tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32530875025808040002024-03-12T18:51:25.565-07:00Executive RepublicCareer and lifestyle ideasExecutive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.comBlogger12894125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-67973176310741149582015-12-30T05:38:00.002-08:002015-12-30T05:38:43.669-08:008 Ways to Become Everyone's Favorite Boss <br />
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<img alt="8 Ways to Become Everyone's Favorite Boss" height="359" rel="share" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20151103202359-older-boss-man-on-the-phone-outside-old-guy.jpeg" width="640" /></div>
<br />
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/adam-fine" rel="author"></a></i><br />
<div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/adam-fine" rel="author">Adam Fine</a></i></div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/adam-fine" rel="author">
</a></i>
<br />
<div class="title">
<i>Contributor</i></div>
<br />
It’s easy to understand why the motto “Work hard and be nice to
people” is so popular. Not only is it short and memorable, but it
reminds us how valuable often overlooked traits like diligence and
kindness are in the workplace. With that in mind, I’ve created a
detailed guide corporate leaders can follow to become bosses valued and
liked by their employees. It’s not always easy -- this sort of
leadership requires a light touch and the ability to put out fires
without burning bridges -- but the following eight tips are a good place
to start.<br />
<h2>
<strong>1. Don’t try to be the “cool boss.” </strong></h2>
Appearing
authoritative but down-to-earth can be a hard balance to maintain, and
so boundaries are critical. While there are any number of ways to
distinguish yourself as a leader, symbolic or superficial gestures mean
little. Don’t get caught up in dressing more formally, reserving a
parking spot or having luxurious lunches catered. Instead, opt for more
substantial differentiators such as being the first in and last out and
exhibiting relentless enthusiasm. At the same time, resist the urge to
relate to your employees by casually dropping in “just to chat” or by
asking to join them for lunch. Let these relationships develop naturally
and don’t worry about whether you’re seen as a friend or confidant.
That’s not your job.<br />
<h2>
<strong>2. Remember your workforce is not your family. </strong></h2>
You
and your staff are teammates, close friends even, but you’re not a
family. Every company benefits from a healthy culture, but don’t liken
it to the intensity and obligation that comes with the word “family.”
This doesn’t mean you can’t have inside jokes, but try not to introduce
and enforce too many mottos or die-hard rules. Corporate culture and
human capital strategies are vital, and they definitely needed a reboot
from their stodgy 1980’s Wall Street roots. Some culture is good and can
prevent negative chatter, but too much culture can have the opposite
effect.<br />
<h2>
<strong>3. Invite and embrace criticism.</strong></h2>
This
can be a more difficult rule to follow for leaders than for the rest of
the company. I’ve seen plenty of well-meaning bosses try to implement
an environment that welcomes constructive feedback, only to lose focus
and snap at the first well-meaning employee who critiques their own
performances. Give your team a format for addressing issues they may
otherwise be too timid to mention, and show them their honesty and
commitment to improving is appreciated by accepting criticism
gracefully.<br />
<h2>
<strong>4. Don’t be a target.</strong></h2>
As
a leader, you have the ability to choose your degree of visibility.
There’s a happy medium to be struck here: be around just enough to give
people tangible things to like about you, but be absent enough that they
can’t find anything to dislike. Whenever possible, deliver good news,
interesting developments, cool new hires, etc. at company-wide meetings.
Try and take a few questions, maybe ones you’ve screened via email
first. Carefully regulate your presence, but also pay close attention to
the tone of your interactions. Even if you are funny, don’t be tempted
to be the funny boss. Remember-- if a joke lands, it will probably
offend <em>someone</em>, and if it doesn’t land, it will offend everyone.<br />
<h2>
<strong>5. Use competitors as motivators.</strong></h2>
If
you ever sense a rumbling in the halls, a dip in morale or general
discontent, diverting attention to an external 3rd party can be a great
way to mediate tension. Spend a month talking about a competitor and how
each of your employees can enhance your company’s competitive edge by
embracing their killer instinct and desire to win. Do you have an
upcoming product launch, conference or public appearance? Focus on that
external deadline and create a narrative that hones employees’ desire to
meet it. This is a sound motivational technique, as teams often perform
better when they can rally against an external force. People tend to
see their lives in terms of simple plot structures with a cast of heroes
and villains; give them the right villains, and you’ll improve your
chance of being a hero.<br />
<h2>
<strong>6. Give out free perks. </strong></h2>
Free
stuff moves mountains. People love gifts and the people who give them,
so take advantage of the opportunity to be a source of joy and
generosity. This practice goes beyond handing out company t-shirts and
other forgettable swag. Give your employees something they’ll remember.
For those of you that already pay for employee meals, snacks, booze, and
raffles, you’ll probably have to think outside the box on this one.
Even if your employees are spoiled, an unexpected freebie is invaluable
for its ability to stimulate psychological attachment and loyalty. When
in doubt, who doesn’t love freebie tech gadgets?<br />
<h2>
<strong>7. Ask for small favors.</strong></h2>
Everyone
wants to feel needed. Approach your employees off-the-cuff and ask them
to do a quick job that they can easily accomplish but that doesn’t make
you appear petty for asking. You can do this with every employee whose
job title you actually understand. Jim in IT would be happy to spend 30
minutes looking into the most sophisticated voice-to-type apps for you,
and doing so will subtly ingratiate you to him. Be sure to stipulate
that your requests shouldn’t take too long. That way, people will be
more likely to let you know if the task you assigned was unintentionally
difficult.<br />
<h2>
<strong>8. Publically apologize for your mistakes. </strong></h2>
Fallibility
is an important quality, but more important is the emotional currency
earned from a public and sincere apology. Apologies are powerful and
bely a sense of empathy, virtue and corporate responsibility. Once
again, you’ll need a mild touch here. Don’t out yourself by apologizing
for a massive, reputation-scarring mistake, but don’t try and apologize
for not restocking the snack supply in a timely fashion (you’ll appear
ridiculous). Focus on medium size mistakes, and craft your apology
accordingly.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com </i>Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-60138189511235090342015-12-30T05:31:00.002-08:002015-12-30T05:31:36.702-08:00Pro Tips for Hitting the Pricing Nail on the Head <br />
<img alt="Pro Tips for Hitting the Pricing Nail on the Head" rel="share" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20150220202636-working.jpeg" /><br />
<br />
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/robert-w-bly" rel="author"></a></i><br />
<div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/robert-w-bly" rel="author">Robert W. Bly</a></i></div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/robert-w-bly" rel="author">
</a></i>
<br />
<div class="title">
<i>Contributor</i></div>
<br />
<em>In </em><a href="http://bookstore.entrepreneur.com/product/marketing-plan-handbook-2nd-edition/?utm_source=Entrepreneur&utm_medium=excerpt&utm_campaign=Press" target="_blank">The Marketing Plan Handbook</a><em>,
author Robert W. Bly explains how you can develop big-picture marketing
plans for pennies on the dollar with his 12-step marketing plan. In
this edited excerpt, Bly outlines the five factors you need to take into
account when pricing your product or service. </em><br />
What should
you charge for your product? Are you looking to create a low-priced item
you can sell as a loss leader to bring in new customers? Or are you
looking to create a high-priced back-end product to sell to your
existing customers?<br />
To me, it’s more rewarding to command a higher
price, charge premium fees, and get paid very, very well for what you
sell. Especially if you're in a service business, competing on price
means you work harder to earn less. Who wants that?<br />
But in a
competitive world where many other businesses seemingly offer products
and services similar to yours, how do you command a premium price? There
are five factors you can control or exploit to enable you to charge a
much higher price than your competitors in virtually any field -- and
have more customers than you can handle waiting in line, cash in hand,
to pay it.<br />
The first factor is supply and demand. According to
simple economics, the greater the demand for something and the more
limited the supply, the more the seller can charge and get paid for it.
Since you’re not OPEC, you probably can’t control the supply of your
product or service, so what you have to do is create an overwhelming
demand for you, your product, or your service. Perhaps the easiest way
to do this is to position yourself as the pre-eminent expert or
authority in your field. If people view you as <em>the </em>guru in
property taxes, hazardous waste cleanup, or whatever your field is,
they'll come to you first, knocking each other over to hire you instead
of your lesser-known competitors.<br />
The
second factor you can control is your market niche. As a rule of thumb,
the narrower your market niche, the more you can charge. Specialists
can always charge more than generalists. If you're a marketing
consultant handling any small business clients you can get, you have
lots of competition and great difficulty commanding a premium fee. On
the other hand, if you specialize in the marketing of accounting
practices, accountants will pay a premium to get your advice because it
applies to their own situation.<br />
The third factor you can control
is value. If your competitors all sell audiobooks with six CDs for $79,
and you want to charge $300 for six CDs on similar topics, why should
the buyer pay it? You could include a CD with related software programs
(e.g., if the album is about time management, the CD could contain a
personal day planner). The material cost is only a dollar or so per CD,
but the perceived value of software is easily $100 or more, enabling you
to charge a premium price for your package. And that’s the trick: to
add extras that have high-perceived value but don’t cost you much.<br />
In
addition to high-perceived value, look for premiums that are unique.
The Sovereign Society, a newsletter on offshore investing, had great
success offering new subscribers an unusual premium: their own Swiss
bank account.<br />
The fourth factor you can control is ROI. If you
design your product or service so it generates a large ROI that's easy
to see and measure, it'll be much easier to sell at the price you want
to get. For example, $200 for a high-tech thermostat may seem like a lot
of money, but not if the manufacturer can prove that installing the
thermostat will save the homeowner $300 to $1,000 a year in heating and
air conditioning costs.<br />
The fifth factor you can control is
customers’ concern about whether they'll be satisfied with your product.
You can control this by offering a money-back guarantee. Guarantees
overcome sales resistance. If you guarantee customers will be happy and
you'll refund their money if they're not, they'll be more willing to pay
your price, no matter what it is.<br />
The best guarantees are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Fair</li>
<li>Generous</li>
<li>Long-term</li>
<li>Unconditional</li>
</ul>
Most
people won’t take unfair advantage of your guarantee. If you sell a
quality product, accurately described in your marketing, at a price
that’s fair in relationship to its value, your return rate will be low
-- probably less than 5 percent.<br />
That still means 1 in 20 will ask
for a refund. Give them back their money promptly and with good cheer.
Few things will cause more customer dissatisfaction and ruin your
reputation faster than being difficult, adversarial, and uncooperative
when people believe what you said in your guarantee and take you up on
it. Don’t get angry with these folks. Returning the product is their
right -- and part of your cost of doing business.<br />
And there you
have it. Increase demand for your product or service, target a vertical
market niche, add value, generate a good ROI, and guarantee
satisfaction, and customers will gladly pay your price, even if it’s 50
to100 percent or more above what your competitors charge.<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com</i> Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-72289733455873910792015-12-30T05:28:00.001-08:002015-12-30T05:28:13.376-08:00Hiring Overqualified Employees Might Be Good for Your Business <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="426" src="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/images/i/000/010/352/original/hiring.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&fit=around%7C700:500" width="640" /></div>
<br />
<i>By Chad Brooks</i><br />
<br />
Despite common beliefs, hiring overqualified employees isn't always harmful to your business, new research suggests.<br /><br />Although it has long been accepted that hiring overqualified employees is detrimental to an organization, new research finds that there are ways to negate the negative impact, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.<br /><br />The key to seeing benefits from overqualified employees is hiring them regularly, rather than making their hires a rare occurrence, the study found.<br />
The study defines overqualification as an "employment situation in which employees feel that they possess surplus qualifications relative to what a job requires.<br /><br />"When individual employees feel that they are not the only 'big fish in the pond,' and when overqualification becomes a norm rather than exception within the group, they tend to have more favorable reactions toward their own overqualification status and perform better," the study's authors wrote.<br /><br />The research was based on interviews and studies of 351 employees and their supervisors from 11 information technology companies in China over a six-month period. [Now Hiring? Leadership Language to Look For ]<br /><br />The study's authors found that when working with co-workers whose average overqualification level was high, employees who felt overqualified perceived greater task-significance, felt that they fit in better with their peers and demonstrated higher levels of performance.<br /><br />"Managers may benefit from understanding that as overqualification becomes normalized in the workplace, it exerts a more positive influence over such behaviors as job performance and citizenship," Jasmine Hu, one of the study's authors and an assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame, said in a statement.<br /><br />To ensure overqualified employees know they aren't alone, organizations should recognize employees' qualifications when they are first hired and point out they are in good company by emphasizing that they will be working with a highly qualified group, Hu said.<br /><br />"Managers could also encourage more interactions among members to build team spirit, emphasizing the importance of benefiting others through one's work, and highlight the interpersonal compatibility within a group to promote the positive influence of overqualification on employee attitudes and behaviors," Hu said.<br /><br />The study was co-authored by Kaifeng Jiang, an assistant professor at Notre Dame, and Berrin Erdogan and Talya Bauer, professors at Portland State University.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>culled from:businessnewsdaily.com</i><br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
The
study defines overqualification as an "employment situation in which
employees feel that they possess surplus qualifications relative to what
a job requires.<br />
"When individual employees feel that they are not the only 'big fish in
the pond,' and when overqualification becomes a norm rather than
exception within the group, they tend to have more favorable reactions
toward their own overqualification status and perform better," the
study's authors wrote.<br />
The research was based on interviews and studies of 351 employees and
their supervisors from 11 information technology companies in China over
a six-month period. <strong>[<a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8146-hiring-for-leadership-skills.html">Now Hiring? Leadership Language to Look For</a> ]</strong><br />
The study's authors found that when working with co-workers whose
average overqualification level was high, employees who felt
overqualified perceived greater task-significance, felt that they fit in
better with their peers and demonstrated higher levels of performance.<br />
"Managers may benefit from understanding that as overqualification
becomes normalized in the workplace, it exerts a more positive influence
over such behaviors as job performance and citizenship," Jasmine Hu,
one of the study's authors and an assistant professor at the University
of Notre Dame, <a href="http://news.nd.edu/news/63164-businesses-may-benefit-from-overqualified-employees/">said in a statement</a>.<br />
To ensure overqualified employees know they aren't alone, organizations
should recognize employees' qualifications when they are first hired
and point out they are in good company by emphasizing that they will be
working with a highly qualified group, Hu said.<br />
"Managers could also encourage more interactions among members to build
team spirit, emphasizing the importance of benefiting others through
one's work, and highlight the interpersonal compatibility within a group
to promote the positive influence of overqualification on employee
attitudes and behaviors," Hu said.<br />
The study was co-authored by Kaifeng Jiang, an assistant professor at
Notre Dame, and Berrin Erdogan and Talya Bauer, professors at Portland
State University.<br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8672-overqualified-employee-benefits.html#sthash.uhHi5bTl.dpuf</div>
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-27449332915943884522015-12-03T03:19:00.002-08:002015-12-03T03:19:40.520-08:003 Oddball Interview Questions And How To Answer Them<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="answer-oddball-interview-questions" class="rounded wp-image-45667 wp-post-image" height="266" src="http://www.careerealism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/shutterstock_299404586.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i><a class="author-name" href="http://www.careerealism.com/author/peggy-mckee/">Peggy McKee</a></i><br />
<br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Sometimes,
you’re in a job interview and out of left field comes a question so
bizarre that you have no idea how it could possibly apply to this job.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Why do interviewers ask oddball interview questions?</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Almost always, it’s because they are trying to get at your true personality.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">They’re
trying to surprise you into an answer that comes straight from the
heart, because you haven’t (and couldn’t have) prepared or practiced for
it.</span><br />
<div class="entry-title">
<strong><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence"></span></strong><a href="http://www.careerealism.com/stupid-interview-question-answer/"><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence"><br /></span></a></div>
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">If you get
asked an oddball question, remember that it’s OK for you to stop and
think a moment about your answer (not too long, but a moment).</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Don’t pop off with something that could end up hurting your chances at the job.</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Here are three oddball interview questions with some ideas for how to answer them:</span><br />
<h3>
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?</span></h3>
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Here is
the Most Important Rule about any ‘what would you be’ question: Always
choose QUALITIES about the thing (whatever it is) that apply to you and
your fit for this job.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Do not answer it by naming things that you like about it (i.e. “I would be an apple tree because apples are my favorite fruit.”)</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">It’s always a good idea, as part of your</span> <a href="http://careerconfidential.com/ultimate-guide-to-job-interview-prep/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">interview prep</span></a><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">, to think about what qualities you have that would be good for someone in this job.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">If you’ve done that, it may be easier than you think to come up with an answer to a personality question like this on the fly.</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">What trees are ‘good’ trees?</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">The oak tree is a tried-and-true answer—it’s strong and doesn’t bend in the wind (otherwise known as pressure from others).</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">On the other hand, a palm tree could be a great answer because it’s so flexible it can stand up to hurricanes.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">If
‘productive’ is an adjective that applies to you, you could choose a
fruit tree or a sugar maple tree (it produces maple syrup).</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Trees NOT
to choose: Cottonwood trees tend to be a nuisance because they release a
lot of floating ‘cotton’ structures that carry seeds, so that may not
be a wise choice.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Neither is a sad, weak Weeping Willow.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">(I personally love both of those trees, but remember—it’s not the tree, it’s the quality the tree represents.)</span><br />
<h3>
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">If you were an animal, what animal would you be?</span></h3>
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Always keep cultural perceptions in mind when you answer this question.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">For instance, some people think of cats as independent, but others see them as lazy and standoffish.</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Animals with better PR are usually ones like:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Horses (strong, smart, and able to work alone or on a team)</span></li>
<li><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Eagles (soar above other birds, able to see the big picture)</span></li>
<li><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Elephants (strong, intelligent, loyal, unstoppable)</span></li>
<li><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Monkeys (quick learners, agile, help others)</span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">How many basketballs could you fit into a limousine?</span></h3>
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">This is
more of a brainteaser question, designed to get you to demonstrate how
you think and solve problems. This kind of question takes many forms:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">How would you move a mountain 1 foot over?</span></li>
<li><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">What would you do if an airplane landed in our parking lot?</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Whatever the question is, here’s what to do:</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Start thinking through the answer out loud.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">They want to see how you think.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Reason it out.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Use a pen and paper to solve it if you need to (a productive person uses the resources necessary to solve a problem).</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Say
something like, “Well, a basketball is about one cubic foot, so I would
find out the average cubic feet of the inside of a limousine and I’d
have my answer.”</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">If they’d
filled the limousine with marbles or tennis balls or jelly beans, you
could say, “I could get a one foot cube, fill it with jelly beans, count
those, and multiply that by the average cubic feet of a limousine.”</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">You don’t
have to arrive at an exact right answer to deliver a good answer (I bet
they don’t know how many basketballs you could fit into a limousine,
either).</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Remember, you may not get asked these exact questions.</span> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">The
goal is to help you think about how to think about these kinds of
questions so that you know what to do if you are surprised by one in the
interview.</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Get the</span> <a href="http://careerconfidential.com/how-to-answer-interview-questions-series/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">best answers to 101 job interview questions</span></a> <span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">and crush your interview!</span><br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence">Best of luck.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="blast tbn-flight-sentence"><i>culled from:careerealism.com</i></span>Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-72572795429075579012015-12-03T03:14:00.000-08:002015-12-03T03:14:03.658-08:008 Reasons Why You Should Start Eating Asparagus! <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Close-up of a girl eating an asparagus" bgcolor="#cdccb6" class="lazy-img attachment-full animated fadeIn" data-bttrlazyloading-lg="{"src":"http:\/\/cdn-media-2.lifehack.org\/wp-content\/files\/2015\/11\/21094015\/close-up-of-a-girl-eating-an-asparagus-1.jpg","width":2020,"height":1485}" data-bttrlazyloading-md="{"src":"http:\/\/cdn-media-2.lifehack.org\/wp-content\/files\/2015\/11\/21094015\/close-up-of-a-girl-eating-an-asparagus-1-1024x753.jpg","width":1024,"height":753}" data-bttrlazyloading-sm="{"src":"http:\/\/cdn-media-2.lifehack.org\/wp-content\/files\/2015\/11\/21094015\/close-up-of-a-girl-eating-an-asparagus-1-380x279.jpg","width":380,"height":279}" data-bttrlazyloading-xs="{"src":"http:\/\/cdn-media-2.lifehack.org\/wp-content\/files\/2015\/11\/21094015\/close-up-of-a-girl-eating-an-asparagus-1-380x279.jpg","width":380,"height":279}" data-lh-image-id="339789" height="294" src="http://cdn-media-2.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2015/11/21094015/close-up-of-a-girl-eating-an-asparagus-1-1024x753.jpg" style="display: block;" title="Asparagus" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i><span class="meta"><span class="info">by <a class="tracker-binded" href="http://www.lifehack.org/author/brian-wu" rel="author" title="Posts by Brian Wu">Brian Wu</a></span></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="post-content-desktop hidden-phone">
One of the earliest
signs of a new growing season is the presence of asparagus at the
supermarket. Asparagus is a tall plant from the lily family whose shoots
are edible and considered a health vegetable that is perfect for almost
any diet. There are many reasons why everyone should be eating
asparagus. Let’s take a look at exactly why you should make this tasty
vegetable a part of your diet.<br />
<h2>
1. Asparagus is Loaded With Nutrients</h2>
Asparagus is loaded with <a class="tracker-binded" href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=12" target="_blank">nutrients</a>
your body needs such as fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K. It also
contains chromium, a mineral that helps improve insulin’s ability to
remove glucose from the body’s cells, meaning it is great for diabetics.<br />
<h2>
2. It Will Keep You Regular</h2>
All jokes about the smell of your urine after you eat asparagus
aside, this little veggie is a natural diuretic due to the presence of
the amino acid asparagine. This increased urination will help your body
shed excess salts, which is particular beneficial for anyone that
retains too much fluid in their bodies.<br />
<h2>
3. Asparagus Can Help You Shed Excess Weight</h2>
At only <a class="tracker-binded" href="http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-fresh-or-dried-vegetables-asparagus-boiled_f-ZmlkPTEyNzMwOA.html" target="_blank">3 calories per spear</a>,
asparagus is a great vegetable to add to any diet, and especially good
for those that are looking to lose weight. You can easily snack on these
at any time without having to worry about the extra calories. Just
think of it as a guilt-free snack.<br />
<h2>
4. It Helps Prevent Cancer</h2>
Asparagus is a great source for <a class="tracker-binded" href="http://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-drug?cdrid=655232" target="_blank">glutathione</a>,
a known agent that can help your body break down and remove carcinogens
from your body. This means that it, in effect, can help prevent cancer
from forming and growing in your body.<br />
<h2>
5. Naturally Organic</h2>
Asparagus is one of the fastest growing of all the spring vegetables.
Because of this fact, there is very little need to continually spray
them with pesticides to protect the crops. While some are still used,
asparagus has some of the lowest concentrations of any non-organic crop
on the market. Of course, you can still buy organic to support the
cause, but you have less to worry about it when you purchase asparagus.<br />
<h2>
6. Great Food for Bacteria</h2>
Remember, not all bacteria are bad. In fact, there are many types of
bacteria living inside each and every one of us as we speak, and without
them we couldn’t survive. Asparagus contains a unique carbohydrate
known as Inunlin. This carb is great for those bacteria living inside
you as it promotes healthy growth and activity of these bacteria.<br />
<h2>
7. Natural Aphrodisiac</h2>
Admittedly, more research needs to be done in this area, but it is a
long held belief that asparagus is an aphrodisiac. Whether you are male
or female, there is a long held belief that it can help improve your sex
drive and it has even been used to increase pregnancy chances and to
treat many of the symptoms of <a class="tracker-binded" href="http://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/symptoms-signs" target="_blank">menopause</a>.<br />
<h2>
8. It Tastes Great</h2>
I admit, taste is a rather subjective subject. However, when it is
prepared correctly, asparagus tastes great and can compliment almost any
meal. There are many ways you can prepare it. You can steam it, roast
it and even grill it. No matter which method you choose, you will have a
wonderful side dish perfect for almost any meal.<br />
To steam asparagus, place a steamer basket in a saucepan and add
water filling the saucepan to just below the basket. Bring the water to a
boil. Add the asparagus to the basket, reduce the heat and let it
simmer for 3 to 5 minutes covered until the asparagus is somewhat tender
yet crisp.<br />
<h2>
Who Should Eat It</h2>
With very few downsides to asparagus, it is really a great vegetable
for everyone to enjoy. When you do eat it, make sure you cut off the
very bottom of each of the stalks, as they tend to be difficult to chew.
Some people who are following a strict diet for other health reasons
should always consult with their physician before adding asparagus to
their diet.<br />
<h2>
Conclusion</h2>
Asparagus is a great tasting vegetable that is good for your health
in many ways, making it the perfect side dish for any meal or even a
great snack idea to help get you through those hungry times. With all
its health benefits and its great taste, it’s perfect for anyone looking
to live a healthier life. So why not steam some asparagus today and
start reaping all the benefits it has to offer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:lifehack.org</i> </div>
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-60588851860182667422015-12-03T03:10:00.000-08:002015-12-03T03:10:09.338-08:005 Tips For Teaching Leadership Skills<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="277" src="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/images/i/000/010/207/original/training.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&fit=around%7C700:500" width="400" /></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>By Nicole Fallon Taylor</i><br />
<br />
It's often said that it takes a certain type of person to be a great leader. These individuals exhibit qualities like passion, integrity, a take-charge attitude and the ability to inspire others. Employers and executives recognize this, and these "born leaders" are often first in line for promotions to leadership roles.<br /><br />But people with leadership potential don't simply become leaders overnight. It's up to existing leaders to train the next generation, showing them how to guide a group of people toward a specific vision or goal.<br /><br />Whether your company has a structured training program or you simply teach by example, here are a few key things to keep in mind when you're training future leaders. [5 Simple Ways to Become a Better Leader]<br />Choose the right people<br /><br />While certain individuals may seem like shoe-ins for a leadership position based on their personality or their current role within a company, it's crucial to take all performance and experience factors into account before determining their leadership candidacy.<br /><br />"Before you start teaching and enhancing the skills of a leader, you have to start with the right person," said Brian Sullivan, a vice president at sales and management training firm Sandler Training. "This person should have a track record of success [in their current role] and have already exhibited leadership traits. Not everything they'll be doing as a leader is necessarily something they've done before, but these two fundamental items are the springboard for any type of training."<br /><br />Sullivan also told leaders not to allow favoritism to come into play when choosing a successor, and make a decision based solely on a candidate's qualifications.<br />Make sure they understand the business<br /><br />A good leader must always be training the next generation of leaders, said Stephen Sheinbaum, founder of financial technology company Bizfi, which provides alternative finance for small businesses. To do this, leadership candidates need to be well-versed in where your business is headed, and what kinds of people and skills will be needed to make that happen.<br /><br />"If a greater use of technology is going to be key to the future growth of your company, then you've got to make sure that your leaders understand that technology and its importance in your industry," Sheinbaum said. "They may not be the ones writing the code, but they have to know how to hire, communicate with and guide the coders that you will need."<br />Build their listening skills<br /><br />One of the most important skills a leader can acquire is how to listen. A true leader always takes his or her team's feedback into account when making decisions. This skill can be taught by being a good listener yourself.<br /><br />"Always listen to the input you receive, and act on it," said Guryan Tighe, a partner at Speakeasy Strategies public relations firm. "If you have only your own agenda in mind, you can't truly hear others' input and potentially, the next great idea. Make sure your business is set up to stimulate people around you to create and take initiative. For example, ask the trainees about their training experience, as this encourages an environment focused on growth and development."<br />Help them craft a future vision<br /><br />"Vision" is a word that is commonly thrown around in reference to leaders, but what does it really mean? Denise Brosseau, CEO of Thought Leadership Lab, believes it involves the ability to inspire others to see a future worth striving for.<br /><br />"[Leaders should] focus on crafting a compelling vision of the future that they will work to bring about," said Brosseau, author of "Ready to Be a Thought Leader?" (Jossey-Bass, 2014). "This future must be something they are passionate about, but they must also have the credibility and experience to make progress toward achieving it."<br /><br />Teaching leadership candidates how to create and articulate their own future vision will help them when it comes time to actually execute plans to get there.<br />Look at their motivations<br /><br />If a leadership candidate seems more excited about being "the boss" who's in charge of others, he or she probably isn't the best person for the job. A good leader knows that his or her job is working for everybody else, said Dale Falcinelli, chairman of the advisory council at Lehigh University's Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship.<br /><br />"Leadership is an executive club, and it shouldn't be taken for granted," Falcinelli told Business News Daily. "Leaders aren't caught up with the notion of people working for them. They'll have the passion and drive to get where they need to go, and they'll know that to get there, they have to work for and through other people."<br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>culled from:businessnewsdaily.com</i><br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
It's
often said that it takes a certain type of person to be a great leader.
These individuals exhibit qualities like passion, integrity, a
take-charge attitude and the ability to inspire others. Employers and
executives recognize this, and these "born leaders" are often first in
line for promotions to leadership roles.<br />
But people with leadership potential don't simply become leaders
overnight. It's up to existing leaders to train the next generation,
showing them how to guide a group of people toward a specific vision or
goal.<br />
Whether your company has a structured training program or you simply
teach by example, here are a few key things to keep in mind when you're
training future leaders. <strong><a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4991-effective-leadership-skills.html">[5 Simple Ways to Become a Better Leader]</a></strong><br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Choose the right people</h2>
While certain individuals may seem like shoe-ins for a leadership
position based on their personality or their current role within a
company, it's crucial to take all performance and experience factors
into account before determining their leadership candidacy.<br />
"Before you start teaching and enhancing the skills of a leader, you
have to start with the right person," said Brian Sullivan, a vice
president at sales and management training firm <a href="http://www.sandler.com/">Sandler Training</a>.
"This person should have a track record of success [in their current
role] and have already exhibited leadership traits. Not everything
they'll be doing as a leader is necessarily something they've done
before, but these two fundamental items are the springboard for any type
of training."<br />
Sullivan also told leaders not to allow favoritism to come into play
when choosing a successor, and make a decision based solely on a
candidate's qualifications.<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Make sure they understand the business</h2>
A good leader must always be training the next generation of leaders,
said Stephen Sheinbaum, founder of financial technology company <a href="http://www.bizfi.com/">Bizfi</a>,
which provides alternative finance for small businesses. To do this,
leadership candidates need to be well-versed in where your business is
headed, and what kinds of people and skills will be needed to make that
happen.<br />
"If a greater use of technology is going to be key to the future growth
of your company, then you've got to make sure that your leaders
understand that technology and its importance in your industry,"
Sheinbaum said. "They may not be the ones writing the code, but they
have to know how to hire, communicate with and guide the coders that you
will need."<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Build their listening skills</h2>
One of the most important skills a leader can acquire is how to listen.
A true leader always takes his or her team's feedback into account when
making decisions. This skill can be taught by being a good listener
yourself.<br />
"Always listen to the input you receive, and act on it," said Guryan Tighe, a partner at <a href="http://speakeasystrategies.com/">Speakeasy Strategies</a>
public relations firm. "If you have only your own agenda in mind, you
can't truly hear others' input and potentially, the next great idea.
Make sure your business is set up to stimulate people around you to
create and take initiative. For example, ask the trainees about their
training experience, as this encourages an environment focused on growth
and development."<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Help them craft a future vision</h2>
"Vision" is a word that is commonly thrown around in reference to
leaders, but what does it really mean? Denise Brosseau, CEO of Thought
Leadership Lab, believes it involves the ability to inspire others to
see a future worth striving for.<br />
"[Leaders should] focus on crafting a compelling vision of the future
that they will work to bring about," said Brosseau, author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1118647610/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_PSyZsb1K2RY9K">Ready to Be a Thought Leader</a>?"
(Jossey-Bass, 2014). "This future must be something they are passionate
about, but they must also have the credibility and experience to make
progress toward achieving it."<br />
Teaching leadership candidates how to create and articulate their own
future vision will help them when it comes time to actually execute
plans to get there.<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Look at their motivations</h2>
If a leadership candidate seems more excited about being "the boss"
who's in charge of others, he or she probably isn't the best person for
the job. A good leader knows that his or her job is working for
everybody else, said Dale Falcinelli, chairman of the advisory council
at Lehigh University's <a href="http://lehighbakerinstitute.com/">Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship</a>.<br />
"Leadership is an executive club, and it shouldn't be taken for
granted," Falcinelli told Business News Daily. "Leaders aren't caught up
with the notion of people working for them. They'll have the passion
and drive to get where they need to go, and they'll know that to get
there, they have to work for and through other people."<br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5818-leadership-training.html#sthash.4PXCF2Hv.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
It's
often said that it takes a certain type of person to be a great leader.
These individuals exhibit qualities like passion, integrity, a
take-charge attitude and the ability to inspire others. Employers and
executives recognize this, and these "born leaders" are often first in
line for promotions to leadership roles.<br />
But people with leadership potential don't simply become leaders
overnight. It's up to existing leaders to train the next generation,
showing them how to guide a group of people toward a specific vision or
goal.<br />
Whether your company has a structured training program or you simply
teach by example, here are a few key things to keep in mind when you're
training future leaders. <strong><a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4991-effective-leadership-skills.html">[5 Simple Ways to Become a Better Leader]</a></strong><br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Choose the right people</h2>
While certain individuals may seem like shoe-ins for a leadership
position based on their personality or their current role within a
company, it's crucial to take all performance and experience factors
into account before determining their leadership candidacy.<br />
"Before you start teaching and enhancing the skills of a leader, you
have to start with the right person," said Brian Sullivan, a vice
president at sales and management training firm <a href="http://www.sandler.com/">Sandler Training</a>.
"This person should have a track record of success [in their current
role] and have already exhibited leadership traits. Not everything
they'll be doing as a leader is necessarily something they've done
before, but these two fundamental items are the springboard for any type
of training."<br />
Sullivan also told leaders not to allow favoritism to come into play
when choosing a successor, and make a decision based solely on a
candidate's qualifications.<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Make sure they understand the business</h2>
A good leader must always be training the next generation of leaders,
said Stephen Sheinbaum, founder of financial technology company <a href="http://www.bizfi.com/">Bizfi</a>,
which provides alternative finance for small businesses. To do this,
leadership candidates need to be well-versed in where your business is
headed, and what kinds of people and skills will be needed to make that
happen.<br />
"If a greater use of technology is going to be key to the future growth
of your company, then you've got to make sure that your leaders
understand that technology and its importance in your industry,"
Sheinbaum said. "They may not be the ones writing the code, but they
have to know how to hire, communicate with and guide the coders that you
will need."<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Build their listening skills</h2>
One of the most important skills a leader can acquire is how to listen.
A true leader always takes his or her team's feedback into account when
making decisions. This skill can be taught by being a good listener
yourself.<br />
"Always listen to the input you receive, and act on it," said Guryan Tighe, a partner at <a href="http://speakeasystrategies.com/">Speakeasy Strategies</a>
public relations firm. "If you have only your own agenda in mind, you
can't truly hear others' input and potentially, the next great idea.
Make sure your business is set up to stimulate people around you to
create and take initiative. For example, ask the trainees about their
training experience, as this encourages an environment focused on growth
and development."<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Help them craft a future vision</h2>
"Vision" is a word that is commonly thrown around in reference to
leaders, but what does it really mean? Denise Brosseau, CEO of Thought
Leadership Lab, believes it involves the ability to inspire others to
see a future worth striving for.<br />
"[Leaders should] focus on crafting a compelling vision of the future
that they will work to bring about," said Brosseau, author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1118647610/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_PSyZsb1K2RY9K">Ready to Be a Thought Leader</a>?"
(Jossey-Bass, 2014). "This future must be something they are passionate
about, but they must also have the credibility and experience to make
progress toward achieving it."<br />
Teaching leadership candidates how to create and articulate their own
future vision will help them when it comes time to actually execute
plans to get there.<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Look at their motivations</h2>
If a leadership candidate seems more excited about being "the boss"
who's in charge of others, he or she probably isn't the best person for
the job. A good leader knows that his or her job is working for
everybody else, said Dale Falcinelli, chairman of the advisory council
at Lehigh University's <a href="http://lehighbakerinstitute.com/">Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship</a>.<br />
"Leadership is an executive club, and it shouldn't be taken for
granted," Falcinelli told Business News Daily. "Leaders aren't caught up
with the notion of people working for them. They'll have the passion
and drive to get where they need to go, and they'll know that to get
there, they have to work for and through other people."<br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5818-leadership-training.html#sthash.4PXCF2Hv.dpuf</div>
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-84142990701964597372015-12-03T03:01:00.000-08:002015-12-03T03:01:06.717-08:00Why Sending a Deck to an Investor Before a First Meeting Is a Bad Idea<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Why Sending a Deck to an Investor Before a First Meeting Is a Bad Idea" height="224" rel="share" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/1396044769-how-make-time-work-pitching-funds.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/alex-isoklod" rel="author"></a></i><br />
<div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/alex-isoklod" rel="author">Alex Iskold</a></i></div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/alex-isoklod" rel="author">
</a></i>
<br />
<div class="title">
<i>Contributor</i></div>
<br />
Here's a typical exchange between a founder and an investor:<br />
<strong>Founder:</strong> Hi! Would LOVE to meet you and talk to you about what we are doing.<br /><strong>Investor:</strong> Do you have a deck?<br /><strong>Founder:</strong> Sure, here it is. When can we meet?<br />
Then, after about a week or two:<br />
<strong>Investor:</strong> Sorry, doesn't look like I could help. (Or even worse: I am pretty busy now, let's reconnect in a month.)<br />
So
why do investors ask for decks? To avoid a meeting. Most founders don't
get strong introductions. They just get any introduction they can
get. Investors ask for decks to get an idea if the business is a fit for
them. But that's not quite true. Investors are really just looking for
the team slide and the traction slide. They want to know if the team has
experience in the space, and what progress they have made.<br />
Investors
will make a decision to pass on your business based on your deck.
Investors pass immediately if the team doesn't have relevant
experience and there is no traction. Once they decide to pass, it will
be difficult to get another look.<br />
Your business isn't your deck. You are not your deck. Don't let the deck represent you.<br />
This is as simple as I can put it.<br />
Once
an investor gets the deck, there is little urgency to act. It can sit
in his or her inbox for days. It feels like work to look through.<br />
All
decks are different. Some are really long and not standard. Investors
hate those. They flip through a slide or two and stop. I know that
because I often struggle to get through the decks I get.<br />
Then there is the danger that if you liberally send out your decks, you will quickly find that your competitors have it.<br />
But, you say, everyone asks to send the deck. How could I possibly say no? What do I do?<br />
To
solve a problem, let's understand its cause. The cause is that you are
actually too early, don't have traction, don't necessarily have
background in the space, are coming to the investor via a not-so-warm
introduction and asking for a lot of time.<br />
Flip
this on its head. Don't go after investors until you have traction. Get
a warm intro from someone who knows you and can attest to your
progress and who knows the investor. Find a person who the
investor actually trusts and respects -- most likely another founder he
or she backed or a person he or she worked closely with in the past.<br />
Instead of the deck, send a <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252952" target="_blank">two-paragraph introduction</a>.
Be sure to include progress on your traction thus far, how you are
different from competitors and why you are working on this business.<br />
Ask
to get feedback via a 15-minute Google Hangout session. This way, you
can still make a connection with the investor, because in the worst case
you will get a call, and in the best case the investor will actually be
impressed and ask you to come in for a meeting.<br />
Two well-written
paragraphs should be easy enough for the investor to decide if it makes
sense to engage with you. Those two paragraphs are easier to understand
than a deck. You are saving the investor a lot of time. You are also
making sure your deck is not parading around the Internet.<br />
If you
want to up your game, shoot 60 seconds (no longer) of video to give the
investor more background on you and the business. I love seeing these in
Techstars applications. Video is way better than the deck. The
investors can actually tell a little bit about you as a person. Awesome
video increases the chance of investors saying yes to a meeting.<br />
While
sending the deck before the meeting is generally a bad idea, you do
need a deck, and it needs to be awesome. You will use the deck when
formally raising money from venture-capital firms. Typically you will
need the deck to walk investors through your business during the second
and the third meeting.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com </i>Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-4689668391343274182015-12-03T02:57:00.002-08:002015-12-03T02:57:32.849-08:005 Tips to Prepare You and Your Business for the Holidays<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="5 tips" class="attachment-general_660w_image" height="233" itemprop="contentURL" src="http://smallbiztrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/5-tips-660x386.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<span class="byline">
<i><span class="article-author vcard">by <span class="fn nickname" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name"><a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/author/joshua-sophy" itemprop="url" title="Articles by Joshua Sophy">Joshua Sophy</a></span></span></span></i></span><br />
<br />
The holiday season often brings the busiest time of the year for
small businesses and increasing demands from the owners’ family and
friends.<br />
By being well prepared, owners and their families increase their
chances for a happy holiday season — and a happy and prosperous new
year.<br />
<h2>
Staying Ahead of the Competition</h2>
Let’s face it. Yours isn’t the only business out there that’s hoping
to take advantage of the busy holiday season. So it’s important to stay a
step ahead of the competition.<br />
These five tips will help prepare you and your business for the holidays.<br />
<h3>
1. Track Inventory</h3>
A lot of a business’s success this holiday season will depend on what
it’s able to offer its customers when they want it. That starts with
inventory.<br />
By looking at last year’s sales, owners can gauge the products that
resonated best with customers — and what didn’t do as well. Remember, it
can be just as bad to order too much of a product as it is to run out
of product that’s in high demand. Having shelves stocked with inventory
that’s not moving is a loss.<br />
If sales figures from last year don’t provide much help with
purchasing inventory this year, put a plan in place to track sales this
time around. This will not only help in the current holiday season, but
also better prepare for planning in the year to come.<br />
<h3>
2. Minimize Back Office Work</h3>
High volume sales and extended hours are likely to keep owners from
managing the back end of their business in a timely manner. It’s the
customer first, everything else later.<br />
Small businesses today should be taking advantage of the myriad
technological advancements that ease the burden of handling tasks like
accounting, billing, collecting customer data and presenting and
automating business transactions.<br />
“It’s important that small business owners understand how to use
technology to help manage the needs of their business,” said Laura
Miller, president of <a href="https://www.chase.com/online/business-credit-cards/ink-business-credit-cards.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ink app from Chase</a>.
“These technologies can quickly and easily provide small business
owners with more time and flexibility to focus on growing and
maintaining the business.”<br />
<h3>
3. Stay On Top of Sales and Expenses</h3>
During this time of the year, things tend to move at a more frenetic
pace, which can make it more difficult to stay up-to-the-minute on the
daily business tasks. This also means spending more time than usual
trying to reconcile checks and balances when you do finally get to it.<br />
This is where automation and technology become a small business owner’s best friends. A product like the <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/07/chase-ink-app-formerly-jot.html" target="_blank">Ink app from Chase</a> (available to <a href="https://creditcards.chase.com/ink-business-credit-cards" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ink app from Chase</a>) gives instant notifications of sales and purchases made whenever the card is used.<br />
“It’s important that business owners have the proper tools in place
to help support the ongoing needs of their business, since slowing down
to tackle these is the last thing today’s small business owners have the
time to do,” Miller said.<br />
And for those unexpected, last-minute expenses, the Ink app allows
users to snap photos of receipts so they can be tracked by accounting
software and not accidentally thrown in the trash or lost amid the
shuffle.<br />
<h3>
4. Develop a Marketing Strategy</h3>
It’s important for businesses to stand out among the endless
marketing gimmicks and promotions used to entice customers. Instead,
small businesses should focus on offering <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/10/holiday-marketing-tips-retail-store.html" target="_blank">holiday promotions</a>
specific to their products and services. Once owners have special
loyalty offers in place, they need to figure out how to get them in
front of potential customers. Here are a few options.<br />
<ul>
<li>Email marketing still proves to be the most effective with the highest conversion rate for owners with a robust email list.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Social media is also an obvious first step. Initial promotion is
free and there are paid options to promote products and services on
these sites. Companies may also want to consider ad campaigns through
major search engines like Bing and Google. And brick-and-mortar shops
should consider offering local in-store promotions.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Gather customer data to keep them aware of future promotions and
offerings. Consider a promotion that offers a discount in exchange for
an email address to <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/01/tools-for-email-list-management.html" target="_blank">build an email list</a> and repeat customer base.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
5. Maintain Momentum</h3>
Preparation for the holiday season hopefully leads to less clean up
after it ends. There should be no penny unaccounted for at the end of
the season. Organization, proper tracking and planned strategies
prepared in advance are important to a successful and fruitful holiday
season.<br />
<a href="https://www.chase.com/digital/chase-for-business" target="_blank">Chase for Business</a> has many products and services that can help prepare you and your small business for the holidays to compete successfully.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:smallbiztrends.com </i>Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-33746208715022027602015-11-25T08:34:00.002-08:002015-11-25T08:34:58.433-08:00You Made It Yourself: Now What? 29 Places to Sell Your Handmade Creations<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="places to sell your handmade" class="attachment-general_660w_image" height="224" itemprop="contentURL" src="http://smallbiztrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/places-to-sell-your-handmade-660x370.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<i><span class="byline"><span class="article-author vcard">by <span class="fn nickname" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name"><a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/author/tjmccue" itemprop="url" title="Articles by TJ McCue">TJ McCue</a></span></span></span></span></i><br />
<br />
The word “handmade” evokes feelings of warmth, of comfort, of
craftsmanship. Earlier this summer, I mentioned some cool niche sites
serving the artisan community in my <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/07/19-additions-ecommerce-list.html" target="_blank">19 new additions to a large ecommerce list</a>.
Amazon and eBay are certainly well known marketplaces among those
looking to sell just about anything, but niche marketplaces and
communities are growing quickly. These 29 Marketplaces offer a way to <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/08/resources-selling-craft-homemade-items.html" target="_blank">buy and sell handmade goods</a>.<br />
<a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=6220&id=256195" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Etsy</a>
is probably one of the best-known marketplaces for artisans and
craftpeople of all types. You’ll find new and vintage goods on Etsy. You
will find curated lists by category or topic as well as a directory of
local shops in your area. They have an excellent blog with deeper
topics, such as <em>The Value of Home Economics</em> and other topics you might not expect to find in an online marketplace.<br />
<a href="http://www.artfire.com/" target="_blank">ArtFire</a> is a
well-known indie marketplace with a great community feel to it. Another
feature that really stood out for me: you can place an item on your
Amazon wishlist. The fact that ArtFire tied into Amazon’s Universal
Wishlist technology is a brilliant move.<br />
<a href="http://www.supermarkethq.com/" target="_blank">Supermarket</a>
offers an elegantly simple marketplace. They don’t offer every category
under the sun, but four meta ones: everything, wear + carry, space +
place, and paper + prints. You’ll see photos of items on the home page;
clicking that item takes you into a designer’s store. It is a clean and
simple structure including a directory of designers.<br />
<a href="http://www.ecrater.com/" target="_blank">eCrater</a> is both
a free Web store builder and an online marketplace. If you are a
seller, you can create your own free online store in minutes. You can
also import an eBay store into eCrater. If you are a buyer, you can
browse and search millions of products.<br />
<a href="http://www.craft.ly/">Craftly</a> is one of those hot, new
startups that earns points for online marketing savvy. It’s online
marketplace meets Kickstarter (the crowdfunding site), but for artists
and craftspeople. The site is just getting started, but holds promise as
a great place to test the market before you start making your product
on a bigger scale.<br />
<a href="http://freecraftfair.com/">Free Craft Fair</a> is less a
marketplace and more of a Yahoo-type directory. Still, it serves a
purpose for those looking to get in front of craft buyers.<br />
<a href="http://handmadeartistsshop.com/">Handmade Artists’ Shop</a>
is a combination of marketplace and community forum. If you are looking
for a collection of artists and craftspeople learning from one another,
this forum might provide some useful help.<br />
<a href="http://www.folksy.com/">Folksy</a> is a U.K.-based handmade
goods marketplace. With everything from books to jewelry to soap, Folksy
has plenty for sale. But they also have a <em>Make </em>magazine-style do-it-yourself section.<br />
<a href="http://www.shopwindoz.com/en/home/public">ShopWindoz</a> (a
German site) is for creatives of all types who are turning exciting
ideas into unique products outside the mainstream. ShopWindoz gives
designers and artists the opportunity to become shop owners and sell
their products online to a global audience.<br />
<a href="http://www.notmassproduced.com/index.htm">Notmassproduced</a>
is a do-it-for-you type of model. You set up your store, pricing and
shipping, but they handle everything else. They manage the sales
process, you ship to the customer, they pay you from the Notmassproduced
service. Each vendor is selected to be on the site, so it validates
each artisan to assure a match. U.K. and Europe focus.<br />
<a href="http://www.misi.co.uk/">Misi</a> is a U.K. online craft
marketplace. Sellers get a “free for life” shop including a subdomain.
They have a forum to help you get your business started or to advance
your marketing skills, for example. There is a low commission on sold
items.<br />
<a href="http://www.coriandr.com/">Coriandr</a> is a fun U.K.-based
marketplace for buying and selling handmade gifts. It has an
easy-to-set-up storefront and some enthusiastic marketing materials and
badges to drive people to your store. I like their gifts under £20
section (conceptually because it drives people to a bargain area in this
crazy economy). They even have a “mini shop” idea that lets you embed a
store quickly into your own blog or website.<br />
<a href="http://en.dawanda.com/">Dawanda</a> takes an interesting
approach that lets buyers create unique collections of products and
share them with their friends. If you are a seller of handmade or unique
products, this marketplace is well organized and looks seller-friendly.<br />
<a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome">SpoonFlower</a> is one
of my favorite discoveries for local, handmade products from artisans.
They focus on fabric and make it possible for individuals to design,
print and sell their own fabric designs. As many readers know, I love to
find entrepreneurs who dig deep into a niche and do something no one
else is doing. Spoonflower is precisely that. If you’re looking for
fabrics or looking to sell them, try Spoonflower.<br />
<a href="http://zibbet.com/">Zibbet</a> looks pretty competitive with
no listing fees, no commission fees and a free level account. What’s
not to like about that? They have an Etsy importer, too, if you’re
leaving that service.<br />
<a href="http://imadeitmarket.com/">I Made It Market</a> is a nomadic
indie crafts marketplace that provides opportunities for artists to
bring their wares to market. They do it by partnering with community,
arts and nonprofit organizations to raise funds and awareness to assist
them in improving communities. Artists and craftspeople apply to be part
of live events.<br />
<a href="http://poppytalkhandmade.com/">PoppyTalk Handmade</a> is a
monthly online street market curated by Poppytalk to showcase, buy and
sell handmade goods of emerging design talent from around the world. The
key word here is “curated” as PoppyTalk finds and accepts only certain
merchants for its storefront. But the Buy button on this curated site
drives the buyer back to your existing online storefront, whether it is
your own, Etsy or another marketplace. They have won a number of awards
for best blog and best site.<br />
<a href="http://icraft.ca/">iCraft</a> is for original handmade
products, not vintage, not for resellers and not for food products. In
fact, they are very, very specific about what they accept in their
marketplace and it is actually refreshing to see such clarity. It may
not be for everyone, but you will know if you fit or not. The pricing
structure seems to resonate for lots of artisans.<br />
<a href="http://www.silkfair.com/">Silk Fair</a> allows you to have a
free Market Booth on their marketplace or to build a full-fledged
custom online store with their Web-based software. You can appear in the
marketplace <strong><em>and</em></strong> as your own independent store.<br />
<a href="http://www.bonanza.com/">Bonanza</a> has been cited as the
best alternative to eBay and Etsy. They have free listings and low fees.
And something that caught my eye was their emphasis on having live
humans available for sales consultations — to help you sell more — at no
cost.<br />
<a href="http://www.madeitmyself.com/">Made It Myself</a> is a free
marketplace where you can list your products for sale. It is still in
beta and looks to be a rapidly growing community and handmade artisan
service.<br />
<a href="http://worldofgood.ebay.com/">eBay</a> has a special
fair-trade marketplace that is worth mentioning. World of Good is a
marketplace dedicated to socially and environmentally responsible
shopping, featuring tens of thousands of stylish and unique products
from around the world, and all backed by the eBay name.<br />
<a href="http://www.mymela.com/">Mymela</a> is a marketplace for arts
and crafts from India. It is a combination of ecommerce storefront and
micro-finance in that buyers or consumers can also donate or make a
small loan to an aspiring merchant. They call it Integrated Micro
Advance Funding and it works slightly differently than traditional
micro-finance.<br />
<a href="http://www.renegadecraft.com/">Renegade Craft</a> is not a directory or online marketplace, but a cool bunch of craft fairs around the world. Worth a look.<br />
Of course, there are the <a href="http://makerfaire.com/" target="_blank">Maker Faires</a>, which are among the best known do-it-yourself events anywhere.<br />
<strong>If you make or sell food items, check out the following:</strong><br />
<a href="http://foodoro.com/sell-on-foodoro" target="_blank">Foodoro</a>
is a marketplace for artisanal food that connects passionate Foodmakers
directly with consumers.. If you’re a food producer, this is an online
storefront technology worth checking out.<br />
<a href="http://foodzie.com/" target="_blank">Foodzie</a> has a very
cool model: They are not your traditional online marketplace and appear
to take a commission on successful sales. So, if they are not successful
in helping you sell more, it looks like you don’t pay anything.
They help passionate small food producers and farmers across the U.S.
reach new customers and connect directly to foodies searching for
wonderful foods and gifts.<br />
<a href="http://www.localharvest.org/">LocalHarvest</a> is an organic
and local food website. They offer a definitive and reliable directory
of small farms, farmers markets and other local food sources around the
nation.<br />
<a href="http://fooducopia.com/">Fooducopia</a> is a marketplace for
indie food producers and small scale farmers. You can open a store on
their marketplace and they help do the heavy lifting, so to speak, of
helping you sell and market your goods.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:smallbiztrends.com </i>Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-79584415300680547762015-11-25T08:24:00.000-08:002015-11-25T08:24:06.953-08:004 Common Leadership Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="4 Common Leadership Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)" height="266" src="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/images/i/000/004/461/original/leadership-chalkboard.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&fit=inside%7C660:*" width="400" /></div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
By Nicole Fallon</div>
<i>By Nicole Fallon</i><br />
<br />
As a leader, you've got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. Despite your best efforts and intentions, mistakes can happen, and when they do, it's important to deal with them in an open, professional manner. Here are some of the most common mistakes people in leadership positions make — and how to avoid them in the future.<br />Hiring too quickly<br /><br />In a startup environment, founders have to work very hard in the beginning stages to accomplish everything that needs to be done. It's tempting to hire the first potential candidate as soon as your budget allows for it so you can start building a team to help you. However, hasty hiring can be detrimental to your business.<br /><br />"We've hired too fast because our team was spread thin, and that ended up backfiring in a lot of ways," said Mona Bijoor, founder and CEO of fashion startup JOOR. "People encourage you to hire, hire, hire. We've found that it's best to take our time and go slowly.<br />
<br />Bijoor cautions hiring managers to beware of candidates who don't fit the company culture and don't share the same passion and work ethic as the rest of the team. If a bad hiring decision is made and the employee simply isn't right, it's better to let them go as soon as possible rather than stick it out until someone better comes along.<br /><br />"At the end of the day, you have to have the best team to execute your business," Bijoor said. "You need to have the right chemistry of people."<br />Expecting too much<br /><br />Sometimes, the problem with a new hire isn't that he or she isn't right for the job, but that you as a leader are expecting too much of that person too soon. Anthony Lolli, founder and CEO of real estate firm Rapid Realty, noted that a promising employee can fail if he or she isn't given the proper tools.<br /><br />"When you run a business, you eventually want to buy some freedom by hiring employees," Lolli said. "You give them a week of training to do what you've been doing by yourself for two years and wonder why they weren't able to survive."<br /><br />Take the time to thoroughly train your team members before leaving responsibilities fully in their hands, Lolli advised. If you don't cut them enough slack in the beginning, they'll either disappoint you, or become overwhelmed and leave.<br />Assuming you're right<br /><br />A dangerous trap leaders can fall into is thinking their decision-making power means that their way is automatically the right one.<br /><br />"Oftentimes, leaders assume that because they have the title, that makes them the thought leader," said Mitchell Levy, author of "#Creating Thought Leaders Tweet" and CEO of THiNKaha. "They assume that what they say goes just because they say it, even if they act contrary to that."<br /><br />A related mistake leaders often make is to not critically listen to team members. Duggan Cooley, president and CEO of United Way of Pasco County, said leaders are sometimes so driven to get their point across and get the job done that they don't take the time to hear what others are saying. This can lead to major communication problems within an organization.<br /><br />To solve these issues, Levy urges leaders to take a step back and let others aggregate, curate and originate ideas both internally among the staff and externally to draw prospects and customers.<br /><br />"You need to encourage this behavior and allow your team to get credit for their initiatives," he said.<br />Failure to delegate<br /><br />Leaders who like things done a specific way tend to think they're the only ones who know how to do certain tasks. With a full schedule and a tremendous to-do list, bosses with the inability to delegate can quickly run out of time to get the really important tasks accomplished.<br /><br />"The most critical thing you can do as a leader is know yourself and your style of leadership," Cooley told BusinessNewsDaily. "If you're overwhelmed, ask yourself if it's because of [a lack of] delegation. Could you have gotten others involved? Should you have been asking people to get something done or deal with an issue, but didn't?"<br /><br />Cooley acknowledged that it can be difficult for leaders to ask others for help, especially when it comes to assessing their own challenges, but also noted that delegation to trusted colleagues can not only help build the morale of your team, but also take some responsibilities off your already-full plate.<br /><br /><br /><br />What can you do to ensure that if you do make a mistake, you'll still retain the trust and respect of your team? All four sources agree that admitting and owning up to an error is the first and most important step to recovery.<br /><br />"Be clear about why the situation didn't work and what failed," Bijoor recommended. "It's so important to talk with your team about why things didn't go well."<br /><br />Similarly, Cooley noted that people appreciate honesty and humility when their leader makes a mistake. In fact, it can go a long way in helping to bring a team back together.<br /><br />"As a leader, you not only lead the team, but you're part of it," he said. "Humility conveys that you're not above others but working with them."<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:businessnewsdaily.com</i><br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
As
a leader, you've got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. Despite
your best efforts and intentions, mistakes can happen, and when they
do, it's important to deal with them in an open, professional manner.
Here are some of the most common mistakes people in leadership positions
make — and how to avoid them in the future.<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
<strong>Hiring too quickly</strong></h3>
In a startup environment, founders have to work very hard in the
beginning stages to accomplish everything that needs to be done. It's
tempting to hire the first potential candidate as soon as your budget
allows for it so you can start building a team to help you. However,
hasty hiring can be detrimental to your business.<br />
"We've hired too fast because our team was spread thin, and that ended
up backfiring in a lot of ways," said Mona Bijoor, founder and CEO of
fashion startup <a href="https://jooraccess.com/">JOOR</a>. "People encourage you to hire, hire, hire. We've found that it's best to take our time and go slowly." <br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5174-avoiding-leadership-mistakes.html#sthash.x0zGMnVh.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
As
a leader, you've got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. Despite
your best efforts and intentions, mistakes can happen, and when they
do, it's important to deal with them in an open, professional manner.
Here are some of the most common mistakes people in leadership positions
make — and how to avoid them in the future.<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
<strong>Hiring too quickly</strong></h3>
In a startup environment, founders have to work very hard in the
beginning stages to accomplish everything that needs to be done. It's
tempting to hire the first potential candidate as soon as your budget
allows for it so you can start building a team to help you. However,
hasty hiring can be detrimental to your business.<br />
"We've hired too fast because our team was spread thin, and that ended
up backfiring in a lot of ways," said Mona Bijoor, founder and CEO of
fashion startup <a href="https://jooraccess.com/">JOOR</a>. "People encourage you to hire, hire, hire. We've found that it's best to take our time and go slowly." <br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5174-avoiding-leadership-mistakes.html#sthash.x0zGMnVh.dpuf</div>
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-6603327265992651322015-11-25T07:45:00.000-08:002015-11-25T07:45:03.126-08:003 Ways to Use the Green-Eyed Monster to Your Advantage<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="3 Ways to Use the Green-Eyed Monster to Your Advantage" height="224" rel="share" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20151027165718-monsters-inc-boo-mike-welselsky-disney-pixar.jpeg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/marc-mawhinney" rel="author"></a></i><br />
<div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/marc-mawhinney" rel="author">Marc Mawhinney</a></i></div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/marc-mawhinney" rel="author">
</a></i>
<br />
<div class="title">
<i>Contributor</i></div>
<br />
People seem to share everything on social media nowadays: their
political opinions, cat videos and even pictures of what they had for
breakfast. So it’s not surprising that they also share the big wins in
their businesses -- the victories that they’re excited about.<br />
When
you see others celebrating their successes, how do you feel? Let’s be
completely honest, and admit that you might feel a pang of envy shooting
through your body when you see others doing well. This doesn’t make you
a bad person.<br />
It makes you human.<br />
<strong><br /></strong>
I
used to struggle with envy when I was a brand-new coach, and I wasn’t
getting the kind of traction that I wanted with my business. I’d be
going along with my daily tasks, and then a celebratory post from
someone would pop up on social media and throw me off my game. I looked
at what they were achieving and wondered why I was struggling so much.<br />
Yes, the Green-Eyed Monster had entered.<br />
When
you’re an entrepreneur who’s pushing hard to grow your business, seeing
others talking about their successes doesn’t always make you feel
better. Although envy is a natural feeling, you can’t let it drag you
down.<br />
It’s essential that you instead turn envy to your advantage. Here are three things that you can do to make it work for you:<br />
<h2>
<strong>1. Put it in perspective.</strong></h2>
Remember
that when you see the success of others, you’re not seeing the amount
of blood, sweat and tears that the person went through to achieve what
they did. The path to success is rarely an easy one, and every
entrepreneur suffers through many setbacks along the way.<br />
I love
what Steve Furtick said: “The reason we struggle with insecurity is
because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight
reel”. What you’re seeing from other people is really just part of their
story.<br />
<h2>
<strong>2. Congratulate the other person.</strong></h2>
I
realized that being bitter and envious of others would do me no good. I
decided to change my approach and celebrate with other people instead.
Now, when I see others doing well, I congratulate them. I send messages
with sincere kudos, which improves my mood and makes me a lot of new
friends in the process.<br />
Try sending out a couple congratulatory
messages today, and you’ll find that it will give you more energy and
make you feel a lot better. Ask them the secret to their success. You
will get some great tips to help you in your journey.<br />
<h2>
<strong>3. Use the success of others as motivation.</strong></h2>
Instead
of wasting your precious time and energy focusing on what others are
doing, use those feelings of envy as fuel to push you to take greater
action for your dreams. The good news is that if others are achieving
success -- it means that you can as well. They don’t have magical
powers, and they’ve proven that success is within a person’s grasp.<br />
I’ve
had the opportunity to interview hundreds of successful guests on my
podcast, and I’ve noticed something about each of them. Successful
people aren’t envious -- they’re too busy working on their own goals to
be bitter about the success of others. They’re the opposite of envious.
They’re cheerleaders for others and recognize that there’s a huge pie
out there for entrepreneurs. Just because someone else achieves
something it doesn’t take opportunity away from you.<br />
I recently
received an email from someone who publishes a monthly income report to
his email subscribers. When I opened it and saw his revenue for the
previous month, my eyes almost bugged out of my head -- it was way
higher number than mine! But I took a deep breath, smiled, and felt
genuinely happy for him. He reached the top of the mountain, and I’ll
keep climbing to get up there with him.<br />
I sincerely hope to see you there too.<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com</i> Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-22708085924651682662015-11-11T09:38:00.003-08:002015-11-11T09:38:23.259-08:006 Things Successful Leaders Do Differently <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="6 Things Successful Leaders Do Differently" height="224" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20151021060210-SAP-1.jpeg" width="400" /></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/travis-bradberry" rel="author"></a></i><br />
<div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/travis-bradberry" rel="author">Travis Bradberry</a></i></div>
<i><a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/travis-bradberry" rel="author">
</a></i>
<br />
<div class="title">
<i>Contributor</i></div>
<br />
Great leadership can be a difficult thing to pin down and understand.
You know a great leader when you’re working for one, but even they can
have a hard time articulating what it is that makes their leadership so
effective.<br />
It was recently rumored that Starbucks’ CEO Howard
Schultz would run for president, but Schultz shut the idea down almost
immediately. He wrote in an article:<br />
“Despite the encouragement of others, I have no intention of entering the presidential fray. I’m not done serving at Starbucks.”<br />
Schultz commitment to his company over the temptation of the limelight is interesting. <em>What’s admirable is his desire to be a leader who serves.</em><br />
Service
isn’t just something Schulz gives lip service to in the press; his
mission is to create a company where people are treated with respect and
dignity, and he backs this rhetoric up with his money and time.
Starbucks will spend $250 million over the next 10 years to put
benefit-eligible employees through college, and Schultz wakes up every
day at 4:00 a.m. to send motivational e-mails to his employees (the
email he wrote yesterday asking employees to show empathy for customers
who have been affected by the plummeting stock market is an interesting,
recent example of this).<br />
It’s
through a leader’s actions—what he or she does and says on a daily
basis—that the essence of great leadership becomes apparent.<br />
<blockquote>
<div style="margin-left: 120px; margin-right: 120px;">
“Dream
more than others think practical. Expect more than others think
possible. Care more than others think wise.” –Howard Schultz</div>
</blockquote>
Behavior can change, and leaders who work to improve their skills get results.<br />
In
Schultz’s case, he’s been honing his leadership craft for three decades
through, among other things, the direct coaching and mentoring of
leadership expert Warren Bennis at USC.<br />
<strong>Related: <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249905">What Really Makes a Good Leader?</a></strong><br />
Not
everyone can take on Warren Bennis as a mentor, of course, but when it
comes down to it, improving your leadership skills is within your
control. You just need to study what great leaders do and to incorporate
these behaviors into your repertoire.<br />
There are six critical things that great leaders do that really stand out. Any of us can do the same.<br />
<h2>
<strong>They’re kind without being weak</strong></h2>
One
of the toughest things for leaders to master is kindness. Kindness
shares credit and offers enthusiastic praise for others’ work. It’s a
balancing act, between being genuinely kind and not looking weak. The
key to finding that balance is to recognize that <em>true </em>kindness
is inherently strong—it’s direct and straightforward. Telling people the
difficult truth they need to hear is much kinder than protecting them
(or yourself) from a difficult conversation. This is weak.<br />
True
kindness also doesn’t come with expectations. Kindness is weak when you
use it in a self-serving manner. Self-serving kindness is thin—people
can see right through it when a kind leader has an agenda. Think of
Schultz, who dedicated $250 million to employee education with no
strings attached, and as soon as employees finish their degree, they are
free to walk out the door. That’s <em>true </em>kindness.<br />
<h2>
<strong>They’re strong without being harsh </strong></h2>
Strength
is an important quality in a leader. People will wait to see if a
leader is strong before they decide to follow his or her lead or not.
People need courage in their leaders. They need someone who can make
difficult decisions and watch over the good of the group. They need a
leader who will stay the course when things get tough. People are far
more likely to show strength themselves when their leader does the same.<br />
A
lot of leaders mistake domineering, controlling, and otherwise harsh
behavior for strength. They think that taking control and pushing people
around will somehow inspire a loyal following. Strength isn’t something
you can force on people; it’s something you earn by demonstrating it
time and again in the face of adversity. Only then will people trust
that they should follow you.<br />
<h2>
<strong>3. They’re confident, without being arrogant</strong></h2>
We
gravitate to confident leaders because confidence is contagious, and it
helps us to believe that there are great things in store. The trick, as
a leader, is to make certain your confidence doesn’t slip into
arrogance and cockiness. Confidence is about passion and belief in your
ability to make things happen, but when your confidence loses touch with
reality, you begin to think you can do things you can’t and <em>have done things you haven’t</em>. Suddenly it’s all about you. This arrogance makes you lose credibility.<br />
<strong>Related: <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249907">9 Habits of Profoundly Influential People</a></strong><br />
Great,
confident leaders are still humble. They don’t allow their
accomplishments and position of authority to make them feel that they’re
better than anyone else. As such, they don’t hesitate to jump in and do
the dirty work when needed, and they don’t ask their followers to do
anything they aren’t willing to do themselves.<br />
<h2>
<strong>4. They stay positive, but remain realistic </strong></h2>
Another
major challenge that leaders face is finding the balance between
keeping things positive and still being realistic. Think of a sailboat
with three people aboard: a pessimist, an optimist, and a great leader.
Everything is going smoothly until the wind suddenly sours. The
pessimist throws his hands up and complains about the wind; the optimist
sits back, saying that things will improve; but the great leaders says,
“We can do this!” and he adjusts the sails and keeps the ship moving
forward. The right combination of positivity and realism is what keeps
things moving forward.<br />
<h2>
<strong>5. They’re role models, not preachers</strong></h2>
Great leaders inspire trust and admiration through their <em>actions,</em> not just their words. Many leaders <em>say</em>that
integrity is important to them, but great leaders walk their talk by
demonstrating integrity every day. Harping on people all day long about
the behavior you want to see has a tiny fraction of the impact you
achieve by demonstrating that behavior yourself.<br />
<h2>
<strong>6. They’re willing to take a bullet for their people </strong></h2>
The
best leaders will do anything for their teams, and they have their
people’s backs no matter what. They don’t try to shift blame, and they
don’t avoid shame when they fail. They’re never afraid to say, “The buck
stops here,” and they earn people’s trust by backing them up. Great
leaders also make it clear that they welcome challenges, criticism, and
viewpoints other than their own. They know that an environment where
people are afraid to speak up, offer insights, and ask good questions is
destined for failure.<br />
<h2>
<strong>Bringing it all together</strong></h2>
Great
leadership is dynamic; it melds a variety of unique skills into an
integrated whole. Incorporate the behaviors above into your repertoire,
and you’ll see immediate improvement in your leadership skills.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com</i> Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-28977326763233979852015-11-11T09:30:00.002-08:002015-11-11T09:30:31.945-08:00Are Assessments Good For Your Career?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="assessments-good-for-career" class="rounded wp-image-45287 wp-post-image" height="264" src="http://www.careerealism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/shutterstock_171436790.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i><a class="author-name" href="http://www.careerealism.com/author/jim-schreier/">Jim Schreier</a></i><br />
<br />
Assessments, from heavily researched personality tests to the scores of
instruments that measure “personal styles” in some manner, are praised
by publishers and criticized by a variety of sources including
academics. In addition, I’ve recently seen an article providing “tips”
on how to take these types of tests. I will first admit that I am a firm
supporter of testing if done correctly and used the right way in the
right situations. I’ve taken scores of “assessments,” administered
hundreds in a variety of settings, and completed graduate level
education in psychological testing.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Myers-Briggs And Other “Style” Assessments</h3>
While I’ve always been sensitive to articles criticizing testing, I
was recently piqued by an article challenging the Myers-Briggs (MBTI)
assessment on three points:<br />
<ol>
<li>Low reliability, particularly “test-retest” reliability.</li>
<li>The assessment “puts you in a box,” labeling as a particular set of letters, e.g., ENTJ</li>
<li>The assessment purports to “guide to a perfect career.”</li>
</ol>
These criticisms have also been applied to the dozens of other
“style-type” assessments that are essentially based on the same core
dynamic of the ancient “four temperaments” and the personality theory of
Alfred Jung. I believe these three criticisms are significantly missing
the mark. A more valid criticism is the fact that there are dozens of
different assessments claiming to be significantly different from one
another when in reality they measure the same basic four elements.<br />
<h3>
Low Reliability Or Situational?</h3>
I’ll begin to address the low-reliability argument with a particular
example. For several years, I worked with a particular version of an
assessment that measured the four basic styles and during that time I
completed the test personally at least twenty times. The results were
always the same, within one or two points. My dominant style was always
the same. Then, as part of an international training program in England,
I administered the test to 200 plus participants and the staff of
presenters I was supervising. I took the test again myself – and
surprisingly came up with significantly different results. Contemplating
this, and discussing it with a close colleague who was working with me
on this project, we quickly realized that all of the circumstances were
different. My task responsibilities for this particular program, even
the physical setting, put me in a very different “role” – one perfectly
represented by the style profile I’d just completed. The point is
simple: personal “style” is to a major degree situational. My mother
demonstrated a completely different style at home than she did at work.
Scores of my workshop participants have reported their spouses or
children scoring them differently than the role they perform at work.<br />
<h3>
Deeper Scores Not Labels</h3>
The second criticism represents the importance of any assessment
being used correctly. Yes, the Myers-Briggs labels a person using a
combination of the four elements. However, the criticism that this is an
absolute, or black and white, category is false. Almost all these types
of assessments calculate scores that indicate the strength of a
particular style. Many will show a graphical plot that indicates the
strengths of the scores. A colleague of mine recently completed the MBTI
under my direction. His profile states that he is INTJ
(Introverted-Intuition-Thinking-Judging). However, his detailed report
reveals that, on two of these scales, his “preference” is only “slight,”
less than five points on a 30 point scale. On another the “preference”
is only “moderate,” seven points on the scale. Only one of the elements
is “very clear,” 27 points on the 30 point scale. So a real
understanding of my colleague’s profile is not that he is simply an INTJ
– it is a much finer interpretation of what these scores really mean.
This is why assessments should be administered and interpreted by a
professional.<br />
<h3>
Not A “Guide To A Perfect Career”</h3>
From long before even my high school days decades ago, assessments
intended to provide career information have been misunderstood.
Unfortunately, this misunderstanding survives today. Even more
unfortunately, it is often due, not to the design or purposes of the
assessment itself, but to poor application by the organization or test
administrator. When the printout of an assessment is simply handed out
to students, like it was done for me, with no guidance or individual
discussion, it heightens the danger of the “this is what it tells me to
do” error. Whenever I sit down to discuss a “career” report based on the
Myers-Briggs, or any other career interest type interpretation, I
always issue a strong disclaimer that this information does not “tell
you what to do.” The Myers-Briggs Career Report includes a strong
clarification of this point of the first page of the report: <em>“This
report is only one source of information. When choosing a career or
contemplating a career change, you must also consider your abilities and
skills, your occupational and leisure interests, and your values and
goals. You will also need information about specific tasks involved in
different occupations, as well as current career opportunities.”</em><br />
<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
Although frustrating at times, I accept criticism of psychological
assessments as part of a mostly valid process and too often the
marketing driven process of competition. In reality, there are many
versions of this type of assessments that claim to measure style with
only a few questions and then state results too strongly. However, when
the criticisms themselves are too simply stated or incorrect, it creates
a risk that the valuable information provided by these instruments will
not be available to career seekers who may be supported by the
guidance.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:careerealism.com</i> <br />
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-60257074696382717252015-11-11T09:09:00.004-08:002015-11-11T09:09:50.452-08:00Best Practices for CRM Marketing Integration<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="crm marketing integration" class="attachment-general_660w_image" height="224" itemprop="contentURL" src="http://smallbiztrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/crm-marketing-integration-660x370.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i><span class="byline"><span class="article-author vcard">by <span class="fn nickname" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span itemprop="name"><a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/author/megan-totka" itemprop="url" title="Articles by Megan Totka">Megan Totka</a></span></span></span></span></i><br />
<br />
If your business is considering investing in a customer relationship
management (CRM) platform to create synergy between your sales and
marketing teams, the way you implement it into the workflow matters.<br />
Using these best practices, your business can successfully integrate
CRM marketing to get the most out of the CRM and the data it offers.<br />
<h3>
Train Employees on How to Use CRM</h3>
Spend time working with employees in the sales and marketing
departments to train them on the effective use of the CRM. Understand
that some employees will take the training seriously, while others may
not. Fifty four percent of <a href="http://technologyadvice.com/gamification/blog/survey-office-based-employees-want-digital-engagement-programs/" target="_blank">employees say</a> they’d be more likely to perform a task if it included game elements, so <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/03/gamification-2-0-design-clutter.html" target="_blank">gamification of the training experience</a> can help encourage participation.<br />
<h3>
Use All CRM Features</h3>
Many CRMs include a number of features and integrations with other
tools and apps you’re already using. Closely look at the features your
CRM has and determine how you can use them to not only improve company
workflow and productivity, but to improve the customer experience.<br />
If your business involves managing projects for your clients, why run
a completely separate project management system? If your CRM has a
built-in project management system, use it to:<br />
<ul>
<li>Create tasks and milestones for various projects.</li>
<li>Track email correspondence.</li>
<li>Keep an eye on who’s doing what over the course of a project.</li>
</ul>
Take advantage of CRM reports. These reports can provide critical information about what’s going on in your business, including:<br />
<ul>
<li>Which employees have created the most sales opportunities over the course of the month.</li>
<li>Which clients produce the most revenue for your business.</li>
<li>Identify the main reasons you’re losing business.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Automate Where Possible</h3>
Some everyday tasks are repetitive and boring. Use tools within your
CRM to automate parts of your company’s workflow, such as assigning
tasks to members of the team. Task automation tools like <a href="https://zapier.com/" target="_blank">Zapier</a>
integrate with your CRM to perform file backups (saving a Gmail
attachment to Dropbox, for example), create contacts in your CRM, add
contacts to your email marketing lists, and more.<br />
<h3>
Process All Leads Through the CRM</h3>
Once your staff is comfortable with the CRM, create a plan for a
smooth transition from your old method to the new technology. The sooner
you completely integrate the system, the better off the company will be
in the long run. Set a date and <a href="https://www.insightly.com/features/lead-management/" target="_blank">require all new leads</a>
be processed through the CRM by this time. An incomplete transition to
the new system could wreak havoc on internal communication or cause
valued customers to fall through the cracks.<br />
<h3>
Meet with Employees to Discuss Refining the System</h3>
After the employees have had time to actively use the system, meet
with them to determine how well it is working for them. Find out what
they love about it, what improvements they’d like to see made, and any
difficulties they’ve encountered. Use their feedback to make adjustments
where possible. Forty eight percent of employees say giving them a
chance to provide feedback, and then seeing it implemented, is part of
what entices them to stay with a company. So working with and listening
to your employees plays a key role in the success of changes within the
company.<br />
<h3>
Use CRM Marketing with Social Media</h3>
<a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2015/07/use-social-media-for-business.html" target="_blank">Using social media for business</a> plays
a critical role in the sales and marketing process. So if your CRM
integrates with social channels, make the most of it. Using a contact’s
email address, CRMs can detect social profiles attached to the contact.
Use this information to bring your clients and social media together
whenever and wherever possible. As your relationships grow, you can
collect information from their social profiles to foster long-term
relationships. Use social CRM to engage customers directly, as well.<br />
In 2009, Best Buy launched the Twelpforce initiative to integrate the
Best Buy Community team with Twitter. Their approach allows anyone in
the community team to respond to respond to questions directly from the
social network. Not only does the community see an average of 600,000
visitors, and more than 22 million pages of content, the initial
community engagements provided a <a href="https://www.lithium.com/pdfs/casestudies/Lithium-Best-Buy-Case-Study.pdf" target="_blank">$5 million benefit</a> (PDF) to the company.<br />
<a href="http://www.digitaltrainingacademy.com/casestudies/2014/09/social_crm_case_study_how_bosch_learned_to_target_select_trades_on_facebook.php" target="_blank">Bosch used</a>
social CRM to target select trades on Facebook. With the tool, they
were able to determine their Facebook audience was a separate, and
younger audience. Bosch also learned a higher than average number of
their Facebook fans were woodworkers, so they adjusted their marketing
to the group with staging of power tools in woodworking.<br />
Taking time to craft a CRM marketing strategy and determine exactly
how your company will use all the features of your CRM can make
implementing it much easier. With the robust features of CRM, social
media and employee support, your business will continue to grow and see
increased profits.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:smallbiztrends.com </i>Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-25486662262763615532015-11-11T09:04:00.003-08:002015-11-11T09:04:48.355-08:00Business Insurance Coverage You Should Have (But Might Not)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="271" src="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/images/i/000/010/070/original/business-insurance.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&fit=around%7C700:500" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<i>By Nicole Fallon Taylor</i><br />
<br />
Like home and auto insurance, business insurance provides you with financial protection, should your company suffer from damages, lawsuits or some other costly event that involves your business. In addition to mandatory workers' compensation and unemployment insurance (if a business has employees), most business owners know they should have some sort of general liability or business owner's policy. But these policies don't cover every scenario — and just because most types of business insurance are optional, that doesn't mean you should skimp on your coverage.<br /><br />Insurance experts shared a few important policies that many business owners should have but may not have thought to purchase.<br />Auto and home insurance riders<br /><br />Do you use your personal car and/or home for business purposes? If so, your regular insurance policies for these assets may not fully protect you. Dan Klaras, president of Assurance insurance agency, said that if you don't own a separate commercial vehicle, you should get nonowned and hired auto liability insurance. This covers any claims against your business for incidents that occur while you or your employees are driving your car during a workday.<br />
<br />
Business interruption insurance<br /><br />Fires, floods, building collapse, theft. Any of these situations — and others — could make you have to temporarily shut down your business and a consequent loss of income.<br /><br />"Any time you have a loss of income [as a small business], a couple of months could put you out of business," Klaras said.<br /><br />Business interruption insurance will compensate you for some or all of the money you lose by not being fully operational. The Insurance Information Institute provides more information about whether or not your company needs this type of coverage.<br />Credit insurance<br /><br />If your business sells goods or services on credit, you open yourself up to the risk that the buyer may not come through with the money. Credit insurance provides coverage for a variety of losses related to bad debt situations, Klaras said. Depending on your policy, credit insurance may cover all or part of your accounts receivables and help with your customer credit management/debt collection.<br />Cyberinsurance<br /><br />According to research by the Ponemon Institute, more than 40 percent of U.S. companies have experienced a data breach in the last year — and yet 27 percent didn't have a data breach response plan or team in place. Klaras advised all business owners to look into cyberinsurance to protect sensitive employee, client and financial information in the event of a data breach.<br /><br />"If a small business has a website, it has exposure [and] needs to have this coverage," Klaras told Business News Daily. "Cybercriminals are focused on small businesses for the simple reason that they know network security is much less sophisticated. It's easier to get in and get the information. In having [cyber] coverage, you're getting ... the best practices to keep a cyber breach from happening, and that value alone is important."<br />Employment practices liability<br /><br />Employers are required by law to have certain types of insurance to cover their employees, but what about protection for your business if an employee sues? Because of the close-knit culture of most small businesses, Klaras said that many owners see their employees as friends, and don't believe they'd ever sue. However, should a disgruntled worker take you to court for an issue like wrongful termination or sexual harassment, you could lose a significant amount of money, even if you're not guilty. Employment practices liability ensures that your business won't go bankrupt defending itself if an employee files a claim.<br />Errors and omissions insurance<br /><br />Most small business owners don't think it will ever happen to them, but lawsuits can and do frequently occur when business disputes need to be settled. Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, also known as professional liability insurance, protects your business and reputation in the event that a client or customer files a lawsuit, Klaras said. This is most important for service-based businesses, and helps fill in some of the gaps in general liability coverage. In certain states such insurance is required for certain professions, such as medical doctors.<br /><br />Hunter Hoffmann, head of U.S. communications at small business insurer Hiscox, agreed that professional liability insurance is a key consideration for any business owner.<br /><br />"Professional liability insurance protects you and your employees if you're sued for errors or negligence," Hoffmann said. "Even if you've done nothing wrong, the costs to defend against a lawsuit can be significant for a small business, and insurance provides for both legal representation and payment of any judgment made against you."<br /><br />Less than half of small businesses carried professional liability insurance, according to the 2015 Hiscox DNA of an Entrepreneur Report.<br />Product recall<br /><br />As a business owner, you have a certain responsibility to the people who purchase your products. Ted Devine, CEO of small business insurance provider Insureon, said that U.S. laws have evolved in recent years to favor consumers by applying a "strict liability" doctrine. This means that anyone — vendor, distributor, manufacturer, etc. — involved in the sale of a product that causes injury or illness when it is used correctly can be held legally and financially responsible for those damages.<br /><br />While product liability itself is often covered within a general liability policy (though Devine advised double-checking to make sure), you're not covered if you need to undergo the expensive, time-consuming and potentially reputation-damaging process of a recall. To help you with this, product recall insurance may be available as a rider to your general liability policy.<br /><br />"Product recall insurance ... can cover the cost of recalling products, including getting them off the shelves, destroying them and running a PR or advertising campaign to rebuild public trust," Devine said.<br />Does your company really need these policies?<br /><br />Every company has different insurance needs, depending on the industry, location and nature of the business. While the above-named policies are recommended, they may or may not be right for your business. Be sure to consult with your insurance agent frequently to assess your risks and ensure that your business is getting all the protection it needs.<br /><br />"Set up a regular time frame to meet with your agent and update him or her on your business and any changes [that have occurred] to make sure you're adding the coverage you need," Klaras said.<br /><br />"Do your research ... and make sure you're covered," Hoffmann added. "The costs can be very reasonable and insurance provides the protection you need to make sure somebody else doesn't get in the way of your path to success."<br />
<br />
<br />
culled from:businessnewsdaily.com<br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
Additionally,
homeowner's insurance is not designed to provide business coverage, so
Klaras advised home-based business owners to speak with an agent about
adding endorsements or riders to their policy to cover their business
activities. <strong><a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5783-compare-small-business-insurance-quotes.html">[5 Websites for Comparing Small Business Insurance Quotes]</a></strong><br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
Business interruption insurance</h3>
Fires, floods, building collapse, theft. Any of these situations — and
others — could make you have to temporarily shut down your business and a
consequent loss of income.<br />
"Any time you have a loss of income [as a small business], a couple of months could put you out of business," Klaras said.<br />
Business interruption insurance will compensate you for some or all of the money you lose by not being fully operational. The <a href="http://www.iii.org/article/do-i-need-business-interruption-insurance">Insurance Information Institute</a> provides more information about whether or not your company needs this type of coverage.<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
Credit insurance</h3>
If your business sells goods or services on credit, you open yourself
up to the risk that the buyer may not come through with the money.
Credit insurance provides coverage for a variety of losses related to
bad debt situations, Klaras said. Depending on your policy, credit
insurance may cover all or part of your accounts receivables and help
with your customer credit management/debt collection.<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
Cyberinsurance</h3>
According to research by the Ponemon Institute, more than 40 percent of
U.S. companies have experienced a data breach in the last year — and
yet 27 percent didn't have a data breach response plan or team in place.
Klaras advised all business owners to look into cyberinsurance to
protect sensitive employee, client and financial information in the
event of a data breach.<br />
"If a small business has a website, it has exposure [and] needs to have
this coverage," Klaras told Business News Daily. "Cybercriminals are
focused on small businesses for the simple reason that they know network
security is much less sophisticated. It's easier to get in and get the
information. In having [cyber] coverage, you're getting ... the best
practices to keep a cyber breach from happening, and that value alone is
important."<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
Employment practices liability</h3>
Employers are required by law to have certain types of insurance to
cover their employees, but what about protection for your business if an
employee sues? Because of the close-knit culture of most small
businesses, Klaras said that many owners see their employees as friends,
and don't believe they'd ever sue. However, should a disgruntled worker
take you to court for an issue like wrongful termination or sexual
harassment, you could lose a significant amount of money, even if you're
not guilty. Employment practices liability ensures that your business
won't go bankrupt defending itself if an employee files a claim.<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
Errors and omissions insurance</h3>
Most small business owners don't think it will ever happen to them, but
lawsuits can and do frequently occur when business disputes need to be
settled. Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, also known as
professional liability insurance, protects your business and reputation
in the event that a client or customer files a lawsuit, Klaras said.
This is most important for service-based businesses, and helps fill in
some of the gaps in general liability coverage. In certain states such
insurance is required for certain professions, such as medical doctors.<br />
Hunter Hoffmann, head of U.S. communications at small business insurer <a href="http://www.hiscox.com/">Hiscox</a>, agreed that professional liability insurance is a key consideration for any business owner.<br />
"Professional liability insurance protects you and your employees if
you're sued for errors or negligence," Hoffmann said. "Even if you've
done nothing wrong, the costs to defend against a lawsuit can be
significant for a small business, and insurance provides for both legal
representation and payment of any judgment made against you."<br />
Less than half of small businesses carried professional liability insurance, according to the <a href="http://www.hiscoxsmallbizblog.com/hiscox-dna-of-an-american-entrepreneur-2015/">2015 Hiscox DNA of an Entrepreneur Report</a>.<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
Product recall</h3>
As a business owner, you have a certain responsibility to the people
who purchase your products. Ted Devine, CEO of small business insurance
provider <a href="https://www.insureon.com/">Insureon</a>, said that
U.S. laws have evolved in recent years to favor consumers by applying a
"strict liability" doctrine. This means that anyone — vendor,
distributor, manufacturer, etc. — involved in the sale of a product that
causes injury or illness when it is used correctly can be held legally
and financially responsible for those damages.<br />
While product liability itself is often covered within a general
liability policy (though Devine advised double-checking to make sure),
you're not covered if you need to undergo the expensive, time-consuming
and potentially reputation-damaging process of a recall. To help you
with this, product recall insurance may be available as a rider to your
general liability policy.<br />
"Product recall insurance ... can cover the cost of recalling products,
including getting them off the shelves, destroying them and running a
PR or advertising campaign to rebuild public trust," Devine said.<br />
<h2 class="nolinks">
Does your company really need these policies?</h2>
Every company has different insurance needs, depending on the industry,
location and nature of the business. While the above-named policies are
recommended, they may or may not be right for your business. Be sure to
consult with your insurance agent frequently to assess your risks and
ensure that your business is getting all the protection it needs.<br />
"Set up a regular time frame to meet with your agent and update him or
her on your business and any changes [that have occurred] to make sure
you're adding the coverage you need," Klaras said.<br />
"Do your research ... and make sure you're covered," Hoffmann added.
"The costs can be very reasonable and insurance provides the protection
you need to make sure somebody else doesn't get in the way of your path
to success."<br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8558-important-business-insurance-coverage.html#sthash.Fzv9nUjQ.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
Like
home and auto insurance, business insurance provides you with financial
protection, should your company suffer from damages, lawsuits or some
other costly event that involves your business. In addition to mandatory
workers' compensation and unemployment insurance (if a business has
employees), most business owners know they should have some sort of
general liability or business owner's policy. But these policies don't
cover every scenario — and just because most types of business insurance
are optional, that doesn't mean you should skimp on your coverage.<br />
Insurance experts shared a few important policies that many business owners should have but may not have thought to purchase.<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
Auto and home insurance riders</h3>
Do you use your personal car and/or home for business purposes? If so,
your regular insurance policies for these assets may not fully protect
you. Dan Klaras, president of <a href="http://www.assuranceagency.com/">Assurance</a> insurance agency,
said that if you don't own a separate commercial vehicle, you should
get nonowned and hired auto liability insurance. This covers any claims
against your business for incidents that occur while you or your
employees are driving your car during a workday.<br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8558-important-business-insurance-coverage.html#sthash.Fzv9nUjQ.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
Like
home and auto insurance, business insurance provides you with financial
protection, should your company suffer from damages, lawsuits or some
other costly event that involves your business. In addition to mandatory
workers' compensation and unemployment insurance (if a business has
employees), most business owners know they should have some sort of
general liability or business owner's policy. But these policies don't
cover every scenario — and just because most types of business insurance
are optional, that doesn't mean you should skimp on your coverage.<br />
Insurance experts shared a few important policies that many business owners should have but may not have thought to purchase.<br />
<h3 class="nolinks">
Auto and home insurance riders</h3>
Do you use your personal car and/or home for business purposes? If so,
your regular insurance policies for these assets may not fully protect
you. Dan Klaras, president of <a href="http://www.assuranceagency.com/">Assurance</a> insurance agency,
said that if you don't own a separate commercial vehicle, you should
get nonowned and hired auto liability insurance. This covers any claims
against your business for incidents that occur while you or your
employees are driving your car during a workday.<br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8558-important-business-insurance-coverage.html#sthash.Fzv9nUjQ.dpuf</div>
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-49647216264156955972015-11-11T08:59:00.001-08:002015-11-11T08:59:18.347-08:00From Battlefield to Business: These Companies Are Looking to Hire Veterans <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="From Battlefield to Business: These Companies Are Looking to Hire Veterans" height="224" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20151013160106-brian-garrison-mosquito-joe.jpeg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/jason-daley" rel="author">Jason Daley</a><br />
<br />
Franchise systems are picky. But JDog Junk Removal & Hauling
might be the most selective of all. The Berwyn, Pa.-based company sells
units exclusively to military veterans and their families -- no
exceptions -- and hires as many veterans as possible to clean out,
transport and repurpose customers’ junk. It’s great marketing. When a
JDog crew shows up to do a job in camouflage trucks and trailers and
military-style uniforms, it’s hard not to take notice.<br />
“When these
guys walk into the consumer’s home, people instantly respond and say,
‘Thank you for your service,’” says Army veteran Jerry Flanagan, who
began franchising the brand in 2013 and now has 21 units operating in
seven states. “It makes marketing much easier because we are able to
show how we are different. We’re able to penetrate new markets quickly.
People really want to get behind veteran-owned and -operated
businesses.”<br />
When he launched his business in 2011 in a
Philadelphia suburb, he didn’t plan to employ a post-military work
force, though he did hire as many veterans as he could. What he found
was that employees with a military background often had better
leadership skills and were more likely to follow his systems than other
staffers. They showed up on time, caused few problems and took pride in
their work.<br />
“I’m not really looking for entrepreneurs to be my
franchisees,” Flanagan says. “I’m looking for guys who can follow orders
and can look at my playbook and follow it effectively.”<br />
While
JDog’s vets-only policy is unique, Flanagan is not alone in realizing
that veterans have skills that make them great franchisees. In fact,
over the past decade, franchise systems have made aggressive efforts to
recruit military veterans, offering discounts, incentives and even free
equipment to get them through the door.<br />
But
it has taken time for franchise brands to fully realize the potential
of the veteran community. In 1991, at the end of the first Gulf War, Don
Dwyer, founder of the Dwyer Group of franchises that include Mr. Rooter
and Glass Doctor, started a program called VetFran, which was a loose
affiliation of franchise brands that recruited vets to help them
transition to civilian life.<br />
Over the next decade and a half, the
program had periods of high and low activity, but in 2007, as increasing
numbers of those who’d served in Iraq and Afghanistan began
transitioning out of the military, member brands ramped things up.
VetFran became a program of the International Franchise Association
designed to educate vets about franchising and connect them with
companies offering incentives.<br />
In 2011 VetFran launched Hiring Our
Heroes, a program aimed at bringing 80,000 veterans into the franchise
industry; as of 2014, it had brought 203,890 former service members into
the fold, including 5,608 franchisees. Today VetFran comprises nearly
700 franchise brands.<br />
“In February I visited with Budget Blinds,
which waives their $75,000 franchise fee for veterans,” notes George
Eldridge, program manager of VetFran, who left active duty in 2012.
“They were so impressed by the vets they’d worked with that they wanted
more. That was nice to hear. Here’s a company making decisions not on
what vets have done in the past, but what they can do now. No vet wants a
handout. All the franchise brands I talk to say the same thing: They
wouldn’t be doing their vet programs if there was no return on
investment.”<br />
Former Navy SEAL Monty Heath is executive director of
VetToCEO, a Marietta, Ga.-based nonprofit that offers free online
programs for veterans exploring entrepreneurship. He believes
franchising is perfectly suited to the mentality of many veterans.<br />
“These
guys learn leadership and perseverance in the service. They are
hard-working and mission-focused, and they complete the task in front of
them no matter what,” Heath explains. “Guys and gals in the military
are very much used to giving orders and executing. That’s how
franchising is. They’re given a playbook and they figure out how to
execute it. The military mind is set up to be in that environment.
That’s what a veteran provides vs. someone who has to start from scratch
learning how to run a business.”<br />
Mosquito Joe, a franchise system
based in Hampton Roads, Va., home to several large military
installations, is investing heavily in veterans; some 15 to 20 percent
of its franchisees are former service members. While the company offers a
$2,500 discount on its franchise fee to veterans, COO Brian Garrison,
who left the military in 2012, believes vets are attracted to the
brand’s culture. Many members of Mosquito Joe’s corporate team also
served in the military.<br />
“We feel vets bring the right set of
experiences and work ethic to our business,” Garrison says. “Veterans
coming through the pipeline look at the other vets in our system, and it
resonates with them. Our team has close to 100 years of franchise
support experience. We can look veterans in the eye and say, ‘We
understand that you don’t have any experience in the private sector. But
we can be a backstop for you as you make the transition.’”<br />
Indeed,
Mosquito Joe’s culture resonated with Dennis Corrigan from the start.
He grew up in a military family and spent the first 24 years of his
adult life as a U.S. naval aviator. After retirement from the cockpit,
he spent the next 17 years on the fringes of the Navy designing training
materials for pilots and air crews. When he decided to go into business
for himself, he signed on with Mosquito Joe and launched his unit in
Virginia Beach, Va. “I found that because of their focus on the military
and because we have the same values, it made it much nicer to interact
with them,” he says. “I was able to build relationships with corporate
almost immediately based on our common work ethic.”<br />
Corrigan is
paying his success forward by primarily hiring veterans and firemen on
his crews, which control mosquitoes in homeowners’ backyards and in
outdoor areas before events. “I have found that folks from the military
have a different commitment to the job,” he says. “They understand a lot
about customer service, although they may not know they’re doing it.
They are really good at completing a job to the best of their ability
and on time.”<br />
Jan-Pro, the 10,000-unit commercial cleaning
franchise, and its recently launched residential cleaning brand Maid
Right, have sought to employ former service members since 2000, when the
company launched its VetConnection Program. The Alpharetta, Ga.-based
company offers a 10 percent franchise-fee reduction for vets. Because of
its master franchisee model, the company aims to find individuals who
have experience managing large groups of people.<br />
Scott Thompson,
vice president of franchise development for Jan-Pro and Maid Right,
looks to match the right veteran with the right opportunity. “I probably
wouldn’t give an infantryman who never managed a larger unit a master
franchisee license, and I probably wouldn’t give a major who worked hard
to learn leadership skills a small package,” he explains. “We try to
align our opportunity to a veteran’s goals, skill set and capital.”<br />
Thompson
adds that many service veterans have the advantage of a military
pension, which gives them a level of security that other prospective
franchisees may lack. “That pension gives them flexibility,” he says.
“They have some income already as they’re ramping up their business. In
some cases, what they make from their franchise is just gravy. They can
take the time to build their business up correctly.”<br />
Eric Freeman,
who served in the Gulf War and now works as a Dallas policeman, started
his Maid Right franchise last May. By August, he’d exceeded his
personal goals by signing up more than 60 clients in his first six
months. “The military made me goal-oriented and driven,” he says. “I
grew up in a military family and learned discipline. I won’t sit around
and wait for someone to do something for me.”<br />
Workout Anytime, an
Alpharetta-based fitness franchise, reduces its $30,000 franchise fee by
a third for vets. Co-founder and president John Quattrocchi says the
past few years remind him of when he returned home from Vietnam after
serving four years in the Air Force.<br />
“It seems like an awful lot
of people are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan and are looking for
work, and we have a great need for people with the tools they’ve learned
to help us expand,” he says. “When I came home in the ’60s we faced the
same thing. I was able to get a job in a steel mill after college, but a
lot of friends who served in Southeast Asia couldn’t find a job. I
certainly have a soft spot for veterans. We should give back to anyone
who serves their country.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com </i>Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-80558880568225399102015-10-30T06:36:00.002-07:002015-10-30T06:36:15.924-07:00What Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Achieved With His $197M Gift to Employees <br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="What Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Achieved With His $197M Gift to Employees" height="224" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20151023140731-jack-dorsey-twitter-3.jpeg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/tor-constantino" rel="author"></a><br />
<div>
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/tor-constantino" rel="author">Tor Constantino</a></div>
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/tor-constantino" rel="author">
</a>
<br />
<div class="title">
Contributor</div>
<div class="title">
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com</i> </div>
<br />
Last week, newly-anointed Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252034" target="_blank">announced via tweet </a>that
he would give a third of his stock options, that's approximately one
percent of the total issuance with a market value of $197 million as of
October 28, to all Twitter employees.<br />
While he still holds an
additional two percent of company shares, this unprecedented act of
generosity holds some valuable lessons for leaders.<br />
<h2>
1. He'll retain Twitter's most valuable asset.</h2>
There
are a variety of assets that companies value, including intellectual
property, exclusive customer contracts, unique service offerings,
proprietary manufacturing technology and business processes or
differentiated market locations. Those are all valuable assets but they
require employees to maintain, enhance and commercialize that value.<br />
Dorsey
recognizes that his highly-skilled workforce is Twitter's most valuable
asset in the long term, which is why he gave them the options grant as a
retention incentive. An employee's options grant tends to be broken up
into percentage blocks, with each block vesting annually over a set
number of years.<br />
It's an effective long-term incentive (LTI) tool
that Dorsey selflessly shared to keep his people at Twitter and help
keep them happy.<br />
<h2>
2. He boosts employee morale.</h2>
A company wide options grant can <a href="http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-longterm-incentive-plans-11244.html" target="_blank">boost employee morale</a> in at least four ways.<br />
First,
it gives employees an attainable performance target to align their
day-to-day activities toward. Second, it transforms them from company
employees into company owners. No one cares more about a company than an
owner.<br />
Third, it helps instill confidence in employees that they
are valued and matter to the broader organization. Fourth, it can
inspire a sense of esprit de corps that they're all in it together.<br />
Leaders like Dorsey see the value of engaged and incented employees.<br />
<h2>
3. He is building a culture focused team.</h2>
Additionally, Dorsey's leadership by example sets the tone of conduct across the entire organization.<br />
Employees
will not soon forget such an uncommon demonstration of generosity
towards them. They will understand that teamwork, generosity and
consideration of others are all part of the Twitter DNA, and one
leader was responsible for setting that tone.<br />
<h2>
4. He is telling investors they matter.</h2>
Whether it's a start-up raising venture capital or a publicly-traded company accountable to its investors, shareholders matter.<br />
One
of the amazing leadership aspects of Dorsey's gesture is that his
block of options is not dilutive to current shareholders. In other
words, Dorsey's stake in the company was already publicly disclosed, so
the amount of his options grant was already factored into the stock
purchase decision of existing shareholders who had already bought the
stock.<br />
However, Dorsey could have just as easily had the company issue a new block of six-to-seven million options for employees that <em>would </em>have
been dilutive to shareholders. He didn't do that but instead pulled
from his own resources. That's a remarkable example of shareholder
stewardship and leadership.<br />
<h2>
5. He burnished Twitter's reputation.</h2>
Every
leader is responsible for the reputation of the organization. Dorsey's
selfless act has already resulted in a significant amount of positive<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/22/jack-dorsey-releases-one-third-of-his-stock-to-twitter-employees/?ncid=tcdaily" target="_blank"> media coverage </a>and public perception.<br />
Whether
intended or not, Dorsey's $197 million gift to his "tweeps" is a
significant deposit in the metaphorical "Bank of Public Goodwill." That
can only benefit him and Twitter in the future should they ever need to
make a "withdrawal" from that account due to an unforeseen crisis or
issue.<br />
While some may discount or criticize Dorsey's selfless
action claiming he didn't do enough, the reality is that he didn't have
to do anything for employees. But because he did, he deserves a lot of
credit as a visionary leader who cares.<br />
Who knows, he might inspire other leaders and CEOs to follow suit.Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-72122752979883105282015-10-30T06:31:00.001-07:002015-10-30T06:31:47.509-07:00Crowd-Sourced Funding Can Help Your Business. It Can Also Save Lives<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="185" src="http://www.inc.com/uploaded_files/image/970x450/getty_175797345_9707279704500222_68897.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.inc.com/author/adam-fridman"></a><br />
<div class="authorname">
<a href="http://www.inc.com/author/adam-fridman">By Adam Fridman</a></div>
<br />
<div class="authorbiobox">
culled from:inc.com<br />
</div>
<span class="authortitle"></span><br />
Crowdfunding is changing lives in a big way.<br />
One of the most noticeable entrepreneurial innovations of the 21<sup>st</sup>
Century is crowd-sourced funding. If you have a good idea but don't
have an angel investor waiting in the wings, you may be in luck. Via the
Internet, you can set up an account to solicit and collect donations or
investments to support your project. The largest, most popular
crowd-funding sites, such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, get frequent
references on social media as even celebrities use them to support their
projects. Moviemaker <a href="http://madamenoire.com/504624/celebrity-kickstarter-campaigns/2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spike Lee used Kickstarter to raise more than $1.5 million to support a movie project</a>. And business start-ups use crowd sourcing too, including one very successful campaign in support of an affordable <a href="http://startupbros.com/top-10-most-successful-kickstarter-projects-infographic/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3-D printer</a>.<br />
People
love a good idea, and if you have one, crowd-sourced fundraising might
be the way to go. But it doesn't have to be an art project or a business
start-up. It can be an idea to improve the quality of life for
struggling populations, like a filter to help anyone, anywhere, convert
dirty water into clean water.<br />
Here in the US, when we want a glass
of water we turn on the tap, and out it pours. But 783 million people
on this planet do not have access to safe, clean water, and that number
is growing each year. Most of us take clean water for granted, but
residents of South Carolina understand how quickly that can change, <a href="http://www.weather.com/news/news/columbia-south-carolina-water-shortage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">having just endured a temporary interruption of potable water as a result of flooding.</a>
When you don't have access to clean water, getting it becomes your
first priority. If you can't find it, and you're forced to drink unsafe
water, you can easily end up with diseases and parasites. Such is the
plight of entire populations in Cambodia, Africa, and other developing
areas.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bewaterforlife.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Water For Life</a>,
a non-profit, is repurposing an existing technology to help families
provide their own clean water. Using the same technology employed in
kidney dialysis machines, Water For Life distributes fist-sized filters
capable of filtering 150 gallons of water per day. And they are using
crowd sourcing to fund that effort.<br />
The other way to get clean
water, typically, is to dig wells. But that is labor intensive and has
its own challenges, including high cost and risk of contamination. For
the (donated) cost of about $50, a single filter allows a family to
collect a bucket of dirty water and run it through the filter into a
second bucket. The result is clear, safe water. And the filter can be
cleaned easily through periodic back flushing. One filter means clean
water, every day, for a family of five, for up to 10 years. That not
only saves lives, it frees people to pursue other activities such as
cooking, education, raising a healthy family and earning a living.<br />
Thus far, Water For Life has delivered more than 4,000 filters in 16 countries and it's just getting started. <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/water-for-life-sustainable-water-filters-for-good/x/12490053#/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">They are now raising funds using IndieGoGo</a>
and have raised $30,000 as of this writing. If they can succeed at
raising money through crowd sourcing, maybe you can, too. And while
you're making money, why not make a difference by giving the gift of
clean water?<br />
<br />
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-14523749211676104642015-10-30T06:27:00.000-07:002015-10-30T06:27:02.894-07:00Self-Assessment: Tips for Employees Writing Performance Reviews<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="267" src="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/images/i/000/004/705/original/writing-review.jpg?interpolation=lanczos-none&fit=around%7C700:500" width="400" /></div>
<br />
By Katherine Arline<br />
<i>culled from:businessnewsdaily.com</i><br />
<br />
As an employee or a manager, you are likely accustomed to receiving performance reviews from managers. However, if you focus exclusively on the "top-down" portion of your performance review, you may be missing opportunities to improve your relationships and performance. The self-assessment is a critical tool for fostering conversation and improving communication with your managers and peers.<br /><br />Self-assessments, also known as self-appraisals or self-evaluations, are a popular way for employees to offer their own analysis of their strengths and weaknesses in the context of a formal performance review. The self-assessment lets the employee discuss what important projects have been completed, share new skills and techniques acquired and remind employers of all the great work they have done since the last performance review. <br /><br />A self-assessment is also the perfect opportunity for employees to show their managers that they understand where they can improve. While no one likes to point out areas of weakness, some employers have more respect for their staff members who are able to honestly assess their shortcomings. Employees who think they are doing great in all areas of their job are often too shortsighted to understand that, in reality, they are not meeting expectations.<br />
<br />
<br />Julie Rieken, vice president of marketing and customer experience at evaluation software company Trakstar, noted that employees should connect their actions with a manager's goals.<br /><br />"If your manager needs to hit a certain number, share how you played a role in hitting the number," Rieken said in a blog post. "While it might be nice that you learned to sew parkas for chipmunks, skip listing that accomplishment unless your manager has been tasked with manufacturing chipmunk parkas from corporate. Accomplishments you list should connect with business objectives."<br /><br />Be concise. While employees might be inclined to write about each step of the successful project or task, it's best to be brief. The work should stand on its own. This is just a time to make sure the boss remembers that the employee did it.<br /><br />Be honest. Honesty is another critical aspect of writing a self-review. It's more than likely that the boss knows when a good job was done, so trying to highlight a project or task that was just OK, rather than great, won't have much impact. In fact, it likely will show the people in charge that the employee doesn't truly have a grasp on his or her own performance or understand the difference between satisfactory performance and truly exceptional work.<br /><br />Part of being honest also means pointing out some areas that could be improved. Timothy Butler, a senior fellow and director of career development programs at Harvard Business School, advises employees to use developmental language when critiquing the areas in which they need improvement.<br /><br />"You don't want to say, 'Here's where I really fall down,'" Butler told the Harvard Business Review. "Instead, say, 'Here's an area I want to work on. This is what I've learned. This is what we should do going forward.'"<br /><br />Butler also encouraged employees to use their self-evaluations as a time to ask their boss for career development opportunities, even if the employer isn't asking the employee for it, because if you don't ask, it likely won't happen.<br /><br />Be professional. Finally, employees need to remember to always be professional when writing a self-assessment. This means not using it as an opportunity to bash the boss for poor leadership skills or criticize co-workers for making their life more difficult.<br /><br />Going further<br /><br />Employees may benefit from assessments that go beyond the office. Tools such as the Myers-Briggs Test and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter can help individuals understand the strengths and weaknesses of their personality type. In addition, such tests can help identify the personality traits of people who will likely work well together. Additional research can suggest ways to compensate for weaknesses, or help you understand the quirks of personality types unlike your own.<br /><br />Finally, if your performance review or self-assessment reveals weaknesses that may be holding you back, don't be afraid to ask for help. Like admitting your weaknesses, asking for constructive feedback from managers can help cultivate strong work relationships.<br />
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
As
an employee or a manager, you are likely accustomed to receiving
performance reviews from managers. However, if you focus exclusively on
the "top-down" portion of your performance review, you may be missing
opportunities to improve your relationships and performance. The
self-assessment is a critical tool for fostering conversation and
improving communication with your managers and peers.<br />
Self-assessments, also known as self-appraisals or self-evaluations,
are a popular way for employees to offer their own analysis of their
strengths and weaknesses in the context of a formal performance review.
The self-assessment lets the employee discuss what important projects
have been completed, share new skills and techniques acquired and remind
employers of all the great work they have done since the last
performance review.<br />
A self-assessment is also the perfect opportunity for employees to show
their managers that they understand where they can improve. While no
one likes to point out areas of weakness, some employers have more
respect for their staff members who are able to honestly assess their
shortcomings. Employees who think they are doing great in all areas of
their job are often too shortsighted to understand that, in reality,
they are not meeting expectations.<br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5379-writing-self-assessment.html#sthash.VaUhubD4.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
As
an employee or a manager, you are likely accustomed to receiving
performance reviews from managers. However, if you focus exclusively on
the "top-down" portion of your performance review, you may be missing
opportunities to improve your relationships and performance. The
self-assessment is a critical tool for fostering conversation and
improving communication with your managers and peers.<br />
Self-assessments, also known as self-appraisals or self-evaluations,
are a popular way for employees to offer their own analysis of their
strengths and weaknesses in the context of a formal performance review.
The self-assessment lets the employee discuss what important projects
have been completed, share new skills and techniques acquired and remind
employers of all the great work they have done since the last
performance review.<br />
A self-assessment is also the perfect opportunity for employees to show
their managers that they understand where they can improve. While no
one likes to point out areas of weakness, some employers have more
respect for their staff members who are able to honestly assess their
shortcomings. Employees who think they are doing great in all areas of
their job are often too shortsighted to understand that, in reality,
they are not meeting expectations.<br />
- See more at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5379-writing-self-assessment.html#sthash.VaUhubD4.dpuf</div>
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-17631758823737475102015-10-30T06:18:00.004-07:002015-10-30T06:18:58.036-07:004 Tips On Backing Up Your Soft Skills With Hard Facts<br />
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<img alt="backing-soft-skills-hard-facts" class="rounded wp-image-45188 wp-post-image" height="266" src="http://www.careerealism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/shutterstock_209888572.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<a class="author-name" href="http://www.careerealism.com/author/don-goodman/">by Don Goodman</a><br />
<i> culled from:careerealism.com</i><br />
<br />
Oftentimes soft skills are indicated with words such as <em>team player, detail-oriented, creative, innovative</em>, <em>problem
solver/critical thinker, visionary, responsible, dependable, flexible,
effective communicator, resourceful, professional, </em>and more. While
soft skills are important to employers, simply labelling the resume with
these words or saying it at the job interview won’t produce much
results. On the resume, it may help improve your ranking with the
Applicant Tracking System (ATS) looking for keyword matches, but to the
hiring manager reviewing your resume and conducting the interview, it’s
simply fluff. You need to back it up with hard facts.<br />
When soft skills are presented with hard facts it can help seal the
deal. Here’s what you have to do on the resume and at the job interview:<br />
<h3>
1. Show it, don’t tell it.</h3>
Anyone can put down on the resume or say at the job interview that they’re <em>hardworking, an effective communicator, highly organized,</em> <em>dependable, </em>etc.
If you really have those traits to offer, then think about what proof
you have to offer to support the claim. Present it along with results
you’ve produced for greater impact.<br />
<h3>
2. Use action verbs to highlight your qualities.</h3>
The message comes off more effective and it captures the reader’s
attention when you start with an action verb. Avoid using a passive
voice. Start with the results and leave the <em>how</em> to the end. For ex. <em>Developed… </em>or <em>Achieved</em>… sounds much stronger than starting with <em>Responsible for….that led to ….as a result of leadership skills.</em><br />
<h3>
3. Back it up with numbers.</h3>
Including numbers is always a good thing on the resume and at the job
interview. It helps provide a metric to measuring results and success
as well as qualities, experience and skills you have to offer. On the
resume, it can also help capture the reader’s attention because numbers
jump out of a document full of text. For more tips, read: <a href="http://www.careerealism.com/resume-writing-rules-accomplishments/">“4 Resume Writing Rules For Listing Your Accomplishments.”</a><br />
<h3>
4. Follow through on your claims.</h3>
If you’re going to say you’re an <em>effective communicator</em> then
you’d better support that claim with your phone communication, email
communication and communication at the job interview. If you’re going to
say you’re <em>outgoing </em>and have <em>high energy </em>then that’s going to have to come through also over the phone and in person. For traits like <em>effective writer </em>or <em>great attention to detail, </em>your
resume and email communication had better be free of misspellings.
Also, don’t miss any specific instructions included to the job posting
on how to apply because that will counter what you say are your soft
skills. Basically, any claims you make need to be followed through in
your actions. It goes along the lines of the “Show it, don’t tell it”
method.<br />
Clearly, soft skills can never compensate for specific background
experience requirements – the hard skills for the job, but it can help
employers see why one candidate is preferable over another job
candidate. When there are two candidates who hold similar experiences
and skills, the employer will look at soft skills, which often help make
up the likeability factor of a candidate. Don’t forget to include soft
skills on your resume and at the job interview backed up with hard
facts!Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-76308468501848986392015-10-30T06:15:00.002-07:002015-10-30T06:15:48.250-07:00The 3 Biggest Secrets Entrepreneurs Keep <br />
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<img alt="The 3 Biggest Secrets Entrepreneurs Keep" height="224" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/1414436575-7-steps-launch-freelancing-career-full-time-diver-pool.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<br />
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/amyk-hutchens" rel="author"></a><br />
<div>
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/amyk-hutchens" rel="author">AmyK Hutchens</a></div>
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/amyk-hutchens" rel="author">
</a>
<br />
<div class="title">
Contributor</div>
<div class="title">
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com </i></div>
<br />
Looking in the mirror at the end of the day can be a painful endeavor
for entrepreneurs. It’s that raw moment when they drop the “fake it
till you make it” smile. They let their anxiety seep through their
pores, and wonder out loud just exactly how much stress, frustration,
life lessons and wrinkles they will physically endure before they hit
their target numbers or shake hands with their next investor.<br />
<strong><br /></strong>
It’s
that raw moment when entrepreneurs -- and this may include you -- come
face to face with their secrets. These are the secrets you'd prefer no
one else discover. And here, you may feel isolated, but you're
definitely not alone.<br />
The reason is that everyone keeps secrets,
and entrepreneurs are no exception. In fact, there are three specific
secrets entrepreneurs share that prevent them from achieving greater
success, faster: <em>imposter syndrome, self-criticism fixation</em> and <em>comparison condition</em>.
When not addressed, these afflictions truncate success. When they are
overcome, however, not only do they unleash potential but help
entrepreneurs meet and often exceed their goals.<br />
<h2>
<strong>1. Imposter syndrome</strong></h2>
Imposter
syndrome occurs when entrepreneurs experience feelings of inadequacy
and chronic self-doubt that persist even when a closer look indicates
that the opposite is true.<br />
Entrepreneurs often have the internal
mantra, “I do not belong here. I’m not worthy of being taken seriously,
and everyone will soon discover that I’m a fraud.” Unfortunately, many
successful, smart, talented entrepreneurs believe they are neither good
enough nor have enough to play in the coveted sandbox of "innovator and
game changer.” These entrepreneurs end up behaving poorly in an attempt
to cover up their fears.<br />
What's more, those that fear being
“caught” may avoid taking risks that could reveal their perceived
inadequacies, or they'll settle for less, not believing they deserve
better than mediocre results, mediocre talent or average opportunities.
Those fears undermine their success by manifesting real-life mistakes
and self-induced failures.<br />
When entrepreneurs replace their
feelings of inadequacy and paranoia about being discovered a “fraud”
with a healthier, more realistic assessment about their strengths and
contributions, they build self-confidence. When they focus less on their
skill gaps and more on how best to leverage their gifts and
talents, they create new value.<br />
<em>How might your own self-doubts be inhibiting your ability to lead?</em><br />
<h2>
<strong>2. Self-criticism fixation</strong></h2>
A
self-criticism fixation occurs when entrepreneurs are so hung up on
their past transgressions that they can’t believe in their future
excellence. Entrepreneurs are notoriously hard on themselves for early
mistakes and failures. They often allow their perceived regrettable
moments to cripple their potential or truncate their ability to
successfully execute their next idea.<br />
These hang-ups influence
whom they hire and fire, how and when they make decisions and which
relationships and partnerships they prioritize. They define themselves
by mistakes instead of assessing the knowledge they have gained from
past missteps and identifying how they turned that knowledge into wisdom
to avoid subsequent, similar mistakes.<br />
Letting go of resentments
and grudges against ourselves is perhaps more difficult than letting go
of others’ trespasses against us. Yet, it’s imperative for entrepreneurs
to do exactly that. The point is not to avoid accountability, it’s to
accept responsibility for the lesson. Once entrepreneurs realize that
business and life are long learning curves, they can more readily let go
of past mistakes and more expediently and effectively bring fruition to
their next big idea.<br />
<em>If you were to love your followers as you love yourself, should your followers be warned?</em><br />
<h2>
<strong>3. Comparison condition</strong></h2>
Comparison
condition is one of the worst forms of entrepreneurs' self-abuse. Many
entrepreneurs are so busy comparing themselves to other businesses
and other entrepreneurs, living in a world of “should haves” and “should
bes,” that they lose focus on their own path to success. When
entrepreneurs compare themselves this way, they end up taking detours,
trying out other people's paths. They dilute their talent and ultimately
lose their mojo.<br />
When that happens, they drift too far, often
burn out and lose their followers. In contrast, staying on your own path
is integral to focus, productivity, performance and results. It’s hard
to charge full-steam ahead when you’re always looking sideways.<br />
<em>What
have you done when a case of the "shoulds" hits you? How have you
adjusted the internal conversation to be healthier and more supportive
of your own ideas? </em><br />
When entrepreneurs are willing to expose
the secrets they keep -- if only to themselves, and then work through
them -- they can positively and exponentially transform their business
success. Oftentimes, entrepreneurs say they pay a high price to chart a
new course. And that price may well reflect on the secrets they keep. Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-58854805796680675612015-10-21T08:53:00.003-07:002015-10-21T08:53:44.999-07:00What Couples That Stay Together Don’t Do<br />
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<img alt="What Couples That Stay Together Don’t Do" class="img-responsive" height="294" itemprop="image" src="http://one-to-one.website/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/wct-190x140.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
by Matt Duczeminski<br />
<i>culled from:lifehack.org</i> <br />
<br />
Being in a relationship requires hard work. There are so many things
that you have to take into consideration in order to keep the
relationship healthy, but you ultimately know every effort you make is
completely worth it. Sometimes, though, it’s what you don’t do as a
couple that keeps the two of you growing stronger and stronger every
day.<br />
They don’t complain to friends about their significant other<br />
I’ve
seen enough Seinfeld episodes to know that talking about your mate with
your friends is only going to get you in trouble. You really shouldn’t
talk about anyone at all behind their backs, but your significant other
should be completely off limits. The only reason you should ever bring
up your love to anyone else is if you have something amazing to say
about them.<br />
They don’t compare themselves to other couples<br />
Strong couples have
faith in their own relationship, and don’t feel the need to be ahead of
the curve in any way. They live at their own pace, and make major moves
when they’re ready. There really is no need to live by a timeline, or
think about what stage in the relationship society says you should be
after a certain amount of time together. Keeping up with the Jonses is
so 1950s, anyway.<br />
They don’t place blame or play the victim<br />
Couples who always blame
each other for shortcomings end up falling apart pretty easily, as do
couples in which one person constantly makes a martyr out of him or
herself. Couples should share the blame, and discuss went wrong when
things go south. Working through your problems in a calm manner ensures
that you’ll continue to grow together as a couple.<br />
They don’t criticize one another<br />
Everyone
has faults, and strong couples know this. They don’t harp on one
another’s shortcomings, and instead learn to accept them. The best
couples are made up of two individuals who focus on strengthening their
own weaknesses in order to make themselves worthy of the other person.<br />
They don’t attempt to read the others mind, or expect them to read theirs<br />
In
other words, strong couples communicate. Like I said earlier, they are
able to discuss what’s bothering them without fear of it turning into a
massive blowout argument. It should always be a nice surprise when your
significant other has read your mind (like when he knows you’ve had a
long day so he prepares your favorite meal), but it should never be a
requirement.<br />
They don’t nag<br />
Remember Married…With Children? Peggy was the
absolute definition of a nag. And the Bundys hated each other. Don’t be
that person that’s constantly telling the other one to clean up their
mess, do the dishes, cook dinner. If it gets to a breaking point, of
course you should bring it up and have a serious conversation about
what’s bugging you (see above), but if every tiny little thing is
starting to get to you, maybe you’re not as happy as you thought you
were in the first place.<br />
They don’t take things too seriously<br />
This goes along with the last
point. If your significant other left his shoes in the middle of the
floor, or she forgot to put your clothes in the dryer like you asked, is
it really worth making a big deal about it? Strong couples know when to
let things go, because they realize the relationship is made up of two
human beings who are prone to mistakes every once in a while. Give one
another a break every once in a while, and you’ll surely be a much
happier couple.Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-80834763134551665722015-10-21T08:47:00.004-07:002015-10-21T08:47:56.858-07:009 Things Managers Do That Make Good Employees Quit<br />
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<img alt="9 Things Managers Do That Make Good Employees Quit" height="359" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20150807205135-meryl-streep-devil-wears-prada.jpeg" width="640" /></div>
<br />
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/travis-bradberry" rel="author"></a><br />
<div>
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/travis-bradberry" rel="author">Travis Bradberry</a></div>
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/travis-bradberry" rel="author">
</a>
<br />
<div class="title">
Contributor</div>
<div class="title">
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com</i> </div>
<br />
It’s pretty incredible how often you hear managers complaining about
their best employees leaving, and they really do have something to
complain about—few things are as costly and disruptive as good people
walking out the door.<br />
Managers tend to blame their turnover
problems on everything under the sun, while ignoring the crux of the
matter: people don’t leave jobs; they leave managers.<br />
The sad
thing is that this can easily be avoided. All that’s required is a new
perspective and some extra effort on the manager’s part.<br />
First, we need to understand the nine worst things that managers do that send good people packing.<br />
<h2>
<strong>1. They overwork people.</strong></h2>
Nothing
burns good employees out quite like overworking them. It’s so tempting
to work your best people hard that managers frequently fall into this
trap. Overworking good employees is perplexing; it makes them feel as if
they’re being punished for great performance. Overworking employees is
also counterproductive. New research from Stanford shows that
productivity per hour declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50
hours, and productivity drops off so much after 55 hours that you don’t
get anything out of working more.<br />
If you must increase how much
work your talented employees are doing, you’d better increase their
status as well. Talented employees will take on a bigger workload, but
they won’t stay if their job suffocates them in the process. Raises,
promotions, and title-changes are all acceptable ways to increase
workload. If you simply increase workload because people are talented,
without changing a thing, they will seek another job that gives them
what they deserve.<br />
<h2>
<strong>2. They don’t recognize contributions and reward good work.</strong></h2>
It’s
easy to underestimate the power of a pat on the back, especially with
top performers who are intrinsically motivated. Everyone likes kudos,
none more so than those who work hard and give their all. Managers need
to communicate with their people to find out what makes them feel good
(for some, it’s a raise; for others, it’s public recognition) and then
to reward them for a job well done. With top performers, this will
happen often if you’re doing it right.<br />
<h2>
<strong>3. They don’t care about their employees.</strong></h2>
More
than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their
relationship with their boss. Smart companies make certain their
managers know how to balance being professional with being human. These
are the bosses who celebrate an employee’s success, empathize with those
going through hard times, and challenge people, even when it hurts.
Bosses who fail to <em>really</em> care will always have high turnover
rates. It’s impossible to work for someone eight-plus hours a day when
they aren’t personally involved and don’t care about anything other than
your production yield.<br />
<h2>
<strong>4. They don’t honor their commitments.</strong></h2>
Making
promises to people places you on the fine line that lies between making
them very happy and watching them walk out the door. When you uphold a
commitment, you grow in the eyes of your employees because you prove
yourself to be trustworthy and honorable (two very important qualities
in a boss). But when you disregard your commitment, you come across as
slimy, uncaring, and disrespectful. After all, if the boss doesn’t honor
his or her commitments, why should everyone else?<br />
<h2>
<strong>5. They hire and promote the wrong people.</strong></h2>
Good,
hard-working employees want to work with like-minded professionals.
When managers don’t do the hard work of hiring good people, it’s a major
demotivator for those stuck working alongside them. Promoting the wrong
people is even worse. When you work your tail off only to get passed
over for a promotion that’s given to someone who glad-handed their way
to the top, it’s a massive insult. No wonder it makes good people leave.<br />
<h2>
<strong>6. They don’t let people pursue their passions.</strong></h2>
Talented
employees are passionate. Providing opportunities for them to pursue
their passions improves their productivity and job satisfaction. But
many managers want people to work within a little box. These managers
fear that productivity will decline if they let people expand their
focus and pursue their passions. This fear is unfounded. Studies show
that people who are able to pursue their passions at work experience <em>flow</em>, a euphoric state of mind that is five times more productive than the norm.<br />
<h2>
<strong>7. They fail to develop people’s skills.</strong></h2>
When
managers are asked about their inattention to employees, they try to
excuse themselves, using words such as “trust,” “autonomy,” and
“empowerment.” This is complete nonsense. Good managers manage, no
matter how talented the employee. They pay attention and are constantly
listening and giving feedback.<br />
Management may have a beginning,
but it certainly has no end. When you have a talented employee, it’s up
to you to keep finding areas in which they can improve to expand their
skill set. The most talented employees want feedback—more so than the
less talented ones—and it’s your job to keep it coming. If you don’t,
your best people will grow bored and complacent.<br />
<h2>
<strong>8. They fail to engage their creativity.</strong></h2>
The
most talented employees seek to improve everything they touch. If you
take away their ability to change and improve things because you’re only
comfortable with the status quo, this makes them hate their jobs.
Caging up this innate desire to create not only limits them, it limits
you.<br />
<h2>
<strong>9. They fail to challenge people intellectually.</strong></h2>
Great
bosses challenge their employees to accomplish things that seem
inconceivable at first. Instead of setting mundane, incremental goals,
they set lofty goals that push people out of their comfort zones. Then,
good managers do everything in their power to help them succeed. When
talented and intelligent people find themselves doing things that are
too easy or boring, they seek other jobs that will challenge their
intellects.<br />
<h2>
<strong>Bringing it all together</strong></h2>
If
you want your best people to stay, you need to think carefully about how
you treat them. While good employees are as tough as nails, their
talent gives them an abundance of options. You need to make them <em>want</em> to work for you.Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-88846500394601326982015-10-21T08:37:00.002-07:002015-10-21T08:37:47.429-07:00Why Business Leaders Must 'Clean the Bathroom' <br />
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<img alt="Why Business Leaders Must 'Clean the Bathroom'" height="359" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/content/16x9/822/20150908210328-public-bathroom-restroom-loo.jpeg" width="640" /></div>
<br />
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/jeffrey-hayzlett" rel="author"></a><br />
<div>
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/jeffrey-hayzlett" rel="author">Jeffrey Hayzlett</a></div>
<a class="name" href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/author/jeffrey-hayzlett" rel="author">
</a>
<br />
<div class="title">
Contributor</div>
<div class="title">
<i>culled from:entrepreneur.com</i> </div>
<br />
<em>In his book </em><a href="http://bookstore.entrepreneur.com/product/think-big-act-bigger/?ctp=Press&cnm=Editors&src=Excerpt" target="_blank">Think Big Act Bigger</a><em>,
Jeffrey Hayzlett shares core lessons you need to tie visions to
actions, get ahead of the competition, and achieve your business goals.
In this edited excerpt, the author explains why it's critical to get
your hands dirty every now and then. </em><br />
How can you expect
people to do the things you want them to do if you won’t do them,
haven’t done them, don’t know them well enough to understand what needs
to be done, or are completely disconnected from them?<br />
Honestly,
I'm most leery of the leaders who won’t do the day-to-day work and who
shun or look down on the people who do. Don’t get me wrong: Your time
must be used wisely. I want leaders to do things that make them most
effective in thinking big and acting bigger—that’s why we need great
people to help us, and you can’t stay on top of everything your
employees do all the time, nor should you. But that doesn’t give you
license to create an “ivory tower” within your business.<br />
Most jobs
must be below your pay grade, but you can't be so far above them all
the time that you never look below. You can’t view any work or people
connected to your business—those who work for and with you as well as
your customers—as figurative “garbage.” To do so undermines the cadence
of the company you just worked hard to develop and the trust of the
people for whom you are ultimately responsible. You still need to
remember what it's like to get your hands dirty—to stay connected to the
work of the entire business so no one can ever think that you aren’t.
That’s not just the mark of a great entrepreneur; it’s the mark of a
great leader.<br />
In my first book, <em>The Mirror Test</em>, I wrote about my battles with “Johnny Vegas Syndrome”—the evil outgrowth of success characterized by an <em>Ocean’s 11 </em>attitude:
exaggerated swagger, excessive celebration, unbearably inflated ego,
metaphorical swinging of chains, and an undignified belief that you're
bigger than yourself and the community that surrounds you. A crippling
business disorder, it strikes leaders following periods of sustained
growth or after major triumphs. The only known cure is a metaphorical
slap in the face or failure.<br />
The only way to keep the syndrome at
bay is for leaders to remember to pick up the garbage now and then. The
other way eventually leads to inauthenticity, losing touch, and
eventually going from growth to gone.<br />
I actually clean the
bathroom at our New York City office. I do it as a reminder to never see
any work as demeaning or beneath anybody—and to stand as an example to
everyone in my companies as a result. It’s a stake in the ground, and a
visible one at that: If I'm willing to take responsibility for and do
the most disgusting jobs, who can complain about taking out the garbage
(literally or figuratively)? Who can complain when I say, “Clean up your
desk”?<br />
When was the last time you walked the floor of one of your
businesses? Picked up the phone and talked to an important vendor or
customer? Ate in the cafeteria or ate your lunch at a communal table?
Read the systems, rules, or operating manual for your company? Sat and
talked with people in your office who are normally filtered by your
direct reports or assistants, not because you had to or for a review but
just to listen? For far too many people, the answer is: “Almost never.”<br />
I
have metaphorically “cleaned my bathroom” everywhere I have worked, and
you should, too. The following short sections detail the ways I "clean
the bathroom" every day. Try these. You’ll find that once you do, they
become an integral part of your personal corporate culture.<br />
<strong>Connect. </strong>I
send my own emails, texts, and updates—often individually, not blasts.
All my social media posts come from me, and nearly all are posted by me.
I even write my own thank-you notes and letters.<br />
<strong>Immerse and attack. </strong>At
my Team Logic franchise years ago, I found the systems weren't working.
Rather than assign the task to one of my direct reports or hire a
consultant, I became an expert in those systems myself. I shopped my
company as a customer to test the front desk and sales teams. I went
through every part of the business to understand where the problems were
and how to fix them so I knew not only what needed to be done but also
that it <em>could</em> be done.<br />
<strong>Stay visible and get out there. </strong>At
Kodak, I walked the halls to meet everyone I could, from the account
executives down to the janitors—to understand what was really happening
and hear what I needed to hear unfiltered by those who answered directly
to me. Beyond the office, I went into Best Buys and put on its blue
shirt to sell Kodak’s printers to learn what it took to do so, ensure it
was being done right, and refine any missteps.<br />
By doing these
things everywhere I go, I've stayed connected bottom to top in the
businesses I've worked for and with, reinforced trust with employees and
colleagues, and become an elephant that never forgets what it’s like at
the bottom of the ladder. Does that mean I won’t fail or fall victim to
a Johnny Vegas-like business syndrome? Of course not—I’m human! Does it
demean me in some people’s eyes? Perhaps. Haters gonna hate. But few
ever think I am <em>above </em>the process even though I don’t want to
see or be involved in most of it anymore. Fewer still would say I don’t
understand things and fail to push forward in everything I do.Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253087502580804000.post-57247607747922097652015-10-21T08:33:00.000-07:002015-10-21T08:33:42.625-07:008 Ways to Make Yourself Profoundly Influential <br />
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<img alt="photo-1429962714451-bb934ecdc4ec" bgcolor="#866a59" class="lazy-img attachment-full animated fadeIn" data-bttrlazyloading-lg="{"src":"http:\/\/cdn-media-2.lifehack.org\/wp-content\/files\/2015\/10\/03144641\/photo-1429962714451-bb934ecdc4ec.jpeg","width":5616,"height":3744}" data-bttrlazyloading-md="{"src":"http:\/\/cdn-media-2.lifehack.org\/wp-content\/files\/2015\/10\/03144641\/photo-1429962714451-bb934ecdc4ec-1024x683.jpg","width":1024,"height":683}" data-bttrlazyloading-sm="{"src":"http:\/\/cdn-media-2.lifehack.org\/wp-content\/files\/2015\/10\/03144641\/photo-1429962714451-bb934ecdc4ec-380x253.jpg","width":380,"height":253}" data-bttrlazyloading-xs="{"src":"http:\/\/cdn-media-2.lifehack.org\/wp-content\/files\/2015\/10\/03144641\/photo-1429962714451-bb934ecdc4ec-380x253.jpg","width":380,"height":253}" data-lh-image-id="320767" height="426" src="http://cdn-media-2.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2015/10/03144641/photo-1429962714451-bb934ecdc4ec-1024x683.jpg" style="display: block;" title="influential" width="640" /></div>
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<span class="meta"><span class="info">by <a class="tracker-binded" href="http://www.lifehack.org/author/ramon-nuez" rel="author" title="Posts by Ramon Nuez">Ramon Nuez</a></span></span><br />
<i> culled from:lifehack.org</i><br />
<br />
Influence is one of the most powerful tools that you can use to impact your personal and professional <br />
life.<br />
Unfortunately, we are not born with the natural tendency to be
influential. It’s a craft that is nurtured until mastered. Sadly, the
mastery of influence is shrouded in limiting beliefs, and battled
by resistance that others will impose.<br />
I know this battle well. The struggle to affect your personal life as
well as your professional life is difficult. There is no right path to
take; you must simply take the path. But, more importantly, you must do
the work.<br />
To drastically increase your influence, do the following:<br />
<h2>
<strong>1. Ask a Beautiful Question</strong></h2>
As an influencer, it’s our fiduciary duty to listen. But before we
begin listening, we must approach each encounter as a student and ask
what Warren Berger, author of <em>A More Beautiful Question</em>, calls “the beautiful question”.<br />
A question of this caliber opens the mind to richer discourse. It
forces others to pause and allow the question to marinate and percolate.
As the question simmers, each degree of adjustment brings about a cadre
of hunches, impressions, and fragile new ideas.<br />
As an influencer, here are a few beautiful questions to ask:<br />
<ul>
<li>What does not fit?</li>
<li>What would an outsider do?</li>
<li>Do I understand why we do it this way?</li>
<li>What might be the long-term consequences?</li>
</ul>
<h2>
<strong>2. Create a plan to be a good listener</strong></h2>
As an influencer, you must spend the better part of your energy
listening. This might sound counter-intuitive, but the most effective
strategy to get people’s attention is for you to give them <em>your</em> attention.<br />
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
“Listen. It makes you smarter.”<br />
— Richard Branson</blockquote>
</blockquote>
When you are genuinely listening to someone, when you are giving them
your undivided attention, when you can summarize their conversation,
when you can ask a <em>beautiful</em> question — you are demonstrating open-mindedness and respect.<br />
<h2>
<strong>3. Welcome disagreements</strong></h2>
As influencers, we expect a healthy chorus of disagreement. I would even say that as an influencer it’s your responsibility to <em>create</em>
an environment of disagreement. Why, it’s a healthy sign of critical
thinking. Where ideas are being challenged, not for malicious intent,
but in an effort to test the ideas’ viability.<br />
<h2>
<strong>4. Focus only on what really matters</strong></h2>
As an influencer, your energy is limited. Therefore, it’s imperative
that you focus that finite energy on projects where you can make the
greatest contribution. There are a number of strategies you can adopt,
but here are five that work for me:<br />
<ul>
<li>Develop a clear “why” — this keeps you anchored to what really matters</li>
<li>Do it — because you are the only one who can</li>
<li>Delegate — often you will not be the best one to do the work</li>
<li>Defer — sometimes things are not actionable now</li>
<li>Weekly review — because you need to check where you are spending your energy</li>
</ul>
<h2>
<strong>5. Build a plan for being proactive</strong></h2>
As an influencer, you do not wait for a situation to find you. You must build a funnel to remain proactive:<br />
<ul>
<li>Ask questions</li>
<li>Listen</li>
<li>Encourage disagreements</li>
<li>Focus on what matters</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of
Influence. They work on the things they can do something about. The
nature of their energy is positive, enlarging and magnifying, causing
their Circle of Influence to increase.<br />
— Steven Covey</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<h2>
<strong>6. Set a powerful vision</strong></h2>
As an influencer, vision is critically important. You must develop a
vision statement that is compelling. If your vision statement does not
excite you, how will you ever influence others? You must give yourself
permission to envision the perfect future, by answering these two
questions:<br />
<ul>
<li>What do I want to see happen?</li>
<li>What would “it” look like in three years?</li>
</ul>
Once you are clear on your vision and the things you want, the how generally takes care of itself.<br />
<h2>
<strong>7. Use your influence to bring out the best in others</strong></h2>
As an influencer, your responsibility is not to be the smartest
person in the room. Your only responsibility is to foster a culture of
intelligence — to multiply the intelligence among your team members.<br />
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
Early in a task, team members should discuss the
knowledge each brings to the table. That changes the criterion for power
from social influence to informational influence.<br />
– Bryan L. Bonner and Alexander R. Bolinger</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<h2>
<strong>8. Increase your value through education</strong></h2>
As an influencer, you must increase your value by thinking of
yourself as a product, and upgrade yourself every year. You must see
yourself as a competitive product with benefits, and liabilities, all
waiting to be improved.<br />
A good strategy for upgrading yourself is to ask, “What skills will
give me more freedom in the future?” Once you have identified these,
dedicate time to mastering them. And by mastery, I mean knowing the
skill so well that you are positioned to help someone else solve their
problems.<br />
<h2>
<strong>Final thoughts</strong></h2>
So there you have it. My suggested list of characteristics that will
make an amazing influencer. Which one are you going to start with
first? My personal favorite is number eight.<br />
My hopes are that you choose to become an influencer, because your
professional and personal life will thank you for the dedication.
Executive Republichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12142256065268514673noreply@blogger.com0