Improving Your Human Resource Management Skills

A flourishing business depends on good people management skills. With a little effort you can succeed in improving in these techniques. Having a intuitive affinity for getting along with people and forming relationships is a plus, nevertheless you can do numerous things that will help the process.

Relationship Building: Addressing staff by name will be a beginning. Engage in conversation; make eye contact as you are speaking. Show respect, also listen to everything the other person has to say, irrespective of whether you are in agreement or not. Acquiring the ability to listen is among the greatest things you can do to improve your human resource management skills. Be sure to exhibit interest in what they can give to the business organization. Keep your promises: Don’t give promises you will not fulfill. When you don’t keep your word, the fragile bond of trust is destroyed, and people won’t offer you their best efforts if they can’t trust you. Each time you make a commitment or give a promise, make sure that you can follow through or don’t bother giving your word at all. To be frank, if you can’t be counted on, you can be assured they will act in a similar fashion. Be open to feedback: Feedback should be a two-way process. Maintaining an open mind with regard to other people’s opinions is very important in effective talent management. If you are able to show that you are accessible and receptive, you establish that other people’s thoughts count, your views will be appreciated in the same manner. Frank discussion also promotes innovative ways of thinking, ways of achieving the mission of the company, and strengthens the company dynamic. By allowing the employees a voice, each employee takes ownership of the project’s outcome.

Communication is fundamental: Dealing with individuals boils down to one thing - communication. Be accessible, practice good listening skills, welcome employees to share ideas, and permit each of your team to express themselves. Encourage staff not just to speak with you, but also to speak to each other. The creative process depends heavily on the interchange of ideas, when the team members communicate effectively, it is easy to find any issues before they present as problems, and corrective measures can be applied before matters get out of hand.

Some time and effort is essential, all the same the rewards are worthwhile. Through establishing the bonds of a good team and demonstrating good listening techniques, you can easily have a successful business.

Smithy Wood Attracts New Tenants

Office space at the 50 acre Smithy Wood regeneration site was recently leased by two companies. Konica Minolta Business Solutions, a business machine specialist, and Medilink healthcare technologies support organization have both moved to the site.

The project for office space development at Smithy Woods is being carried out by Yorkshire Forward, which is a regional development agency, and the Duke of Norfolk.

David Newton who heads the St. Paul’s development project disclosed that after the two deals were finalized, the property was attracting many interested parties with similar business interests.

Kevin Kiely, who is the managing director of Medilink, justified his company’s move by saying that the office relocation would help Medilink in working with other support groups to further the development of healthcare technology. He further informed that there were some great opportunities for developing healthcare technologies and providing better support for organization near this South Yorkshire location.

Martin Hetherington, who is the sales director of Konica Minolta, explained the move from Leeds by saying that the new office location had better office interiors and facilities, which would improve their efficiency and also enhance their reputation in the market. He also said that because of a steady growth in the client base, Konica Minolta had to move out to a place, which was more accessible to its customers, and South Yorkshire was a good choice. He went on to add that the site was an ideal business location as the company could reach its customers easily owing to its proximity with Junction 35 on the M1.

Improving Your Human Resources Management Skills

Talent management is very important for business success. With a little effort you can learn and develop these skills. It may be an advantage to have a intuitive affinity for people, even so you can do many things to make this procedure easier. Relationship Building: Addressing employees by name will be a start. Speak to staff; look employees in the eye when you are talking. Do be respectful, and be sure to be attentive to everything the other person says, even if you disagree or have another viewpoint. Acquiring listening skills is among the best things you may do to develop your talent management skills. Be sure to encourage any contributions from your team members. Keep your word: Do not give promises you will not fulfill. When you don’t deliver on what you promise, the delicate bond of trust is broken, and individuals won’t give you their best without trusting you. When you make a commitment or make a promise, ensure that you can keep your promises or don’t bother giving your word at all. The truth is, when you can’t be depended on, they will not be there if you really need them. Be open to feedback: It’s a two-way street. Human Resources management skills mean being receptive to all feedback. Being approachable and open establishes that you want to listen to other people’s feedback, and they will respect yours. Frank discussion in addition encourages fresh ideas, new methods of accomplishing goals, and strengthens the bonds of an excellent team. If your team members can express themselves, the outcome becomes important to every team member.

Communication is essential: People management techniques boil down to the same concept - communication. Keeping an open door policy, use listening techniques, remember to welcome people to express their ideas, and permit team members a chance to express themselves. The team should be encouraged to talk to each other as well as with you. The sharing of ideas is important in the creative process, and when the team members communicate openly, it is much simpler to spot any issues before they present a problem, permitting corrective action to be put in place to prevent any further problems.

A little work will be required, but the payoffs far outbalance the effort necessary. By building the bonds of a good team and taking on board what your team has to offer, you can accomplish the best in business success.

Online Conference Calls Create Opportunities to Reduce Unneeded Travel Expenses

Oil costs are soaring and as a result, company expenses are squeezed short worse than ever before. With an global economy lumbers along slowly and credit remains hard to come by, prudent directories acknowledge unnecessary budgets should cut. Business people everywhere must make some important decisions to shrink expenses. Perhaps the obvious plan to reduce business expenditures is to hack away at frivolous travel expenses, and the secret is web conference calls.

Internet conferencing enable anyone to communicate with others electronically in a conference in a distant town, in another time zone or even more significantly in a distant shore. Typical online conference calling make use of new web video services. Because that they are streamed online, they merely utilize no additional organizational resources. By using the web, is it possible to make a overseas meeting from just about any locale that has Internet access. Not only is it everywhere, it can slash travel expenses by thousands.

Leaps in networking technology make web conferencing calls possible for people to exchange presentations and information simultaneously. Internet conference members can see and hear as if they are virtually there, even if theyre really halfway around the planet earth. The look and sound of the video, audio, and presentation is very accurate due to the best in digital encoding.

Obviously just about any business would save money by using online conferencing instead of wasting thousands dispatching a team on a big trip. You shouldnt spend on meals, hotels and even transportation costs. Big savings that matter over a year. Any trip not taken is more efficiency for a company. Most everyone knows that some companies are implementing Internet conference calls to reduce expenses on unnecessary company journeys.

Setting Goals Can Make You More Productive

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about Being More Productive. When you start sharing the fascinating facts on Being More Productive, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

Are you one of those people in the office who are always the first to speak up at meetings, volunteer for committees or participate in many office activities? Are you often the first one to arrive at work and the last one to leave? You are always tapping away on your computer and never have time for a lunch brake. You are always jumping from one task to the next, and you usually have a trail of unfinished tasks in your wake. Your productivity suffers.

You are not the only one who faces this problem every day. There are many people like you in the workplace who never finishes one task before moving on to the next. Half a dozen word processing windows, e-mail messages and assorted internet searches take up their computer screen’s real estate. Their workspace — and yours — is covered with sticky notes and half-read file folders.

Before your nerves snap and you sink so deep into this mess called unproductivity, stop and re-group. Your problems can be easily solved by these two words: Set Goals. Here is an incredibly simple way to start getting these problems under control. Every morning, before you turn on your computer, write down five things that you need to accomplish that day on an index card or a notepad. Make sure you include a small task that you are certain you can complete in one day. This will give you a sense of completion that will eventually be your motivation to finish all of your other tasks. Sooner or later, you will gain a sense of satisfaction in completing daily tasks brought about by writing down your goals. Don’t worry if your list is small. You will know when you can add more tasks to your list and be able to accomplish them all during your work day. When you set up your daily goals, make sure you put them in writing and then go ahead and complete all of them. This will help you to cure yourself of daily disorganization and unproductivity.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Being More Productive. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

Be smart. Don’t waste your energy and lose momentum on one task because you let yourself be distracted by another task. Work with your daily goals list. Work on finishing the tasks on your lists first, before tackling any others. Do you really need to be on the Christmas party committee when you have got three reports to finish?

Hopefully the information above has contributed to your understanding of Being More Productive. Share your new understanding about Being More Productive with others. They will thank you for it some day.

Ken Crowe, is an internet marketer who has helped many people make money on the internet. One of the ways he helpes newbies is teaching them ways to make money at home while learning the internet marketing business, so they don`t have to spend all of their personal money. One way for a newbie to make money is with Paid-To-Surf Programs. He has studied this business and has found many programs that are honest. The main program he has picked to be the best of 2006 is:
http://www.14dailyplus.com/index.php?refid=913602. This is not an investment, but an advertising program that pays you.

Business Growth Commitment: The Right Plan for Success

Successful business owners, CEO’s, and managers typically agree that in the business world, failing to plan is planning to fail. They are determined to move their businesses forward and have, at the very least, a general plan of attack. While they may not be completely confident in some of the specific strategies selected, they are committed to staying the course and doing what it takes to reach goals.

Unfortunately, what many professionals find out after the fact is that true commitment to growth is not just a mindset. It involves incorporating specific elements into the overall business plan that will make ideas come to life. Consider the following to ensure that you have the right plan for success.

As with any journey, you’ve got to know your final destination before you head out. Make sure that your plan, and every aspect of your plan, is created, with the end in mind. As a leader, you need to be the visionary that uses tried-and-true techniques to turn dreams into reality. Take a day, go away, and put your dreams on paper. Write out exactly what you want your business to look like, feel like, and do for you. Write out your specific financial goals, and determine the resources (time and money) that you are willing to allocate.

Once on paper, reassess your vision to ensure that it is attainable. (Even if you are confident that it is!) Defend your vision on paper. Write out why the vision is realistic and how it will fit in with your values and culture. You may find that you have questions that need to be addressed before you are able to do this. Take the time to explore the answers. Also, run your vision and concepts by professional peers, consultants, and/or family/friends. An outside perspective can offer extremely valuable information and insight.

When this process is complete, you will have a concrete vision that you can communicate to your team. Each team member needs to understand the vision and their role in making this vision come to life. Everyone needs to understand that while, your company will be firmly grounded in taking care of the business as it is today, each member will be required to always keep one foot in the future.

With your team on board, together you can determine the specific goals and resources that will be needed to achieve these goals. The key word here is specific. For instance, if you indicate that in order to achieve your vision, you need to grow the sales department by 10% each year, it must be clear what exact strategies are needed to make that happen. For example, goals will be met by 1) adding two additional sales representatives, 2) offering training to increase effectiveness of sales calls and closing techniques, 3) tracking daily inquiries and sales calls, and 4) developing incentives based upon successful inquiry conversion rates.

At the beginning of a journey, energy levels and momentum are high. Unfortunately, human nature kicks in, and team members start to realize that in order to reach goals change will be necessary. Resistance occurs, barriers go up, and your clear vision becomes harder to see.

Change-resistance is human nature. Change is stressful and takes us out of our comfort zone. But, change means survival in the business world. Your past efforts should be seen as a guide rather than the answer for future success. And, the best time to change is when you don’t have to! Be proactive and make sure you are being driven by your own progressive goals and dreams and not pushed by external forces. The market around you is changing constantly, and you’ve got to stay on top of it or your company is destined for mediocrity at bestfailure at worst.

Incorporate the issue of change into your business plan. Open lines of communication; discuss changes that will be occurring and how everyone will benefit from these changes. Discuss change itself and how it is natural to resist it and to fear the unknown. Discuss how your organization will be one that embraces change and is dedicated to growth. You will find that instead of jumping ship, your crew will begin to become even more loyal as you weather the seas of change together and begin to see progress.

Finally, in order to truly commit to business growth, your organization as a whole must become one that understands and values marketing action. It may help to first understand that marketing is not something you can avoid or choose not to be involved with. Nor is it one action, such as advertising or sales. Marketing is the entire business of doing business. It is all action, both minor and major, that directly affects profitability. If your customer or prospect sees, hears, feels, or touches itit’s marketing! Your team needs to understand that your action, or inaction, in this area means success or failure for your organization.

Prompt action by creating a marketing plan that supports your business plan. First, include how you will position your company, products, and services. Determine how you will communicate to your targets how they will benefit from using you or your product. Why should you be selected over others? This message can formulate the base for the areas needed to promote your product: advertising, public/community relations, Web/Internet marketing, and direct sales/service campaigns. Include what action is needed within each marketing strategy area, and commit to its completion. Marketing action should be seen as an investment, with each action bringing you closer to reaching your growth goals.

Business growth should be seen as a journey, with your plan being your roadmap to success. But, as business failure statistics show us, the road ahead is not always so smooth. Start with the end in mind; write down your visions/goals, and open communication lines with your team. Become an organization that embraces change and accepts that, oddly enough, change is the only thing in the business world that is constant. And, develop and follow a marketing plan of action that will work hand-in-hand with your business plan. Following the right plan equals commitment to growth and success for your business.

This article was published by Business Builders, a marketing outsourcing company that believes very strongly that the best way to gain loyal clients is to offer them the tools needed for success. Their Web site, http://www.businessbuildersnet.com, offers many additional free resources as well as valuable products for purchase on their product site: http://www.easyaspiemarketing.com

Resolve Conflict In 6 Easy Steps - The BEDROL Method

The principles of Negotiation can work for you in any situation, but often people ask me, “Well, its often a fact that conflict happens unexpectedly. What if I don’t have time to prepare? Can negotiation skills be used on the spur of the moment?” The answer is YES. The principles of Street Negotiation were created and battle-tested on the streets and it’s power lies in its ability to be used to resolve any conflict anytime. Conflict can be resolved in six easy to learn steps, acronymed as BEDROL(TM). That is: Back-up plan, Emotional control, Defusing their anger, Reframing, Options, and Letting them choose their fate.

Step 1–Back Up Plan.

Having a back-up plan before you step into a conflict is absolutely crucial. Police officers sometimes are so accustom to having people do as they say, they become complacent and fail to have a plan B ready in case the person doesn’t want to comply. An unfortuanate number of police officers have been killed in the line of duty because they didn’t know what to do once the subject refused to comply with their demands. Their lack of a back-up plan made them freeze up, giving the suspect enough time to overpower them. By having a plan B in your pocket prior to dealing with any conflict, you can remain confident that you can still move forward even if your negotiation fails. Remember that your plan B is your best solution that you can come up with on your own without having to talk with your counterpart. For the hostage negotiator, this could mean using the tactical team to take control by force. For two angry neighbors, this could mean going to court. Your plan B gives you the confidence to deal with your counterpart and the ability to move forward, whether you reach an agreement with them or not.

Step 2–Emotional Control

Your anger is the biggest challege towards resolving the conflict peacefully. You need to control your anger by separating the person from the problem. Have pity on the person for attacking you because their real anger lies in the problem, not with you. View the situation rationally without allowing anger into the equation. You always have to remember that if you react with angerthen you’ve lost the battle.

Step 3–Defusing their anger

The other obstacle to overcome is your counterpart’s anger and frustration. These emotions are blinding them from seeing things rationally. Their primary focus is that they were wronged and now they want retributionoften from you. Think of their emotions like a pressure cooker on a stovetop. There are two ways of releasing the pressure: (1) you can pop the lid and the have the contents explode out of the pot from the sudden change in pressure, or (2) you can engage the pressure-release valve and slowly let that steam pressure out of the cooker which will enable you to open the lid without injury. The same is true for an angry person. You want to hit their pressure release switch by using active listening skills. Listen and acknowledge this concerns. Engage them in empathetic responses by trying to walk around in their shoes. Paraphrase back to them what they told you in your own words. You will see a dramatic difference in their level of hostility as they get to vent their anger.

Step 4–Reframing

Now comes the time when you must reframe their position into interests. Do this by first reframing them from an enemy into a partner. Then reframe all their personal attacks on you back on the problem. Then finally, uncover their interests behind their demands with nonconfrontational questions.

Step 5–Options

Discuss options with them and get them involved in the process of thinking about possibilities for a solution. You might have to present some various options that they have available to them. Strive for a cooperative effort to find mutually-satisfying options that will benefit both parties.

Step 6–Letting them choose their fate

Empower your counterpart with the choice to make their own fate. Don’t back them into a corner by telling them what to do. Human beings need control over their own life, otherwise they feel threatened. Let them pick the option that you both have discussed. If they still fail to comply at this point then ask them what the possible consequences are if no agreement can be made. As a last resort, use your back-up plan as an alternative to the negotiation.

Tristan Loo is an experienced negotiator and an expert in conflict resolution. He uses his law enforcement experience to train others in the prinicples of defusing conflict and reaching agreements. Visit his website at http://www.streetnegotiation.com

What Is Business Sense?

What is the principal thing you need to succeed in your business today? Money. Sure, you need it, but it is not the main ingredient for success. People. Of course they are necessary, but having them may not guarantee success. Excellent products or services. Well, this is a must to succeed. But you may have them and still not succeed. Promotions, visibility, marketing. These factors lubricate your business activities for success. So what is the principal thing?

Take this from the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore get wisdom. And in your getting, get understanding. Riches and honor are with me. Enduring riches and righteousness. Translate this into your business, you get what I call Business Sense. As we progress into year 2005, it is necessary we refresh our minds on what this sense is all about. That is the mission of this article.

So what is Business Sense? How you do your business. Not really. Strategies for doing business. Well you may be correct, but not quite. Doing business with the sixth sense. No you are off the mark for though Business Sense has something to do with feelings, it has more to do with wisdom.

But what exactly is Business Sense? It is the application of wisdom for today’s business, or simply put, common sense in business. It is more than knowledge, facts, and figures. It is copious use of ideas especially those that are so simple, ordinary, or basic that they are disregarded. It is insight, the ability to interpret developments and the business environment differently, and to see, discern, and use differently and profitably, what others see but ignore because they look so ordinary or appear foolish. If you put your attention on those simple issues and things about they way you work and live, and use them for business, you are operating with business sense.

Business sense. Two words, So profound, readily available, so simple to learn and apply, yet largely ignored. You can call it common sense. Though it readily abounds, it is not so common in acquisition and application among the professional and managerial class who rule the corporate world.

They have studied in the best schools locally and abroad, acquired the latest technology and skills, and apply the best management methods, but are still struggling with the challenges in the marketplace. It is as if the more degrees, diplomas, and certificates our professionals acquire, the less they make use of common sense in business.

Not so for traders at the Alaba International market in Lagos. What they lack in formal education they make up with a copious supply of business sense. Little wonder, virtually all the banks flock to wherever these traders cluster to set up branches.

No economic sector or concentration of businessmen/women or professionals who exchange value have been able to attract such corporate attention from the financial services sector in Nigeria. These traders thrive while many other sectors are complaining. Do not blame the banks for chasing the traders. They badly need the cash which these traders generate daily. That is why they gravitate towards the traders. No other group maintains such a gravitational pull on a sector as formidable as the banks.

A teenage boy who moves into this market to learn the trade begins from the fundamentals- book keeping, retailing, pricing, and delivery of goods. Within four years, he has polished his negotiation skills and with the dexterity he has acquired, he can sell coal to a tourist form Newcastle in the UK. He is well equipped to deal confidently with consumers who are becoming very articulate and demanding. The hard times has made them to be very price sensitive and value conscious in their purchases. Patriotic messages may not move them anymore to vote for your brands with the dwindling value of their money. Neither will promotional hypes do that anymore.

What business sense tells you is that consumers want more promotional information to guide them in their purchases. Two decades ago, a nursing mother in Nigeria would hardly glance at the nutrition facts on a tin of baby milk. Today, before she buys, she picks up tins of SMA and other brands of baby foods to determine the one that offers the best value for her money. Now you can understand why Nestle Nigeria Plc mounted a promotional campaign to teach consumers Nutrition Facts. That beverage and baby foods maker has caught the vision of business sense.

What about Guinness Nigeria Plc. Its premium brand Guinness stout says: Guinness brings out the action in you. But what the brewery has failed to do is to explain how the consumption of Guinness will galvanize consumers into action.

Take this from Oceanic International Bank. Its lighted billboards in Lagos metropolis sends the corporate message in two words: Experience peace. Good promo. But in these days of consolidation, banking distress and all, Oceanic Bank will definitely make more impact if it sends out detailed promotional messages on how a relationship with the bank guarantees peace. That is the latest trend in corporate communications, a shift from promotional hypes to information loaded promotions which communication experts call infomercials.

Business sense means that corporate bodies, the professional and managerial class must bend down from their ivory towers; go back to the fundamentals of doing business which we so often ignore, and get connected to the consumer. These fundamentals or common sense are readily available but hardly appreciated or used. Business sense teaches vision, mission, ethics, corporate care, charity, courage, humility and defining your business properly.

Business sense is not taught in the real sense in academic institutions and managerial courses. The approach in these places is more academic that real.. This sense is acquired more through real life experiences, insightful observation, and learning the hard way in the School of Wilderness Experience. That is the essence of this article series, to complement the teachings of these unique business schools, and prompt professionals to use common sense and what almighty God has deposited in them.

Dan Thomas, founder and president of Focus, a management consulting firm in Polo Alto, California, USA, wrote a book titled Business Sense. In the book, he shows how managers can use core management processes he calls Five Freedoms, to achieve success. As Dan s book moves through the offices of corporate America, see how Ken Blanchard, co-author of One Minute Manager, described the book: The biggest problem in business today is that common sense is seldom common practice. This book is all about using common sense in business. If you have any sense, you will read it and share it with others. No need commenting on the common sense remark of Ken. The message is clear.

For you to acquire and apply business sense in your business, you need to humble yourself, have a large heart, be of lowly spirit, keep an eye on business fundamentals, and above all be close to your creator. That put’s you in the right frame of mind to recognize and apply common sense. If you are fixated on your academic achievements, total quality management, best practices and all, you will not apply common sense. No one is jettisoning these management methods. They are very necessary. But you need to lubricate their application with common sense. That is what brings lasting results.

You may be agonizing how to deal with that management, production, or marketing problem not knowing that the solution is one common sense application which you have not considered.

As I sign off today, take this classic example of a common sense solution to a big problem from the scriptures which most of you know more than me. The story of David vs Goliath. This giant had instilled morbid fear into the entire army of Israel. The solution for Goliath was readily available, yet no Israeli soldier or General saw it. Even if they did, they must have written it off as some managers in the corporate world are doing now as they confront the many Goliaths in the marketplace today.

The Israeli soldiers who lacked faith in God put all their trust in their spears and other armoury which paled into significance against Goliath’s. It took the courage and common sense of a teenage boy, David who trusted almighty God. He dipped his hands into the brook there, picked five smooth stones for his sling and ran towards Goliath. You know the rest of the rest of the story. That was a simple solution for a big problem.

The common sense approach is even more real for today’s marketplace. Dear professional, this is my call to you today: begin to apply wisdom in your business today. In subsequent articles, I will share my thoughts and the insights of other professionals like you on common sense in business. Apply them and it shall be well with you.

Eric Okeke, corporate storyreller, motivational speaker, business writer and copy writer. He is one of Nigeria’s most experienced financial journalist. I recommend that you read this valuable book, “How To Tell A Great Story” that is dedicated to teaching people just like you about the famed R.P.I Principle. Go now to http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com

Employee Surveys: a Strategic Tool for Positive Change

Do you want to measure your workers’ level of satisfaction? Or change policies and procedures to make them more effective? Or find out if your supervisors are stuck in out-dated ways of managing? Good Idea! But how do you make sure you are getting reliable information to make sound management decisions?

When it comes to conducting quality research, a pound of prevention is worth much more than one ounce of cure. Here are five steps to turn your employee surveys into a powerful strategic change management tool.

Have a Real Business Reason.

Organizations that use surveys as a strategic tool typically start out with a clear-cut objective. If they are losing good people, they ask what they can do to improve employee retention. If they are contemplating changes in benefits and compensation policies, they zero in on what’s important to employees, what’s not important, and where employees would like to see changes.

Communicate the Survey’s Purpose.

Once the organization knows what it wants to cover in the survey, it alerts the participants that the survey is coming, tells them what it’s about, and makes it clear that their responses will influence the company’s subsequent actions. Without this communication, employees who would otherwise support the survey become confused, frustrated, and eventually complacent. Loss of this critical mass of support can limit the usefulness of the collected information and also may eventually doom whatever changes the company begins to implement.

Ask the Right Questions.

The best questions ask employees about their direct experiences and observations. The least useful ones ask employees about their feelings. For example, if you ask employees if they are satisfied with their jobs, a positive answer can mean many different things. One employee may be satisfied because the job is challenging and provides opportunities for advancement; another may be satisfied because the job pays a lot of money for very little work. Such answers don’t give management information they can act on.

Perhaps the worst questions are those that provide information the company is not prepared to deal with. The salary question is a good example. If you ask employees whether they are happy with their salaries, you may create an expectation that you will make changes based on the results of the survey. This can lead to increased dissatisfaction if, after the survey, no changes are made.

Share the Results.

Many employees feel that their survey responses simply fall into a black hole, never to emerge. Letting employees know, in a really visible way, about the survey findings creates a positive mood and sets the stage for a follow-up survey or future intervention. This assures everyone that his / her their time wasn’t wasted and that their opinions were heard and acted on. Even if something happens as a result of the survey, if they don’t hear about it they will not make the connection. Feedback sessions ensure that people understand the information and can use it to answer their own questions and make positive change.

Never Survey Without ACTION.

The purpose of a survey is to provide sound reliable information to guide decisions and make things happen. Probably the worst mistake is deciding not to do anything at all with the survey results. An employee survey is an implicit promise of an intention to make changes. When employees see management do something with the information they provided, employee trust the process of data collection more; they engage more; and they give more feedback in subsequent surveys. In other words, actions lead to wins.

Employee surveys, if done right, are efficient and low cost methods to connect to your people, to ask them what they think, to show them that their opinions count, and to act as lightning rods for change. Remember: if you can measure it you can manage it better.

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

Super Productivity: Ten Ways To Take Control Of Your Time

Taking charge of your time is easier than you think. If you put any of these ten easy, but powerful, time management tips into action, you’ll see an improvement in your productivity. And in your peace of mind.

=> One: Revamp your self-image: see it and believe it

What’s your image of yourself? If it’s of someone who’s terminally frazzled, that image will affect what you experience throughout the day. To take control of your time, your self image needs to be of someone who is relaxed and calm and getting everything done.

Close your eyes for a moment. Picture yourself at your best. You’re calm and you effortlessly handle whatever challenges come up for you during the day.

You may feel some resistance to this image of yourself. If you do, you need to revise your self-talk. Self-talk is the internal chatter we all carry on within ourselves. Silently say “Let go” to yourself, or “Relax”.

The above visualisation technique is simple, but very effective. Use it as often as you like during the day.

=> Two: Make lists

The most effective time managers are the people who use lists the most. When something is on a list, we no longer need to keep it in our mind. The best way to develop the list-making habit is to carry a notebook and pen, or an electronic organiser. (See below).

You have a choice of how to make your lists. You can have one enormous list, into which you dump all your tasks, or you can make several lists. Try out both methods, and see how they feel to you.

If you keep an all-in-one list, use a legal pad rather than a small pad, and leave a couple of lines between each task, so that you can add notes. The benefits of using a large pad are that you can add notes and sketches.

=> Three: Carry a notebook and pen, or an electronic organizer

Carry pen and paper, or an electronic organiser, whichever is easier for you. Some people prefer to use a microcassette recorder and if this is you, be sure than you transcribe your notes at the end of the day, or at the end of each week.

Using a PDA like a Palm Pilot is effective, because you can make notes wherever you happen to be. This means that you can get a head start on some of your work. You can nut out the basics of a proposal to a new client over lunch; you can even do it while the meeting is still going on.

=> Four: Take time out for yourself every day

The time you take for yourself should be spent on doing something solely for yourself. You can listen to music, play a sport, go for a walk, or lie down and take a nap.

This is your time to indulge yourself. Many women interpret the instruction to take time for themselves as a hint that they should spend that time exercising at the gym, or doing something else “worthwhile”.

Nonsense. Spend it eating chocolate if you want. Life’s short, so enjoy.

=> Five: Give the day a mental run-through before you get out of bed in the morning

When you wake up in the morning, think about the day ahead. Imagine everything going smoothly and well. Know that if anything unforeseen comes up, you will handle it. A mental rehearsal sets your attitude for the day. See yourself getting compliments and kudos, so you can start the day with a smile.

=> Six: Before you start your day, get excited

Enthusiasm is infectious, and so is gloom. Tell yourself you’re excited about the day ahead. This might be the day you get a raise: anything could happen. Be determined that something good will happen to you today and nine times out of ten, it will.

=> Seven: At the end of the day, review and plan for the next day

Take five minutes to go over what you’ve accomplished at the end of the day. Take another five minutes to rough out a plan for tomorrow.

=> Eight: Learn to say No

Most of us hate rejecting others. However, you’re not doing anyone a favour if you agree to do something, and then do it resentfully. Sometimes we even get in the habit of agreeing to do tasks, and then make excuses. If you know you won’t have the time to do a task, don’t take the task on.

=> Nine: Get a routine

Discipline has gone out of fashion. However, the secret to productivity is to have a routine, and to keep to it. If you know that Thursday morning is given over to doing an update on your Web site, you can block out that time each week.

=> Ten: Don’t aim for perfection: just show up

Someone said that 80% of job is just showing up. In other words, just do the job, whatever it is. Unless you’re doing surgery, close enough is good enough.

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