates competitive advantage. It's all about value - not the value-added built into your product or your service, but it's about adding value to a situation, to your relationship. Do this and you create a real partnership with your customer and his company.

It's Not Rocket Science

Steps to follow:

1. Relationships are still very important - Build them.

2. Analyze the situation - Understand the customer's
problem before you talk about the solution. Listen, listen, listen.

3. Be familiar with the customer's past, present and future goals and adjust accordingly.

4. Put yourself in their shoes. What would you want to hear? What would you do?

5. Talk to the "head man" - the hub - the one who makes the decisions and knows the company inside and out.

6. Know the industry - Talk to your customer's customers.

7. Do your homework - Surf the net and do research. Learn your customer's business, his market, his competition, how he makes a profit, his customer and, most importantly, his personal pain in doing business.

As stated earlier, relationships are still important. In fact, there should be multiple layers of relationships between your customer's firm and yours, not just one. What's the difference today? The relationship is just the ante to play in the world of professional sales. Once we've established those relationships, we must manage them well to provide maximum value to our customers.

The lone wolf sales approach of the past, the one I too grew up using, won't work in today's environment. The "Sales Force of the Future" understands that. Times have changed. Consolidations continue to occur. Purchasing is a profession. Customers are smarter. They gain more market power everyday. The "Sales Force of the Future" understands that it is no longer about Power & Politics, it's now about Principle & Process. Success for the "Sales Force of the Future" depends on an architecture aligned with customers' needs and profit opportunities. Remember, it's not about what you are selling!

Dr. Rick Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm specializing in strategic leadership . CEO Strategist works in an advisory capacity with company executives in board representation, executive coaching, education and training to make the changes necessary to create competitive advantage. You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit http://www.ceostrategist.com for more information.
Rick received an MBA from Keller Graduate School in Chicago, Illinois,a Bachelor's degree from Capital University and his PhD in strategic leadership.

How To Communicate Your Sales Message So Buyers Take Action Now!

2005-10-31T09:49:00.000-08:00

By Don Price

Wouldn't it be great that every time you made a sales presentation, write a letter, send your sales literature or place an ad that you knew, with some certainty, that you could get your prospects to take action and respond to your offer?

Well, to put it bluntly, it's not that difficult if you simply apply the basics of marketing. Unfortunately, marketing is one of the least understood and arguably one of the least underutilized, course of action, in business today.

Marketing has and will continue to make the difference between the survival and extinction of a business today. Treading our way into the future with the overwhelming velocity of day-to-day change in this wildly unpredictable changing marketplace, with shorter product life cycles, require businesses, small or large, to have an edge or lose share of market to the competition.

Having the edge today will involve refining your marketing with a holistic approach and razor-sharp strategies that accelerate your business growth. The more I research and study how businesses stay alive and well -- the more I am convinced and respect that strategic marketing is the forerunner to optimizing our selling performance.

Think of it this way: Visualize an umbrella - and label it "marketing" and "strategy." Next, under the umbrella see advertising, branding, public relations, etc. Label those items, "selling" and "tactical processes."

"Marketing," -- the strategy -- is what favorably positions your company products or services in the mind of the customer and is aimed at stimulating a desire and demand on the part of the customer to make a purchase.

"Selling" -- the tactical processes -- are tools used to educate, inform, influence and persuade purchasing actions from the customer.

Both marketing and selling must lead the customer to action. For example: Advertising is salesmanship in action. Radio, television, newspaper, direct mail (electronic or paper) and magazines should all be constructed in the same demanding way that a salesperson makes a presentation to a prospective customer.

The same skills, habits and attitudes that are required of a salesperson for influencing action, on the part of the customer, should be directly aligned with all your various tactical processes.

For example -- The successful salesperson must:

1. Develop and build rapport

2. Understand customer needs

3. Emphasize tangible benefits

4. Skillfully move a customer toward a purchase

5. Keep the prospective customer "engaged" in the purchase process

6. Strategically link a product or services to a customer's most important needs and issues

7. Detail the product or service to motivate the purchasing action of the customer

Each advertising piece that is used in your marketing arsenal - newspaper ad, magazine ad, direct response mailing, public relations campaign should make a complete and compelling case for your products and services in the same way that a salesperson would do in person.

1. Do your ads (metaphorically) talk to your customers - do they build a rapport?

2. Are your brochures, letters, newsletters, ads and public relations material believable and emotionally peak the curiosity of people to want to learn more?

3. Is your marketing targeted toward perspective customers that have a real need for your products and services - have the money and willing to spend it?

4. Does your marketing materials educate and emphasize all the tangible benefits to keep the prospective customer engaged and motivated to take a purchasing action.

Today is not the time to be timid in your marketing. People need a nudge in making decisions. They want and expect to be told how to take action to obtain your products and services.

Take an assessment of your strategic marketing and selling action mentioned above and in addition see if you are:

1. Educating your customers about the unique advantages your products and services offered:

a). Service guarantees

b). Technical or manufacturing support

c). Warranties

d). Durability and dependability

e). New product developments

f). Upgrades and product enhancements

g). Delivery

2. Asking strategic questions for:

a). Linking products or services to customers needs

b). Providing solutions for their problems

c). Manage customer relationships

d). Keeping your customer and prospective customer engaged in the buying process

3. Active Listening for:

a). Emotional triggers

b). Logical reasoning

4. Handling objections to:

a). Minimizing concerns

b). Overcome obstacles

5. Presenting benefits that:

a). Motivate your customer's loyalty and purchasing action

b). Advantage your products and services over your competitors

Now is the time to pull out all your marketing materials, ads, sales scripts, brochures, presentation materials, marketing channels, and yes, check your attitudes, habits and skills - it's time to be innovative, nontraditional and bold in your thinking and business endeavors.

Don L. Price: Author, Sales/Marketing & Positive Change Solution Provider, International Speaker & Mental Fitness Coach http://www.donlprice.com

Invite Don to speak at your next Convention, Meeting or Retreat. Optimize your Power to Succeed with Strategic Performance Marketing/Sales and Success Coaching, for Reaching Higher Performance in Your Personal and Business Life.

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Managing People for Performance

2005-10-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

By Graham Yemm

“People improve productivity, not organisations.”

Managers who have had any form of training will be familiar with the idea of setting goals or objectives, and probably with the principles of appraising performance. With this in mind, why is it so many managers keep asking about how to motivate their staff or how to get more from them?

This whole area is a key differentiator of good managers and is a large part of what managers are being paid for! In this article I want to offer some ideas to help you become better at getting the performance you want from your teams. I will suggest some of the reasons why you, and other managers, perhaps do not do it very well and what the benefits will be when you begin to apply the principles.

Let us begin by stating the obvious – in order to manage people for performance you need to clearly establish what good performance is for each person and role. Too many managers think that this means just setting the goals. Not so, as you cannot manage those. Defining good performance can include what the outputs and results are – and how they are being achieved. That is the part you can manage. Recognise that managing for performance is an ongoing process and not an occasional intervention or snapshot.

Why it is not done well.

People do not understand what is needed to manage performance!

Managers assume people will work towards their objectives.

Too many managers think that money is all that motivates people to do what they need to.

Managers are too busy spending their time on the wrong priorities to manage for performance.

Organisations think that because they have an annual appraisal process that they are managing performance.

If you rely on an annual appraisal (or review) as a mechanism for setting objectives and reviewing how people have performed, what problems does this encourage? Are the objectives meaningful? Do they stay in the forefront of peoples’ minds? Do they stay relevant throughout the year? How are they monitored throughout the year? When you come to reviewing them, how valuable is the conversation?

What to do.

Firstly, everyone should have clearly defined standards of performance and/or key performance indicators (kpi’s). These are same for all those doing similar roles and provide a baseline for performance. There are two types of these – the quantitative and the qualitative. The former are more straightforward to do as they will involve numbers, eg. number of calls handled per day, time to respond to queries etc. The latter are more challenging because they require some thought in order to clearly define the standard in a behavioural way which removes most of the subjectivity. This can refer to quality of work, appearance of someone’s workplace, answering the phone or following corporate standards etc. When people are working to these kpi’s they should be in a position to deliver the performance you want.

Although these kpi’s need to be clearly outlined and understood by all involved, the key to managing for performance is to follow the Pareto principle and identify which 20% are the ones which contribute to 80% of the outcomes. These are the things you need to manage. You want to be able to monitor them, to revisit them and raise the standard in order to get even higher performance.

The other thing people need to have a clear goals or objectives. These should be clearly stated, maybe following the SMART principle. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bounded.) The measure can be either numeric or behavioural, which means clear definitions. Goals help in many ways, especially as they link to many of the models of motivation and the fact that a sense of achievement is a powerful buzz for most of us.

When setting goals for people in the workplace, especially if you want to manage performance, think about the timescales you aim for. Giving people 3 or 5 goals at an appraisal with a long timescale will not necessarily provide much drive or motivation. To make them meaningful consider setting several goals with different time deadlines, mainly short and medium term. When they are completed set more – and the process becomes more dynamic. It also enables you to reflect any changes in the business and ensure the relevance of the goals.

How to do it.

Make sure you think of this as a key priority – so give it time! Make sure that the kpi’s are clearly stated, written down and everyone has a copy.

When you set the goals with your team members and they have agreed, get them to develop an action plan for how they will achieve each one. Have them do it, and give you a copy within 48 hours of setting the goals. A simple way of doing this can be to use a simple diagram such as a stairway - and we can happily send you a sample.

Ask them to identify the key steps to take in order to move from “now” to the goal. Between you, agree the timescales for the key stages and also discuss any help required and possible problems. Once this is all agreed and finalised, you will have a copy and the team member has theirs. Now is the first key action for you – put those dates in your diary to make sure that you will sit with the team member and review their progress. This is an “A” priority activity and should not be moved!!

As your team members work through their action plans and you have your regular reviews, you will be monitoring their progress in a timely and effective manner. These reviews are almost mini-appraisals and by carrying them out at the agreed times you will make life easier for all concerned when you have the annual appraisal, because it will be a consolidation of these meetings.

During these reviews ask for what needs to be improved, what has gone well and what is going to happen next. Talk about the kpi’s which are relevant to their plan and make sure they are meeting these. This monitors and manages for performance. Provide feedback (on performance or behaviour, not personality) whether you have to criticise or reprimand or you can praise. By having these regular reviews, you can avoid the management fault of not telling people how they are doing!!

When the goal is achieved, carry on and set the next goal, get the action plans – and continue as before. Not only are you managing performance, you are helping your team to feel more involved, more successful and more motivated. Remember, people just want to know what is expected of them, be given the support to do it and then told how they are doing. What it requires from you is to make time to have the regular meetings with your team, after all they are the ones who provide the performance you need. Give them your time and they will give you the performance.

Graham Yemm is a consutlant with 20 years of experience. He runs a Solutions 4 Training Ltd, a UK based consultancy and works internationally. He has worked with many organisations helping them to develop their processes and their managers to improve performance. He can be contacted at Solutions 4 Training or +44 1483 480656.

Guidelines For Purchasing Business Laptops

2005-10-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

By Titus Hoskins

Laptops or notebook computers can empower any business or company.
They can be a platform for a fully equipped workforce, one that is well organized and ready to meet all of today's vast technological challenges. A workforce that's cohesive, well connected and totally prepared for the modern work place.

Laptops are state-of-the-art communication machines. These sophisticated devices are ideal for many business applications such as record keeping, wireless networking, presentations, instant communication... can your company really compete in today's business world without this great techno advantage?

Not completely!

Laptops should be a vital element in your company's overall business strategy. They should be a priority on your company's acquisition list for they just may be the competitive edge your company needs to increase production and beat out the competition.

Purchasing any kind of high tech device can be a real challenge in itself. Laptops are no exceptions. Notebook technology is constantly
changing, there's a new generation of notebook technology every two years or so. Keeping abreast of recent advances is not an easy job.

Notebooks are getting smaller, faster and are almost matching the performance level offered by their bigger cousin -- the desktop computer.And for the first time in history, they are outselling their desktop rivals.

Laptops are also becoming better connected, most high quality notebooks come with Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) connections, many have a
tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless system. Some recent models, like the
Sony's New Ultra-Portable VAIO VGN-T350P, are raising the bar, it has
the world's first 'Built-in Cellular Modem'. You can use your cell
phone to connect to the Internet. This may be a great advantage
since finding a 'Hot Spot' in some parts of the world can still be
difficult.

One of the main features of a good business laptop is portability.
A great business laptop must be very portable. You should be able
to carry it around in your briefcase or under your arm with ease.
Its weight should not cause you any discomfort even if you have to
lug it around all day.

Most lightweight and small laptops can be found in the 'Thin and Light' and 'Ultra-portable' categories of notebooks. Notebooks
in those classes are usually well under 5 pounds, around
10 by 14 inches in size and approximately an inch thick. Many
are a lot smaller.

But don't let the small size fool you, these laptops are very powerful. They can do almost any business application you can
throw at it. However, you must make sure your company's laptop
is powerful enough to get the job done. It's usually agreed that
you need at least 256MB RAM for Windows XP and Mac OS X. You will
only need 128MB for other operating systems in Windows or Mac.

Storage space should not be a problem, most recent models come
with 60 to 100 GIG hard drives which should be sufficient space
for most companies. If your company deals in heavy graphics or
visual work more space can be obtained with an extra external
hard drive.

The main function of your laptops should be considered. For instance,if you have workers that require a lot of note-taking (floor
managers/inspectors, real estate agents, medical personnel, etc.)
a slate or tablet PC would be a more appropriate choice for your
company. If your workers or employees do a lot of traveling then
you want the lightest and most portable laptop or notebook you
can find.

Battery life will also be very important for the traveling
business person. Must recent laptops now supply 5 or more hours
of power, if you want more you should considered buying an
extra battery or two. Also, remember when choosing your laptop
battery always pick the battery with the higher numbered
cells. More cells will give you longer battery life.

Security is another consideration for your company's laptop. You must be careful to protect sensitive company records or documents -- some notebooks like those in the IBM/Sonoma ThinkPad series include an integrated fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication
that uses an Embedded Security Subsystem and Password Manager. This offers extra security.

Along with security, your company will need a laptop that's sturdy and well built, especially if your workers do a lot of business traveling.
Many laptops are ruggerized and can take a decent pounding or two.
Some even offer some novel sturdiness features such as IBM's Active
Protection System which is designed to protect the hard drive from
falls and spills for those accident prone notebook users in your
company.

Perhaps, the most important tip and buying factor is price. Outfitting
your workforce with laptops doesn't come cheap. But you can save money
if you practice that old adage: 'It pays to shop around and bargain'!
Don't just buy your laptops off the rack -- always speak to the manager.
Even when buying laptops online, contact the sales staff and try for a
special price or bargain. Since you're buying in bulk or volume, many laptop
companies and manufacturers will give you a special unit price.
The more units you're ordering, the lower the price.

A little haggling will go a long way in lowering the overall cost of your company's laptop purchase; saving your company money. And if you're the person in charge of this purchase, making such a deal will reflect well on you, so try to go out of your way to get a good deal!

But don't sacrifice quality for a special price, always make sure you're
buying laptops that can get the job done. Use the laptop tips above
to guide you on the right path. It should make your task just be a
little bit easier.

---

For a list of the top rated Business Notebooks and Laptops Click Here:
Best Business Notebooks & Laptops
Copyright © 2005 Titus Hoskins. Notebook Buyer's Guide. This article may be freely distributed
if this resource box stays attached.

Why Outsource? How Does Outsourcing Help Companies in Rationalizing Their Costs?

2005-10-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

By Sameer Panjwani

Outsourcing has been the cause of much debate in recent times. There have been arguments for and against outsourcing. The supporters of outsourcing are primarily those motivated by the desire to cut costs and streamline their business processes while those against outsourcing are those primarily affected by their jobs being given to others. Whatever may be said about the topic, the fact remains that in these days of heavy competition, it’s become a necessity to outsource certain components of a business in order to remain competitive.

For all those against outsourcing, they should realize that if their company supports them and doesn’t outsource, their company will be the first one to lose and they will consequently suffer from the company’s inability to remain competitive. Outsourcing makes companies more competitive and this in turn benefits the end-consumers in the country.

How does outsourcing help companies in rationalizing their costs?

Companies only need pay for what they need

In most businesses, the amount of work comes in cycles. Sometimes there’s a lot of work and sometimes there’s none. Outsourcing in times of need helps in balancing for lack of resources. It’s not possible for companies to hire and fire at their will. It makes more sense outsourcing.

Getting an objective overview of the business

The service providers have been around and they know what's been tried, what works well, and what doesn't. They are usually able to offer a fresh and valuable perspective on what kinds of solutions might work.

Getting projects done within the given deadlines

When the deadlines are looming and there just doesn't seem to be anyway to get everything done that needs to be done, service providers prove themselves to be more than useful.

Higher level of expertise and experience brought to the table

Many service providers have the experience and possess the expertise in completing projects in specialized areas. This allows to companies to take advantage of that experience without budgeting for new full-time employees and accounting for training time and other costs involved.

No investment required in manpower or infrastructure

Unless you need a service provider to work onsite, you’ll find that most service providers work from their own offices and possess the necessary infrastructure and the required professionals to do the job. The same infrastructure and manpower would otherwise involve a huge investment if the job had to be done in-house.

Cost-effective way to increase resources

The bottom line is that for many projects, outsourcing to an external service provider will often result in higher quality work for less money than doing it in house.

In spite of the benefits mentioned, the benefits of outsourcing will be fully realized only when careful due diligence has been given to the service provider and a solid understanding of the services being outsourced are obtained before the signing of any contract.

Sameer S Panjwani - CAMO Technologies is a global IT outsourcing service provider offering services in Application Development, Software Testing, Web Services and IT Staffing.

Medical Billing Services Save Heatlhcare Practices Money and Time

2005-10-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

By K Allen

There are many reasons healthcare practices might outsource their billing to a professional medical billing service; confusing insurance requirements, staffing problems and just keeping up with industry changes are a few examples. In the end though, the reasons most medical billing companies hear about come down to the two driving principles of any business – Time and Money. This article discusses how medical billing services are able to create significant savings in time and money for healthcare providers.

Medical Billing Services Save Training and Research Time
- Some readers might take the short view and think medical billing companies just enter data into a computer and send it off to a clearinghouse. In reality medical billing is a detailed process requiring specialized skills and in-depth knowledge of medical practice management, insurance industry practices, and the regulatory framework around state and federal laws. Professional medical billing companies invest countless hours in training and research to keep abreast of current codes, submission requirements, industry trends and the needs of their clients.

Significant expenditures are also made to ensure medical billing companies are up to date on the latest software. In a constantly changing industry, software vendors are always finding new and better ways of supporting practice needs. It’s not practicable for small or medium sized practices to dedicate the time necessary to stay on top of the latest innovations.

These investments of time by professional medical billing services are often not considered by providers, but they eliminate endless hours otherwise spent in seminars, meetings with vendors, or on the phone with clearinghouses and carriers. This time savings creates a valuable commodity for a practice seeking the edge necessary to keep up with a rigorous patient schedule.

Medical Billing Services Save Operational Time
-Medical billing services are able to save operational time by leveraging the economy of scale and the efficiency of task specialization.

Professional medical billing companies, by their very nature, create an economy of scale in maintaining a team of medical billing professionals to provide services across several practices. This structure creates a well trained pool of resources to manage each practice’s needs rather than just one individual overseeing all billing functions. The team approach also removes interruptions to revenue flow that result from vacations, unexpected sick time and staff turnover.

Task specialization among teams further heightens the efficiency of medical billing companies. Through task specialization, a team of billers can accentuates individual skills and reduces distractions of other activities.

Consider a provider who sees an average of 30 patients per day, or a total of 150 encounters per week. The time required to generate and submit 150 patient claims and follow up with insurance carriers with a high lever of accuracy can take up most of the time of an in-house biller. But this is just the beginning. That same individual will also need to follow up on denied or partially paid claims, researching why and resubmitting for further review. Patient invoices require additional time- printing, stuffing and mailing- as well as posting payments, running reports and providing detailed analysis on the current state of the practice; all this just to meet the standard offering of professional medical billing companies.

Through task specialization, medical billing companies might offer each of its clients several billers submitting claims and reviewing insurance payments with the highest level of accuracy. At the same time, the service might have other individuals or groups dedicated to managing patient invoices and questions across several practices with increased efficiency. This approach maximizes the time available for each activity by specialists with a greater knowledge of their roles, and, again, guarantees minimal (if any) interruption during employee leave and staff changes.

Medical Billing Services Save Money
-Hiring and training new staff, employee benefits, vacation/sick leave, and staff turnover are just a few factors increasing the costs of managing an efficient in-house billing program. Added to the operational overhead of day to day billing, software/hardware maintenance, clearinghouse fees, postage, and so on, the list of expenditures for practices is endless.

Good medical billing companies will design their services around covering all of these costs and immediately do away with the problems they create. To clearly demonstrate how medical billing services can save practices money, let’s compare the core costs associated with in-house medical billing against working with a professional medical billing service.

Cost of In-House Billing:
Our comparison begins with a typical practice with one or two providers. Let’s assume this practice has a dedicated, in-house biller receiving an annual salary of $30,000, or about $14.50 per hour. The chart below outlines the additional costs of having a full time employee in the office to handle all aspects of medical billing.

Base Pay --------------------------$30,000

Medicare and Social Security ---------$2295
401K --------------------------------$1080
Disability -----------------------------$720

Healthcare --------------------------$5220

Time off -----------------------------$3270

Total labor for 1 in-house biller ------$42,585

Next, we’ll need to consider materials and fees. An average practice will probably upgrade computers and software every 3 years at a cost of about $6,000. Spread out over those three years, we’ll assume an average annual software/hardware expenditure of $2000. Since our practice will send out its own patient statements, we’ll need about $150 per month for postage, paper and envelopes, an annual cost of $1800. Clearinghouse fees for electronic claims will come to about $60 a month, or around $720 annually. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll forget for the moment that our biller will need a climate controlled workspace, lights, general office supplies and a desk.

Here’s what our list of software/hardware, materials and fees looks like:

Software/Hardware -----------------$2000

Materials ---------------------------$1800

Clearinghouse Fees ------------------$720

Total ------------------------------$4520

Adding the two totals above (labor + materials & fees), the annual cost of medical billing services performed in-house by the practice comes to $47,105 per year. Of course this number might not mean much until we put it in perspective against teaming with a professional medical billing service. As we move forward, keep in mind this conservative estimate does not factor in those other costs mentioned above that are often hidden - ongoing training, unexpected leave and sudden staff changes.

Cost of Professional Medical Billing Services:
To evaluate the cost of working with medical billing services, we’ll assume our practice has contracted with a medical billing company for full service billing. This includes all of those activities that would otherwise have been performed by the in-house staff above; claim generation/submission, insurance follow up, patient invoicing and support, detailed reporting, expert practice analysis, etc. We’ll also assume the practice has negotiated a rate of 8% of collections with its professional medical billing service.

Note: Calculating costs for medical billing services will vary slightly depending on the fee structure but will usually be based on either a percentage of collections or a fixed fee per claim. For more information on fee structures, see Percentage vs. Flat Fee Pricing by Medical Billing Services.

Assuming our provider visits 30 patients per day, 50 weeks out of the year, we’ll have 7500 patient encounters per year. If each encounter results in an average reimbursement of $60, our receivables come to a little over $450,000 per year. At a rate of 8%, the annual cost for the professional service to manage all aspects of medical billing services for the practice would be $31,500. In comparison with in-house services that’s a savings of $15,600 per year!

Summary
In evaluating the benefits of outsourcing to a professional medical billing company practices should consider the overall savings in time and money, beyond just minimizing the hassles. Medical billing companies provide knowledge, training, continuity of operations and a network of support leveraging task specialization and the economy of scale. Medical billing companies are able to eliminate dependency on one or two costly staff members to maintain revenue flow for the entire practice.

For more information on the benefits of outsourcing, contact Diversity Technology Medical Billing Services Leverage maximum efficiency and economy through a well designed support structure and industry leading rates. Diversity’s medical billing services ensure the stability of practice cash flow while attaining the highest reimbursements possible.

Ten Tips for Creating a Terrific Appraisal System

2005-10-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

By Dick Grote

Based on my experience in helping dozens of companies create performance appraisal systems that actually work, here are ten tips that will help any company create a new performance evaluation system that will provide useful data and be enthusiastically supported by all system users.

One — Get top management actively involved. Without top management’s commitment and visible support, no program can succeed. Top management must establish strategic plans, identify values and core competencies, appoint an appropriate Implementation Team, demonstrate the importance of performance management by being active participants in the process, and use appraisal results in management decisions.

Two — Establish the criteria for an ideal system. Consider the needs of the four stakeholder groups of any appraisal system: Appraisers who must evaluate performance; Appraisees whose performance is being assessed; Human Resources professionals who must administer the system; and the Senior Management group that must lead the organization into the future. Identifying their expectations at the start helps assure their support once the system is finally designed. Ask each group: “What will it take for you to consider this system a smashing success?” Don’t settle for less.

Three — Appoint an Implementation Team. This task force should be a diagonal slice of both appraisers and appraisees from different levels and functions in the organization. The implementation team is responsible for accomplishing the two major requirements for a successful system. First, developing appropriate appraisal forms, policies and procedures. Second (and the task too often overlooked) assuring a successful deployment.

Four — Design the form first. The appraisal form is a lightning rod that will attract everyone’s attention. Design the form early and get lots of feedback on it. Don’t believe anybody who tells you that the form isn’t important. They’re wrong. If you’re designing a new form internally, make sure it assesses both behaviors and results.

Five — Build your mission, vision, values, and core competencies into the form. Performance appraisal is a means, not an end. The real objective of any performance management system is to make sure that the company’s strategic plan and vision and values are communicated and achieved. Core competencies expected of all organization members should be included, described and assessed. If your mission statement isn’t clearly visible in the performance appraisal system, cynicism will likely result. Values become real only when people are held accountable for living up to them.

Six — Assure on-going communication. Circulate drafts and invite users to make recommendations. Keep the development process visible through announcements and regular updates. Use surveys, float trial balloons, request suggestions and remember the cardinal principle — “People support what they help create.”

Seven — Train all appraisers. Performance appraisal requires a multitude of skills — behavioral observation and discrimination, goal-setting, developing people, confronting unacceptable performance, persuading, problem-solving, planning, etc. Unless appraiser training is universal and comprehensive, the program won’t produce much. And don’t ignore the most important requirement of all: the need for courage.

Eight — Orient all appraisees. The program’s purposes and procedures must be explained in advance — and explained enthusiastically — to everyone who will be affected by it. Specific skills training should be provided if the new performance management procedure requires self-appraisal, multi-rater feed-back, upward appraisal, or individual development planning.

Nine — Use the results. If the results of the performance appraisal are not visibly used in making promotion, salary, development, transfer, training and termination decisions, people will realize that it’s merely an exercise.

Ten — Monitor and revise the program. Audit the quality of appraisals, the extent to which the system is being used, and the extent to which the original objectives have been met. (One of the great advantages of an online performance appraisal system is that all of these data are available instantaneously.) Provide feedback to management, appraisers and appraisees. Train new appraisers as they are appointed to supervisory positions. Actively seek and incorporate suggestions for improvement.

A company’s performance appraisal process is critically important. It answers the two questions that every member of an organization wants to know: 1) What do you expect of me? and 2) How am I doing at meeting your expectations? Using these ten tips will help you develop or select a system to will give accurate and complete answers to everyone.

Dick Grote is one of America’s most successful and best-known authors, consultants, and speakers on performance management, leadership and building organizational excellence. He is the Chairman and CEO of Grote Consulting Corporation in Dallas, Texas, and the developer of the GroteApproach web-based performance management system – on the Web at http://www.groteapproach.com.

Service Businesses Can Learn a Lot from Manufacturing

2005-10-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

By Lance Winslow

Many service businesses appear to be operating efficiently enough. But are they really, having been in the service business and worked along side the Manufacturing Sectors of many an industry, it is amazing the insight into true efficiency one can get.

For instance an interesting thought exercise is to study and apply the Finite Capacity Scheduling Models of manufacturing to a service business. I did this for my company and saw its many cross over uses in the Mobile Car Washing service sector. Routing is similar to routing of parts, scheduling is almost exactly the same as scheduling manufacturing runs of products to be made. Washing the actual car is a process. There is a right way, a wrong way and there is the most efficient way using the least amount of energy. We searched for it, found it, practiced it, refined it and then taught it. You can do this exercise to, pick any service company and try it.

What other human endeavors can learn from manufacturing? Well certainly processes of efficiency and perfection apply to other things such as Net-Centric Systems, delivery, sports, military, distribution, energy, medicine, government and even Space. It is all the same, name of the game is efficiency and no "Screw Ups" a bit like NASA, hard to have a "do over" when Murphy strikes? When trapped in linear time, you cannot reset the simulator in the current paradigm of the life experience, YET. Please be thinking here.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Performance Appraisal - What IS The Point? From Blaming To Better Performance

2005-10-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

By Robert Bacal

Probably the most misused and abused and disused management tool in history is the performance appraisal. It's the strangest thing. Ask managers or human resources staff whether they think performance appraisal is an important thing to do, and you'll find they usually agree. "Of course it is", is the common response. If you ask why it's important, they will tell you and tell you and tell you. But they don't tell you the right thing!

The odd thing is that they often don't get done, and managers, supervisors and employees hate the darned things. Human resource professionals spend a lot of time whipping people into doing them, while managers look for a variety of reasons to delay and delay. Why is that?

It's uncomfortable to do performance appraisals. But why is it uncomfortable? Because people undertake them for the wrong reasons and wrong perspective, which ends up putting the manager and the employee on different "sides". Appraisals are used for determining pay increases, who gets let go, and who gets promoted. Often they are used to focus on what people have done wrong.

So what is the point of performance appraisals? Here's a starting point that actually works. The most important purpose or goal of the appraisal is to improve performance in the future...and not just for the employee. Managers can get valuable information from employees to help them make employee's jobs more productive. Work units and organizations can identify problems that interfere with everyone's work.

If we shift from affixing blame, to identifying barriers to performance we begin to remove the fear and dread people have about these "appraisals". When we focus on the present and the future, we change our focus to what's been to what can be better tomorrw.

An appraisal that works involves a number of things, but first and foremost is the process of identifying what has gotten in the way of better performance (regardless of the level of performance), and how manager and employee can work together in the future, to improve it. It's really that simple.

When managers put away the "blaming stick" in appraisals and move to a cooperative, dialogue approach, the whole process can become more comfortable and effective. Because, it puts the manager and employee on the same side, and working towards the same goals, getting better and better.

Sure, we do use appraisals for a number of reasons but if we are going to get real value out of the time and energy we put into them, we have to look at the process in a more constructive way. And, bottom line, that's making performance better.

(c) 2005, Robert Bacal, Bacal & Associates. You are welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end) all links are made live, and this copyright notice and indication of authorship are included.

Robert Bacal is a noted performance management author, consultant and trainer, and is the author of a number of books published by McGraw-Hill including Performance Management - A Briefcase Book, Manager's Guide to Performance Reviews, Perfect Phrases For Setting Performance Goals, and the best seller, Perfect Phrases For Performance Reviews. For more free information and help with performance management, reviews, and appraisals, visit the Performance Management & Appraisal Help Center at http://performance-appraisals.org

In addition to over 800 articles on performance related subjects, you will find tools to help with diagnosing performance, using progressive discipline, and setting objectives at http://performance-appraisals.org/learnto .

Meeting Your Corporate Needs

2005-10-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

By Ray La Foy

So you have decided to make a career belonging to a corporation. Being part of corporation require you to be a team player and at the same time require you to take full responsibilities for all your actions. The sense of urgency and making deliveries on time are essentials in making it on any corporation. Another unwritten essential aspect of being in the corporate world is the ability to recognize the cutthroat competition out there.

In order to have your head above water and out of the chopping block, you would need resources to help you get valuable corporate information to keep you ahead of the others.

Then look no further, welcome to corporateuser.com.

Corporateuser.com does understand the compartmentalized way of thinking that people in the corporate world have and thus present the information needed by the user in an easily searchable and accurately indexed websites. At the main page you could recognize right away that the information you need is available. And with just a few mouse clicks you can get to that information. Corporate user.com does more by giving you related topics on the information you need, in doing so broadening your options in order for you to make that all important decision.

At corporateuser.com you can also find information about corporate events, corporate finance corporate housing and a lot more. Topics and articles that cover issues ranging from everything corporate to those that are something corporate related.

Corporateuser.com is fully aware of your needs like getting into corporate events. These events are a necessity for someone like you, they help you get to know what's going on in the corporate world. With a section devoted to these events you could plan your schedule way ahead of things and avoid canceling and rescheduling appointments. It would also help you get invites by providing you more information and tips on these events.

Finances play a major role in your career, corporateuser.com also have a section fully dedicated on every aspect of corporate finance. Need a mortgage or loan? Corporateuser.com have listings on companies who would be able to help you. Need articles on financing? They have up-to-date and timely articles. Want to know of the latest financing buzz? Corporateuser.com have it here.

People at Corporateuser.com are well aware of your personal needs like housing and have a section that has a listing of housing related topics. You can find actual apartments for rent in various locations in the country. Corporateuser.com have apartment directories, tips and guidelines in searching for an apartment. Also available are listings of corporate apartment and hotels rentals for your vacation or out of town events.

Corporateuser.com also has a section that could help you find the right job by listing job vacancies at the corporate express page. You can find job vacancies all over the 50 states and maybe just one in your neighborhood that you're not aware of. And if you're the jet-setting, state-hopping kind of person they also have postings for international job vacancies.

Maybe you need something like a letterhead design, a new name for your product, a promotional gimmick, corporate gifts for the holidays. You can find it under the something corporate section. You can get free downloads, blogs and news articles. Any topic that is related to anything corporate can be found here at corporateuser.com.

Move up a rung higher and get ahead, corporateuser.com is here to help you. Better yet put corporateuser.com in your favorites menu.

Satisfy Your Corporate Needs Learn more at http://www.corporateuser.com

Avoid These Seven Deadly Dangers Of Outsourcing

2005-08-31T02:55:00.000-07:00

By Steve Mezak

Here are seven dangers of outsourcing your software development. They become deadly if your career or entire company depends on the timely release of your software.

Danger #1- Ignoring Outsourcing
It may seem safer to ignore outsourcing and stick with what has worked well in the past -- hire employee programmers and work with them directly to get your software developed. There are situations where concerns about intellectual property or security make this the only choice. But if you do not have these constraints, then you are wasting money and time by hiring your own programmers.

Danger #2- Hiring the Wrong Team
It is a common mistake to look for an outsourcing vendor only in your immediate circle of friends and acquaintances. Considering ONLY your friend's roommate's brother in Bangalore, or his cousin in Kiev, is unlikely to provide you the outsourcing vendor that best matches your software development needs.

Don't hire an outsourcing vendor that will be distracted by developing their own products. The best teams are dedicated to providing software development services for their clients and already have multiple happy clients in the US.

Danger #3- Not Protecting Your Intellectual Property
The dangers of not protecting your intellectual property (IP) are multiplied when working with outsourcing. Are you using all three types of IP protection - physical, electronic and legal?

Make sure your outsourcing vendor has a secure facility and uses computers without removable media to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your IP. Use firewalls, VPN and encryption to protect your IP when in transit over the Internet. Use proper legal protections including written agreements and NDAs that are enforceable in the US. A clearly stated contract helps avoid disagreements later and keeps you from the expense of litigation.

Danger #4- Not Knowing What Your Software Should Do
Having good requirements and specifications are key to successful software development, and especially for outsourcing. Fortunately, outsourcing can be successful with only a high-level specification and an outsourced team that can collaborate and communicate with you to determine the details.

Danger #5- Meager Engineering Management
Unfortunately, you cannot completely rely on an offshore team to manage your software development. They will do their best to meet commitments to schedules and a high level of quality. You can outsource the programming but not all the responsibility for creating great software.

Danger #6- Mediocre Software Development Methodology
How do you go about the process of developing software? Do you create an excruciatingly detailed spec and then micromanage? Do you pile up the features for a single stupendous major release? And do you make sure the offshore team must cram all those features in the software by next Tuesday? If so, you have a mediocre software development methodology.

Do you assume "No News is Good News", if you have not heard from your offshore team? Do you NOT have a standard software release procedure or source code control system? If so, you have a mediocre software development methodology.

Danger #7- Quality as an Afterthought
QA is a critical part of the software development process. It is also a major concern when you outsource to programmers that are far away. You cannot wait to start testing until just before you release your software and rush an unacceptable version into use. Having your users find the bugs is a bad strategy.

***

You don't need to repeat the mistakes of other companies that have tried outsourcing and failed. Avoid these seven deadly dangers take advantage of outsourcing as an effective strategy to develop your software.

Steve Mezak is a successful Silicon Valley technical entrepreneur and global outsourcing expert. Get your copy of his free report on "The Seven Deadly Dangers of Outsourcing Your Software Development and How Companies Like Yours Can Avoid Them" by visiting his Accelerance outsourcing company web site now.

Travel the World - for Free!

2005-08-31T02:46:00.000-07:00

By Cheryl Lockhart

I have been very fortunate to travel to several countries of the world while on business - countries I may have never visited on a holiday. There are pros and cons to working/doing business in a foreign country vs. visiting as a tourist but I have found it to be very rewarding. I have made many friends, been invited into many colleagues' homes to meet their families, dined on local specialties, and seen all the local attractions (I've been to the Giza pyramids three times - see photo on the right) because business partners are always proud to show you their country. After all, don't we always take visitors to Alberta to the Rocky Mountains? Foreign business delegations traveling to Calgary always schedules time to go to Banff, often timing it to coincide with the weekend.

So even though I don't sell a product, I do consider myself an exporter. That is because I am exporting my experience and knowledge - basically I export a service. Many more Canadian service companies (and consultants), from environmental companies to engineering firms, could be exporting, but aren't.

Here are four ways to get started.

1. Consult.

Consulting overseas is essentially exporting a service. For many Canadians the obvious first step is to examine the opportunities offered by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) - the executing agency of Canada's $2.87 billion aid program.

CIDA funds various development programs, some of which are administered and implemented directly by the recipient government and others by Canadian partners. In either case, experts are required for some aspect of the project. In my case, over the past year I have spent a total three months working in Indonesia providing export-related technical assistance to garment manufacturers in Bali.

To work with CIDA, all consultants must be registered with Consulting and Audit Canada. However, CIDA does not directly contact everyone and therefore it is useful to know the partners that cooperate with CIDA, and luckily a list of non-governmental organizations (NGO) is available on the CIDA web site (type 'voluntary sector division' in the search box, choose the first result and then click on 'Links to CIDA's partners').

CIDA also publishes a list of all its current bilateral projects which includes the name of the primary partner organization, the value of the project and time remaining. You may be able to offer your services to these organizations. From CIDA's home page, click on 'Projects' and then 'CIDA's contracts and agreements.'

Once you have gained experience working with CIDA, many international financial institutions such as the World Bank also hire consulting firms to plan, manage and evaluate their projects. For example, right now there is an Expression of Interest for a "Country Environmental Analysis" for Vietnam. It also helps to cultivate contacts within the World Bank as contracts under $100,000 are not publicly posted.

Even if you are not in the "development" business, think about what expertise you can offer to other countries.

2. Partner Overseas.

Very few companies are successful overseas if they do not have a local partner, regardless of whether they are selling a product or a service. The format of a partnership in services exporting (i.e. joint-venture, strategic alliance, equity agreement) is not necessarily the prime consideration but the Canadian company must take the time to determine what they need and want from their foreign partner. Someone to identify and pursue leads? Labour to undertake certain aspects of the project? Administrative assistance? Insight into local laws and customs? Language support? Competitive intelligence? The Canadian partner also needs to consider what they bring to the partnership. New technology? Expertise? Financing?

CIDA has funding available for Canadian firms developing partnerships in developing countries under its Industrial Cooperation Program.

Do you have a unique technology in demand overseas but are reluctant to start exporting? Don't assume all of the responsibility yourself - find a local partner and reap the benefits.

3. Network Locally.

This method for entering new markets is probably one of the most overlooked, despite its low risk. Every Canadian company working overseas is outsourcing some aspect of the project, usually to someone they know and trust - often one of their domestic suppliers. For example, most Canadian oil and gas companies have operations overseas as well - often in remote areas that require housing and catering. Rather than relying on local capabilities, they generally contract their camp services to well known Canadian firms, thus ensuring the comfort of their workers - because a camp full of unhappy and miserable oil rig workers is not a good thing!

Take a look at your current clients and see if any of them are doing business overseas.

4. Teach.

Everyone is aware of the opportunities to teach English overseas, which is what my sister is doing right now in South Korea (see photo at left). She signed her contract through a Toronto-based agency which is essentially exporting her knowledge of English and Canada (she has actually sung O'Canada to a room full of junior high kids, with no accompaniment!). At the post-secondary level, countries that are rapidly expanding their education systems are demanding skilled teachers and partnerships with foreign institutions in all professions. China and the United Arab Emirates are two that come to mind. However, it is not only within the formal education system that teaching and training opportunities emerge. The same issue of Canadian Business that printed my exporting advice (June 6 - 19, 2005) features a scantily clad model on its cover (I guess sex sells even business magazines) with the line, "The Business of Becoming China's Top Model." After four years of working in China, where white skin is highly valued (and here in North America millions are spent on tanning lotions and tanning salons - go figure), Canadian model Tracey Grebinsky is working with a local talent agency to: 1) train Western models about the complexities of working in China, and; 2) educate Chinese firms about the business of modelling (i.e. contracts, choosing a "look", working with agencies, etc).

Re-evaluate whether you have an exportable service. I'm a big believer that almost anything can be exported.

So pack your bags and get ready for an international adventure.

Cheryl Lockhart of International Strategies Ltd. assists small- to medium-sized Canadian and foreign enterprises navigate the complexities of global business development. Services include international project identification and management, market research and analysis and foreign partner development.

To learn more about exporting and gain access to more FREE e-zines, visit her web site http://www.intl-strategies.com

Top 5 Services Your Company’s Accounting Department Should Outsource

2005-06-27T02:35:00.000-07:00

By Vinodh Pushparaj

Accounting is one area which every company has to maintain but mostly not part of their core business. It is also one of the areas that keep changing every year and the company has to aggressively keep up with the changes in the tax code. This includes managing your books till you finish up with paying taxes. For a company to survive in an environment where mistakes are costly and dependent on how well they can play the accounting game correctly, they should have an outstanding accounting department. This could either be in-house or completely outsourced to some good service providers.

Accounting is a critical component of your business and care should be taken to employ the best and the bright. These accountants should be ahead of every tax and book keeping game. They should stay abreast with every tax code changes. More so over they should be capable of finding ways to save more for the company. But having an in-house team for this is often very costly given the price of publications to subscribe and the time it takes to go through complicated laws. The best would be to outsource this task and have a limited in-house staff to oversee the operation. This is one area where a separate expert entity makes a lot more sense and you can rest assured that the team is keeping up with the changes and saving you money and help you run the core business without distractions.

Here is the top 5 list of accounting areas that you should outsource to the experts:

1. Book Keeping: this involves maintaining your sales ledgers, purchase ledgers and cash books.

2. Payroll: This is a lot complex than you think, choosing the right software and constantly keeping up with the tax codes is by itself a very complex task. In this age the base salary is just one component, the majority is based on performance and achievements. These factors are highly volatile, and add a different equation to payroll processing. Outsource this first if you have more than 20 employees.

3. VAT: Value added tax is one of the very complex tax regimes which every company should seek advice with professionals. The customs and excise is a very task intensive area and having in-house experts for small companies who do a lot of imports and exports is a costly misuse of scarce resources. You should find out the folks who can keep up with the complex tax changes and who can ensure the returns you file are accurate without any overpayments or underpayments. The overpayments are one time loss, but underpayments will come back to haunt you.

4. Financial Accounts: The financial accounts should be maintained and shown at very strict time limits. This is usually a race against time. If you have an in-house team, they may perform this well in normal situations. But sometimes there may be some audits where the time to resolve issues will be a big pressure point and your in-house staff cannot just take it. It is better that a good service provider manages this area for you.

5. Company formation and corporation law: This is one service which is wildly popular for its outsourcing ability. You can easily get the services of a good company to take care of the company formation and registration aspects. You need someone to talk to the tax authorities on your behalf. They should also be very well versed in the particular industry segment your company is in. This ensures the tax opportunities and relief available for your company can be fully utilized and proper structure could be employed.

There are a few more that could be outsourced but these are the major areas you may want to evaluate in your next board or company meeting.

If you need an Accountant in Essex you may want to visit the resource filled website auxesiaonline.co.uk. These folks have some good fee structures on an hourly, fixed or percentage basis. Get educated with a small consulting on how to outsource accountingwith these folks before you begin the next cost-saving company meeting that you want to hold.

Author is a Freelancer and writes content for many good websites like Aplora Web Solutions. You can reuse the content but you should reuse in it’s entirety with all links active.

Business Knowledge Management

2005-06-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

By Lucas Rodriguez Cervera

In the last few years a lot has been written about Business Process Management, and about technologies supporting it such as BPMS, SOAP and Web Services. Most of these theories, tools and techniques refer to processes of a highly structured nature.

Typically, BPM theorists and practitioners have focused on highly structured processes, like back-office processes of industrial or administrative nature. These processes are highly standardized and repeatable, produce a consistent output and are likely to be automated in part or end-to-end (STP). All process instances are executed in a very similar way and it is easy to draw a flowchart detailing the sequence in which tasks are executed. It is also possible to formalize the business rules that guide decisions, normally based on the evaluation of some process variables.

But recently other kinds of processes have caught the attention of process management specialists. They are known as knowledge processes, or knowledge-based processes. Knowledge processes can be defined as "high added value processes in which the achievement of goals is highly dependent on the skills, knowledge and experience of the people carrying them out". Some examples could be management, R&D, or new product development processes.

Knowledge workers carry out these processes by taking into account multiple inputs (generally a wide set of unstructured data and information) to perform difficult tasks and make complex decisions among multiple possible ways of doing the work, each one implying different levels of risk and possible benefits. They are dependent on individuals and it is not possible to automate them.

One example of a knowledge process is "Marketing a new product". The same steps are followed each time a new product is launched (benchmarking competitors, deciding pricing strategy, planning promotion, etc...), but it is the experience, knowledge and intuition of the people that drive the process to success.

* Multiple inputs to the process exist

Some of them would be competition, lifecycle stage of the market, brand image, budget, etc...

* Complex decisions are made

There are many possible ways to achieve the process objectives (reach planned sales, leverage brand image, etc...)

* Each decision implies different levels of risk and potential benefits

It is the responsibility of the worker to choose the best one (low price strategy, aggressive advertising campaign, etc...)

There are three main characteristics that make knowledge processes different from highly structured processes:

Focus is on communication instead of automation

The key to process improvement is to clearly communicate process definitions (the way in which the company wants the processes to be carried out) to the people in charge of their execution (through training, process descriptions publication, etc...). The better process participants understand the process definition, the higher the probability that the process is carried out according to it.

They are better implemented through obtaining buy-in than through imposing directives

They are more difficult to implement through discipline than administrative human-centric processes (although some discipline is needed). It is better to focus on obtaining buy-in from the people affected by the processes through early involvement, communication and expectations management. It is a known fact that knowledge workers are reluctant to change their habits. Some say knowledge workers don't like following procedures because they feel it limits their creativity; but most of the time they will be happy to follow a procedure as long as they see value in it, perceiving that it helps them work better and produce a better process output.

Process definitions are high level descriptions instead of rigid workflows

Processes can only be defined up to a certain level of detail, and it is difficult to provide low level work instructions or to automate decisions. Because they cannot be formalised in detail, process simulation is rarely possible. Decisions are highly subjective and too complex to be expressed in a formal language, as they are taken based on intuition and not on rigid business rules.

It is extremely important to continuously improve knowledge processes, by creating an environment through which they can evolve. This can only be achieved through coordination of diverse disciplines such as knowledge management, change management, expectations management, etc... It is crucial to establish an adequate process context (the combination of technologies, procedures, people, etc... that support the processes). The process context must incorporate feedback mechanisms, change evaluation procedures, process improvement methods and techniques and must be flexible, in order to be able to incorporate enhancements in an agile but controlled way.

If the process is instantiated frequently and the instances are homegeneous, it is possible to create great process models that dramatically increase the efficiency of the process. The best way to ensure process improvement is to generate an environment in which people are motivated, enthusiastic and passionate about process management.

Most of the time, knowledge processes are collaborative. By performing a process collaboratively it is possible that each task is carried out by the most specialised, experienced and knowledgeable worker in that specific area. Having a net of relations within the organization is a very important asset for people executing knowledge processes.

In the last years some organizations have emerged with the aim of creating professional communities around specific disciplines such as Software Development (SEI, ESI, etc...), Project Management (PMI), Business Process Management (BPMI), IT Service Management (ITSMF), etc... One of the objectives of these groups is to develop a body of knowledge that compiles the discipline's best practices in the form of reference frameworks, methodologies and maturity models. These assets should be considered by any organization interested in knowledge process management.

It is usual that knowledge processes take the form of projects to manage their execution. If the output of the process is a unique product, managing work as a project will result in obvious advantages.

There are certain guidelines that can help an organization willing to improve their knowledge processes:

* Provide process description on how to approach work

Try to figure out the best way to carry out a knowledge process, by making the best practices existing in your organization (or in your industry) explicit. Publish process definitions in a format that is easy to consult and understand.

* Provide tools that facilitate and standardize work

Decide which tools are best to help knowledge workers carry out their work. Involving all affected knowledge workers in the process of deciding which tools will be used is very convenient, in order to obtain user buy in. It is a good idea to choose a champion for each tool who will master its use.

* Assign owners to processes

Choose a person with leadership skills and the appropriate level of responsibility and influence and make him/her accountable for continuous improvement of the process. Give him/her a clear objective to achieve and an incentive to reach the goal.

* Encourage feedback for process improvement

To ensure that the flow of information between executors and the process owner is fluid, encourage people to contribute to process enhancement through incentives. Use your imagination to reward contributors (consider not only monetary incentives).

Lucas Rodríguez Cervera is founder of Nevant – Process documentation software, a company specialized in delivering process solutions to knowledge based companies. They pioneered this concept with metoCube.

The Myth of the Management Team

2005-06-22T23:08:00.000-07:00

By Graeme Nichol

Every business has problems. That is why the average life span of a large industrial company is 40 years. Some are learning disabilities where companies are not prepared to learn from their mistakes. They insist on doing the same thing every time. Even when problems occur no one examines the cause of the problem. The problem is an embarrassment that should be swept under the rug and forgotten rather than be used as an opportunity to learn. Handling these dilemmas and disabilities is the Management Team. Below is a quote from Peter Senge’s book “The Fifth Discipline – the Art & Practice of the Learning Organization.” Does this sound like your company? If it does start worrying!

The Myth of the Management Team

Standing forward to do battle with these dilemmas and disabilities is “the management team,” the collection of savvy, experienced managers who represent the organization’s different functions and areas of expertise. Together, they are supposed to sort out the complex cross-functional issues that are critical to the organization. What confidence do we have, really, that typical management teams can surmount these learning disabilities? All too often, teams in business tend to spend their time fighting for turf, avoiding anything that will make them look bad personally, and pretending that everyone is behind the team’s collective strategy – maintaining the appearance of a cohesive team. To keep up the image, they seek to squelch disagreement; people with serious reservations avoid stating them publicly, and joint decisions are watered-down compromises reflecting what everyone can live with, or else reflecting one person’s view foisted on the group. If there is disagreement, it’s usually expressed in a manner that lays blame, polarizes opinion, and fails to reveal the underlying differences in assumptions and experience in a way that the team as a whole could learn.

“Most management teams break down under pressure,” writes Harvard’s Chris Argyris – a long time student of learning in management teams. “The team may function quite well with routine issues. But when they confront complex issues that may be embarrassing or threatening, the ‘teamness’ seems to go to pot.”

Argyris argues that most managers find collective inquiry inherently threatening. School trains us never to admit that we do not know the answer, and most corporations reinforce that lesson by rewarding the people who excel in advocating their views, not inquiring into complex issues. (When was the last time someone was rewarded in your organization for raising difficult questions about the company’s current policies rather than solving urgent problems?) Even if we feel uncertain or ignorant, we learn to protect ourselves from the pain of appearing uncertain or ignorant. That very process blocks out any new understandings which might threaten us. The consequence is what Argyris calls “skilled incompetence” – teams full of people who are incredibly proficient at keeping themselves from learning.

So how does your company stack up? If your company is what Senge describes as a ‘Learning Organization’ then there is no need to protect your turf, no need to accept compromise, no need for management to know everything. In a Learning Organization the knowledge that employees have is used and each member of the management team is there to support the other. They realize that everyone wins if the team does well and they also know that a failure is just another term for a learning opportunity.

Wouldn’t you like to work in an organization where your opinion counts and where you CAN make a difference in the companies success? Where you don’t have to pretend to be busy, or pretend to know everything. So how do you create a learning organization? It starts with creating learning individuals in learning teams which then cascade into a learning organization.

Through an effective facilitated process team members learn to work collaboratively, learn from their mistakes and continually challenge their assumptions about reality. Above all they work together as a team to solve problems and improve results.

A Learning Organization is possible!

GRAEME NICHOL, President, Arcturus Advisors.

Graeme Nichol has worked on 4 continents and in 106 unique businesses gaining experience in manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, communications, banking, direct marketing, consumer goods and retail amongst others. He has significant management experience and consulting experience, including Business strategy, project management, change management, big six consulting, team productivity, business productivity and quality improvement, ERP implementations.

Arcturus Advisors works with businesses and teams that are struggling to formulate a strategic plan that delivers bottom line results. Using tried and tested planning systems that have achieved results internationally for 20 years we ensure that you transform your business through focus, alignment and accountability.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Myth-of-the-Management-Team&id=43240

Stop Going to Meetings - 10 Questions to Ask Before Attending a Meeting - Get More Productive

2005-06-21T23:17:00.000-07:00

By Neen James

We get invited to attend so many "meetings" but do we need to attend them all? Use these 10 questions to assess if you should attend that next meeting invitation.

What is the agenda of the meeting? Don’t attend a meeting without a clear agenda otherwise you are wasting time. Don’t ever schedule a meeting unless you make it clear to your attendees what the purpose, timeframe and outcomes of the meeting will be.

Who is attending the meeting? Ask the question to ensure the meeting set at the right level and the correct people are involved.

Why do you need/want me involved? Make sure there is a good reason for you to attend the meeting.

What time does it start? Be strict with your own time and also those of the attendees. If you are scheduling the meeting always start on time regardless of if all attendees have arrived. Make it known you will start and finish on time.

What time does it finish? Advise all attendees that it will finish on time to allow them to attend their next meeting.

May I attend for my section only of the agenda? Where possible don’t sit through unnecessary meeting discussions, only attend when the agenda item relates to your or your department.

What do you need me to prepare before the meeting? Get clear instructions of the preparation required. If the person scheduling the meeting advises you don’t need to prepare anything- ask question 3 again, why do you want me involved?

When will minutes be available of the meeting? If possible take minutes at the meeting (handwritten is fine) and then walk to the photocopier, take enough copies for everyone and then give them out. Avoid extra work of typing minutes unless necessary.

Where is the meeting located? Ask for clear instructions including the floor number and the meeting room number to ensure you don’t waste time looking for the meeting.

Can we teleconference instead of a physical meeting? Where possible handle matters over the phone to avoid wasting time in meetings.

By asking these 10 simple questions you will help educate those around you on the importance of managing & respecting time, save yourself time and you will be more productive in your day.

Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. An Aussie, a dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity.

Subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com

Four Steps to Better Performance Reviews

2005-06-20T02:28:00.000-07:00

By Linda Henman

Direct reports—people who need direction and leadership—rely on their leaders to give them feedback and mentoring, not just management and evaluations. However, these people who most need their boss’s help frequently lack the guidance that would enable them move to the next levels of success—theirs, their team’s and the company’s. Too often leaders are not prepared or trained to conduct an appraisal that stretches performance and ensures their direct reports’ development. Instead, the appraisals become confrontational and judgmental; goals are not clear; neither person is prepared; and the discussion occurs when it’s too late to do anything about the problem. Today’s organizations demand more from their leaders. Therefore, a well thought out performance appraisal system, clear expectations, reviews that inspire, and action plans are critical to the individual’s and organization’s success.

Create the System

The advantages of an effective performance appraisal system are many: better performance, improved relationships, coordination of personal goals and business objectives, identification of high potential individuals, and justification for monetary rewards. However, much depends on the efforts that go into crafting the system.

The first step is to have clearly defined job descriptions that specify the tasks, functions, and responsibilities of each job. What does it take to do this job right? What are the success indicators? What are the derailers? Answers to these questions form the foundation for deciding behavior-based competencies for the particular job, the area of the organization, or the company as a whole.

Many organizations start by defining roles and responsibilities as they relate to the level the person holds in the organization: executive, manager, or employee. Other companies choose competencies that address certain areas of the organization, such as accounting, manufacturing, human resources, or sales. Once decision makers decide how to measure performance, they are ready to identify specific behaviors that demonstrate competency in relevant areas and to choose the scale that makes sense for them.

Usually competencies relate to one of four areas: ability to get results, capacity to form relationships, decision making, and leadership. Specifically defined competencies might also include business acumen, customer focus, coaching, integrity, vision, communication, teamwork, flexibility, technical skills, and innovation. Once the company decides on 8-10 competencies, the next step is to establish the rating scale.

The most basic scale is three points: exceeds expectations, meets expectations, or fails to meet expectations. However, a four-point scale gives more options for evaluation and forces the evaluator to avoid a middle of the road review.

Once the criteria for evaluation have been determined, the decision makers need to set the timeline. In short, the year begins with goal setting, continues with ongoing feedback, and concludes with the end of the year evaluation that is often tied to raises and bonuses. This sort of schedule avoids surprises and the “once a year” mentality that dooms most performance appraisal systems. Also, the periodic reviews give the employee a chance to take corrective action when there are still opportunities to make a difference.

In general, four meetings per year work well. The first is a goal setting meeting; the second addressees progress on the goals; the third surfaces any problems that might interfere with the end of the year appraisal; and the final one is a formality that ties the progress to rewards. This does not imply that ongoing feedback should not take place between meetings. On the contrary, the four meeting format is the minimum number of meetings the boss should have with the direct report. Even though bosses often resist adding to the number of formal meetings per year, they soon learn that the increase in productivity and morale among their direct reports more than compensates for the extra time they commit to the process.

Clarify Expectations

The purpose of goal setting is to tie individual performance to the organization’s mission, vision, and values and to link short-term objectives to long-term targets. People are most committed to goals they’ve helped construct. When the boss and the direct report work together to clarify these goals, the direct report is more likely to commit to rather than comply with the efforts that will drive success. Well written goals serve a variety of purposes: they create opportunities for objective, fair dialogue; they define the “score card” that will be used to determine rewards; they energize and motivate; and they focus efforts.

By now almost everyone has learned about SMART goals, objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Specific and measurable mean the goal is concrete, clear, and descriptive to the point that results can be measured. For instance, giving feedback that a direct report “needs to be more positive and have a better attitude” is not helpful. Identifying the particular improved behaviors is: greeting others, smiling, saying “thank you,” and giving praise.

“Attainable” is often a source of disagreement between the appraiser and employee. The boss’s perception of results that are achievable and realistic might differ from those of the direct report. Here are some questions for the boss to consider:

· What are others in this role accomplishing?

· What is the person’s history?

· Does this person have the experience, knowledge and capability to do this?

· What evidence is there to come to this conclusion?

Relevant goals are also critical, but both bosses and direct reports continue to make some fundamental errors in this area. First, all goals are not created equal; they need to be prioritized. People are often motivated to work on things they like, things that are familiar, or things that are easy. But frequently these initiatives are not the most critical. Therefore, the boss needs to be sure that the “timely” elements of effectiveness are considered: First things are done first; deadlines are met; and direct reports separate important from unimportant uses of their time.

Second, the people involved fail to define the parameters in which the goals will occur, so the boss has one set of expectations and the employee another. If a condition of goal attainment is “with no overtime” or “with our current equipment,” these limiting conditions need to be spelled out so no one is surprised. If there are disagreements about these conditions or if the direct report considers the conditions unrealistic, the goal setting meeting, not the end of the year review, is the time to surface those issues. One way to do this during the goal setting meeting is for the boss to ask, “What factors might interfere with your achieving this goals?” This question alone can help to put things on the table and resolve differences.

A third mistake is direct reports often don’t understand their parameters for accountability and decision making. They either overstep when boundaries are not clear, or they err on the side of caution and risk-avoidance. Working together, the boss and direct report need to clarify which decisions the employee will make alone, which ones will require notification of the boss, and which ones need to be cleared with the boss. When the direct report is either not making decisions or is running to the boss with every problem, both parties are wasting time and efforts, and the boss is overlooking chances to develop talents and potential among his or her reports.

Finally, bosses frequently do no support the efforts of their direct reports. The research suggests, and multi-rater feedback reports confirm, that mentoring, giving feedback, and developing others are usually the boss’s lowest ratings, primarily because “getting the job done” is more important.

The fact that bosses overlook is that developing others is “the job,” a significant and critical part of the job. Usually coaching others is only one part of a boss’s job, so taking care of other responsibilities often takes precedence. Also, organizations frequently reward solo performance and individual efforts more than they recognize coaching others. Therefore, in order for an appraisal system to succeed, companies need to recognize and reward efforts related to leading and managing others.

Support from the boss is an inexpensive but effective way to improve performance and show a commitment to excellence. Frequently managers don’t have the authority to give financial rewards, but all bosses can give the intangible rewards of attention, coaching and mentoring. Furthermore, through discussion, the boss can learn what other kinds of intangible rewards the direct might appreciate—increased responsibility, more interesting work, variety, opportunities to work alone or on a team, etc. The key is to build trust that the boss cares and wants to respond to the needs of the direct report.

Review Performance

Another way to build trust and reduce anxiety is through scheduled conversations. Obviously, feedback about performance should occur when it can do the most good—when it is immediate and focused. When a direct report makes a mistake, addressing the problem right away is the surest way to take corrective action. Similarly, when a person excels at a task, complimenting and praising the efforts immediately will show appreciation and encourage more of the same.

However, having more formal review sessions is also critical to the direct report’s development. Regularly scheduled reviews avoid the end of the year angst and allow employees to receive feedback when there is still time to take corrective action.

One of the reasons these critical discussions are not occurring is bosses feel uncomfortable, unprepared, or ineffective in such encounters. They avoid the very conversations that could help them build better relationships and increase productivity among the people who need their direction and support. One way for bosses to improve their coaching is to follow the GLAD feedback method, a step-by-step approach that can help bosses improve performance appraisals and inspire peak performance:

Get to the core of the performance issues.
Listen to the other first.
Add your own ideas.
Develop an action plan.

Getting to the core of the performance issue means focusing the discussion on actions or behaviors, things the person can control and change. If personality issues or decision making capacities are interfering with the person’s performance, the problem may be an inability, rather than an unwillingness, to do the job. In that case, the boss needs to consider alternatives to either give the direct report additional help or move to him or her to an area that is better suited for that person’s talents and strengths.

The performance review should be focused on goals, balanced in nature, and candid. People need to hear the things they are doing well so that they can leverage their strengths, but they also need to identify improvement areas.

Ordinarily going through each of the goals that were set at the beginning of the year is unnecessary. More often, one or two goals will be a more obvious concern. Starting the conversation by identifying those will help to keep the discussion on track and build momentum for addressing them.

The second step in the GLAD system is to listen to the other first--to elicit that person’s ideas and opinions before offering your own. Starting on a positive note can be helpful in this step. For instance, after identifying the issue, the boss can say, “Brag on yourself a little. What have you been able to do about _____?” This will do two things. It will help direct reports know the boss is listening, and it will give the boss a chance to understand more information. It’s also the employee’s chance to make sure accomplishments are not overlooked or forgotten, and it’s the boss’s chance to check on the accuracy of the review.

The performance appraisal should be a two-way conversation, an opportunity for both the boss and the employee to learn. Listening to the other person first shows a willingness to consider new information, and if necessary, to change the nature of the review. Similarly, hearing the other person sets the tone for the give-and-take that will be necessary to create understanding and commitment between the two.

Before moving to the next step of the review, the boss should take advantage of the opportunity to address as many issues as possible with open questions. Asking the employees to talk about their perceptions of problem areas will reduce the defensive reaction that can accompany the boss giving a solution. For example, the boss can ask, “What things do you still need to do to improve?” or “What are some ideas for correcting that problem?” “What?” and “How?” are the magic words that open the discussion.

Another part of this step is paraphrasing what the other has said—summarize ideas and reflect emotions. Often a summary statement is more powerful when followed by another open question. For instance, the boss can restate the message by saying, “So you’re not worried because you think this will work if you give it enough time. How will you address the deadlines that are in place already?” A series of these kinds of statements and questions can frequently lead the direct reports to conclusions they had not previously considered.

At this point a common reaction is “This will take so long! I don’t have time to ask a lot of questions. It’s so much faster to just tell people the problem and tell them how to fix it.” That’s true. The most economical use of time, at least in the short run, is to tell people what to do to fix things. But that sort of behavior leads to other problems. Sometimes people resist being told what to do; the boss doesn’t give the employee the chance to discover solutions; and direct reports become reliant on the boss for decisions they should be making themselves.

However, that doesn’t mean the boss should not give direction. On the contrary, the third step, to add your own ideas, is the time to do just that. Ideally the discussion to this point should have implied a course of action for the direct report. If, in spite of the boss’s best efforts, that hasn’t happened, the third step is the time to give that direction.

Once again, clearly defining the specific behaviors that the direct report should address will help to keep the discussion focused. If the boss disagrees with the employee’s assessment of the situation, if there has been a shift in priorities, or if the two disagree on action steps, this is the time for the boss to express ideas and concerns and to begin a discussion about how to resolve differences. The direct report needs to have a clear understanding of what the boss expects, those things the employee needs to do more of or less of to improve. Employees report that they appreciate this level of candor when there’s still time to take corrective action. For example, if the boss were to say, “I would like to give you the same raise that you received last year. However, based on_____, I wouldn’t be able to do that if this were your end of year evaluation,” this would be an eye opening and direct message that would resonate with the direct report and streamline the end of the year evaluation.

Develop the Action Plan

Many companies discuss compensations, raises, and bonuses in one end of the year discussion--the same discussion that addresses goal setting, feedback, evaluation, and action planning. When all this is lumped together in one meeting, the meeting that happens is a type of post-mortem. Even though it’s too late to do anything that will make a difference, employees are somehow supposed to be motivated and enthusiastic to charge into the upcoming year, more focused and productive. It doesn’t work that way. On the contrary, they are angry and resentful, especially if they have had no warning that their performance was sub-standard.

The first phase of action planning, therefore, should take place at the beginning of the year. The action plan is a fluid document, however, that should change with new information, accomplishments, unexpected events, and learning. Therefore, at the beginning of the year and at each subsequent meeting, the boss and direct report need to prioritize goals and objectives to identify the current most important two. Even though the direct report might write several goals at the beginning of the year, ongoing discussions between the boss and direct report should reexamine the importance and relevance of each objective.

Timelines for goals help this process. Sometimes the timeline will be obvious. If a person wants to finish a course of study, the beginning and ending date of the class will be established. Other timelines will need to be created, often in response to new initiatives or demands. Some people have the capacity to break large projects into manageable parts; others need direction from the boss to do so. The main payoff of action plan is not the form or the document but the discussion. Once the employee and boss know what is needed and expected, each has identified roadblocks, and the timeline is clear, the action plan is apparent.

This does not imply that writing the action plan is optional. A written action plan is the tangible agreement among the stakeholders. It serves as a kind of report card for tracking results and re-directing efforts. Therefore, both the boss and the direct report should keep a copy of the original agreement and the subsequent notes and changes. When this happens, the end of the year evaluation brings no surprises.

Conclusion

Most performance appraisals and performance management systems are not what they could be, primarily because the system is flawed, and the participants are not prepared. Creating a coaching culture, one that is characterized by clear goals, ongoing feedback and mentoring, scheduled reviews, and focused action plans, is also likely to create a more productive culture.

People create culture, so much depends on the appraisers. Understanding how their behavior shapes the behavior of their direct reports is the first step for bosses. Once they realize that they can and should influence performance, they need to learn and practice the skills associated with performance management. Even though this is all takes time and effort, the rewards are impressive and immediate.

Dr. Linda Henman speaks from experience. For more than 25 years, she has helped military organizations, small businesses, and Fortune 500 Companies turn things around by getting the right people in the right place doing the right thing.

Linda holds a Bachelor of Science in communication, two Master of Arts degrees in both interpersonal communication and organization development, and a Ph.D. in organizational systems. By combining her experience as an organizational psychologist with her education in business, she offers her clients assessment, coaching, consulting, and training solutions that are pragmatic in their approach and sound in their foundation. Specializing in assessment for selection, promotion, and development, Linda helps organizations improve their succession and retention initiatives and teaches people to become the boss that no one wants to leave.

Employee Turnover: Seven Reasons Why People Quit Their Jobs

2005-06-14T02:02:00.000-07:00

By Marcia Zidle

There are many reasons why good employees quit and go to another company, perhaps even your competitor. Most of the reasons start with management and most are preventable. Good people don’t leave good companies, they leave poor managers. Here are seven reasons. Are they prevalent in your organization?

Management demands that one person do the jobs of two or more people, resulting in longer days and weekend work. This turns into a morale killer not only for the person but for the team.

Management doesn't allow the rank and file to make decisions about their work. Therefore, employees see their job as only a job rather than developing enthusiasm and pride of ownership.

Management constantly reorganizes, shuffles people around and changes direction constantly. Therefore, employees don’t know what’s going on, what the priorities are and what they should be doing.

Management doesn't take the time to clarify their decisions. For example, it rejects work after it was completed, damaging the morale and esteem of those who prepared it.

Management alienates staff by promoting someone who lacks training and /or the necessary experience to supervise. This leads to employees to feel management shows favoritism and so why do a good job?

Management promotes departments to compete against each other while at the same time preaching teamwork and cooperation. Therefore, employees become cynical and only put effort in what they see management wants not what they say.

Management throws a temper tantrum, points fingers and assigns blame when things go wrong. Therefore, employees don’t want to be at the other end of the barrage of negativity.

Marcia Zidle, the ‘people smarts’ coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job – to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management.

Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com and get the bonus report “61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers”. Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks – resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs – fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.

Leadership Style: What Makes A Good Boss?

2005-06-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

By Marcia Zidle

In today's competitive environment, companies realize that a good boss is one who can identify and build on the talents of the staff and knows how to retain top performing employees. Take this quiz and see if you are a good boss.

Use the following scale to respond to the questions:
Strongly disagree--1; disagree--2; uncertain--3; agree--4; strongly agree--5.

My employees understand the connection between their team or department's actions and the success of the company.
Each employee had clearly-defined work goals and the resources necessary to achieve them.
I usually assign the right tasks and amount of work to others.
People tell me that I am a good listener.
I have created an environment where people get along and work is fun.
I know my employees' career goals.
I regularly coach my employees in developing their skills.

Scoring:

26-35: You know your employees' needs and strengths and use this knowledge to get the results you want.
11-25: Invest some more time in defining your goals and in getting to know your employees, and achieving results will get much easier.
0-11: Are your employees "results challenged?" Get your act together.

Interpreting the results:

The first three questions assess the ability to make a connection between organizational objectives and an individual employees contribution.

The rest of the quiz assesses people skills the ability to get employees to care about the company's goals by giving them room to grow and making the work environment a people-friendly place.

Pay careful attention to any item with a rating of three or less. Are you too focused on results to take time to build relationships, or are you spending too much time building rapport and net getting anything done?

Marcia Zidle, the ‘people smarts’ coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job – to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management.

Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com and get the bonus report “61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers”. Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks – resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs – fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.

Employee Retention: Five Leadership Fundamentals

2005-06-10T02:04:00.000-07:00

By Marcia Zidle

Are your management practices on the right track? Retaining your valued or high performing employees must be a strategic issue for your company. Throwing more money at your workers is not the answer and can become very costly. The more effective way to retain top talent is to address their important needs.

Universal Truths:

Most people are content being paid at or around the market rate for good quality work. SOME folks are extremely money conscious, but eventually they learn that the paycheck comes every two weeks all on its own, and other motivators come into play very quickly. There are very few folks who can be bought for money alone.

Most people want two opposing things out of their jobs. They want to feel they are part of a group that’s able to accomplish greater things than they could on their own, AND they want to know that they stand out as individuals. The job as a manager is to give them BOTH experiences: to bring about a ‘team spirit’ and to let his staff or team know what a great job each one is doing.

Finally, most employees have a few ongoing needs that motivate them to do their best work and to stay. They include a clear direction of their job or project; specific assignments that help them grow; access to necessary organizational resources, and feedback on their performance on a regular basis. Otherwise, they pretty much want to be left alone to get their job or assignment done.

Five Leadership Fundamentals:
He then realized that his job as manager became very simple. To motivate high performance and, at the same time, ensure employee satisfaction within his group, he just needed to:

Provide employees with a clear sense of where we’re going and why.
Make sure they have the necessary resources to get their job done.
Be attuned to their professional needs and try to provide them with assignments that meet these needs (not always easy but still attainable).
Regularly meet with them both formally and informally to give and get feedback on what’s going on.
Get out of their way and, at the same time, be available when needed.

He ended with this comment: “I don’t have long-term results to share, but in the short-run, I have a staff that reports being happy in their jobs and challenged by the work. And our group has a better reputation for service than the rest of the large department we are part of. So I know I’m on the right track.”

This manager’s comments reinforce my observations that the primary reason that people commit to a job, an organization, or an effort is not financial! It is the basic feeling of success. The employee who achieves, who accomplishes his or her goals and objectives, who maintains a feeling of personal worth and value, will more likely remain with the organization.

Marcia Zidle, the ‘people smarts’ coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report “61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers”. Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.

6 Shared Factors of Successful Executives

2005-06-10T01:57:00.000-07:00

By Jason Katzenback

These factors where determined by interviews with and books from very successful people. Factors which eminently successful people considered essential were collected and classified. They were gathered from talks with big men, from personal letters, from printed interviews, and from books… the end result being ideas of thirty-one of the most successful people of our country.

Although their ideas differ, yet certain factors are listed by each of these men; and seventeen qualities are mentioned more than twenty times. They are: health, good appearance, hard work, enthusiasm, industry, persistence, sincerity, earnestness, self-confidence, concentration, determination, honesty, good memory, self-control, tact, patience, and imagination.

These qualities are not determinants of success. They do not guarantee success. Of course, they are important. They are valuable assets, but not determining factors. For instance, a man must "work hard" to succeed, but "hard work" does not always bring success.

1. Health: I know a man in perfect physical health; he has strong muscles and the strength of two ordinary men; his complexion is clean; his skin is ruddy; his eyes are clear. Yet, he is a failure-his wife supports him. I know another man, who has been in poor health for twenty years. He is an eminently successful man. Health is a valuable asset, but it is not a determining factor of success.

2. Good Appearance: I know a man with the bearing of a Royal Prince-splendid shoulders, pleasing manners, and attractive smile. He looks you directly in the eye. He resides at Sing Sing.

3. Enthusiasm, Industry, Persistence, Sincerity, and Self-Confidence: I know a man who spent a year trying to collect money to publish certain literature to be distributed among the boys in the trenches. He wished to convince the soldiers that they should worship the Lord on Saturday instead of Sunday. He was enthusiastic, persistent, sincere, earnest, and self-confident. He was not a success.

4. Concentration, Determination, Honesty: There is a certain man who concentrates so intently on his work that he often forgets to eat and sleep; he's determined to win, and he is absolutely honest. He has been working seven years to invent a shirt which will not wear out, and which need not be washed. His honesty, concentration, and determination have not made him successful. He is in an asylum in Pennsylvania.

5. Memory, Self-Control, Tact, and Patience: I know a man who remembers the names of hundreds of people; he never confuses one with another. He has self-control, tact, and infinite patience. He has not succeeded greatly. He is the footman who opens the doors of the limousines of the women who shop at a certain department store.

6. Imagination: I know of a girl, who for ten years ran a machine in a shoe factory. When I once questioned her of what she thought each day during her work, she replied, " Oh, I just start the machine a-goin' and then I imagine I'm one of them duchesses I read about in the novels.'' Since many character factors are helpful assets, but not the determining factors, what are the personal factors which make success certain?

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So, You Want to be in Management? Five Essential Factors that Will Determine Your Chances

2005-06-09T04:45:00.000-07:00

By RJ Lancaster

The following information is based upon over 500 interviews with senior executives with whom I conducted over the past four years. These senior executives represent a variety of industries and organizations. It is interesting to note the similarities of their responses. The research concentrated on five areas:

1. How they gained their experience and knowledge to become a senior executive.

2. What are their attitudes and opinions concerning the youth of today?

3. What are they most concerned about in running an organization in today’s society?

4. What are their hobbies and interests outside of work?

5. What do they read to keep current?

How they gained their experience and knowledge:

• For all respondents, education was the number one priority. All had an undergraduate degree and approximately 60% had a graduate degree. They all believed that without a college education, their chances for advancement to senior management were almost unattainable.

• Having mentors throughout their career was very important to these men and women. They learned how to promote themselves through the guidance of a mentor. I highly recommend that you read Steven Scott’s book, Mentored By A Millionaire.

• Networking was the key for much of their success within and outside of their industry. When they joined professional associations, they joined with the goal of becoming an officer in the organization for better exposure and networking. Networking consistently served as a catalyst for thinking creatively to capitalize on opportunities.

• They all are students of human behavior. They are keen observers of their employees’ and managers’ actions. They look for team- oriented individuals who treat others with respect and dignity. Attitude is the key ingredient for being recognized by this group of executives. They are constantly on the look out for talent within and outside of their organizations.

• The majority of these senior executives moved around their organizations every two to three years. A lot of them took lateral transfers in order to understand all facets of the organization.

• It was evident that these senior executives all focused on results. They have no patience for excuses or reasons why something cannot be done.

• All of them are strong advocates of life-long learning. They are voracious readers. They read about many different subjects. Their readings spur creativity which they put into action. They are constantly learning about how others run their organizations and how they can apply those strategies to their organizations.

What senior executives are most concerned with:

• Retention of valued employees

• Turnover

• Ethical behavior

• Customer service and satisfaction

• Global competition

• Employee healthcare

• Lack of communication from all levels of the organization

• Lack of employee loyalty and company loyalty to employees

• Finding good people

• Satisfying stockholders while balancing cost, quality, service and employee morale

• Lawsuits/discrimination charges

• Lack of civility towards one another and customers

• Integrating a diverse workforce

What senior executives think about today’s youth:

This question was a mix of attitudes and opinions. It appears that responses were influenced by type of industry and tenure of the senior executives. Here is what they said:

• Bright, ambitious, motivated, opinionated, intelligent and confident

• Have an entrepreneurial mindset

• Ability to multitask

• Need a better work ethic…absenteeism, drugs

• What can the company do for me attitude

• Expectations are too high…expect promotions without paying the dues

• Lack of commitment to the organization

• Have a sense of entitlement

• Lack of civility and professional bearing

• Lack of respect for others

• Too much reliance on technology and not enough people skills

Publications senior executives read most:

• Trade publications specifically written about their particular industry
• Harvard Business Review
• Wall Street Journal
• Fortune
• Economist
• Investors Business Daily
• Books on tape
• Fast Company
• Executive Books Summary
• Forbes
• Business Week

Hobbies/Interests of senior executives:

• Golf
• Family
• Reading
• Traveling
• Volunteering
• Working out
• Walking/running
• Cooking
• Tennis
• Fishing
• Bicycling

If your career plan is to ascend to a senior management position, write your own personal action plan based upon how the senior executives in your organization gained their experiences. In addition, think about how you can help them with their major concerns in leading an organization. Read what they read in order to be conversant with them. Look at their hobbies and interests and determine if you have mutual interest with them. If you do, use it to network and display your similar interest through conversation. Lastly, form a positive response for their perception of the youth of today. Suggest ways that they can harness the energy of the youth and put it to a positive force within an organization.

Ryan James (R.J.) Lancaster is the president of the Education & Learning Institute, a research, seminar and publishing company. He helps organizations and individuals think differently to ensure their success. He is also a professional speaker and author of E-books.

Contact information: (602) 274-4609
Email: rlancaster5@cox.net
Website: http://www.rjlancaster.com