A successful business depends to a great extent on effective people management skills. With a little effort you may succeed in improving in these skills. Having a innate affinity for dealing with people may be an advantage, all the same there are many things you can learn that will facilitate the process. Relationship Building: Begin by using an individual’s name. Encourage conversation; look people in the eye as you’re speaking. Do be respectful, and be sure to do pay attention to what the other individual has to say, irrespective of whether you are in agreement or not. Paying attention to what employees say is one of the best human resources management skills in your arsenal. Be sure to receive any input from your co-workers.

Exhibit integrity: Keeping your word is really important. If you can’t deliver on what you promise, the delicate bond of trust is shattered, and no-one will offer you their best without trust. When you say something or make a promise, do be sure you can keep your promises or don’t bother giving your word at all. You’ll discover, if your people can’t count on your promises, you can be certain they will behave in a similar way.

Welcome feedback: It’s a two way street. Human Resource management skills mean having an open mind to all feedback. If you are able to prove accessibility and openness, you show that other’s opinions count, your opinions will be valued in return. Bona Fide discourse also encourages creative problem solving, ways of accomplishing the mission of the business, and improves the company dynamic. By giving the staff a voice, each member invests in the outcome of the project. Promote all sorts of communication: Good communication is fundamental to dealing with employees skilfully. Be accessible, practice good listening skills, be open-minded, and allow team members a chance to speak. Encourage staff not only to communicate with you, but to talk to each other. The growth of any business depends to a great extent on the interchange of opinions, and by listening to each other, it becomes simple to discover issues before they might present a problem, and corrections may be put in place before things get out of hand.

This can take some time, even so the rewards are worth it. Through inspiring a good team dynamic and demonstrating good listening skills, a successful business can be accomplished.

Please visit our extensive website for employee performance management clues…

As well as by increasing income, profits can also be made by reducing overhead and by encouraging more effective use of employee time. One asset often overlooked, however, is high quality performance appraisal software and the various benefits it offers.

Business optimization requires an understanding of the abilities and weak areas of its employees; in what areas is their best work done? How can you adjust your system to take advantage of their strengths and cover their weaknesses? This is the key question. Discovering and collating this data is often where it can get challenging, though. Defining and tracking progress through employee evaluation alone can turn into a huge amount of work. You first put employee performance appraisal techniques together in order to evaluate work done by each worker. If this was done with established methods, you now have to examine all of this data by eye in order to set objectives, and track future progress. Using performance management software, you can easily study the various analyses to deduce what these objectives should be and subsequently follow the employee’s development. This takes away the need to spend time on analysis and is likely to be far more useful. If you want to it’s possible instead to carry out your own analysis, merely using the software to produce and keep up a record to use as a basis. Needless to say, it isn’t merely the performance of employees that can benefit from advice from performance management software. Both suppliers and clients can be studied using such software, giving you still more performance appraisal tools. With suppliers in particular you can demonstrate the weaknesses such as poor delivery times, bad damage records, etc. Clients have their own metrics associated with them, and just as with suppliers and internal questions this information can be used to streamline your systems and benefit your bank balance. With this information at your fingertips you are able to adjust your ordering and selling habits to maximize income and reduce expenses. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of that? As well as all this, marketing campaigns become much easier to plan due to your deeper insight into your ideal demographic. Keeping an eye on both your market and your suppliers is simple with performance management software. It also makes employee performance management straightforward and far more effective when motivating employees using definable goals decidedly. All things considered, it’s clear that the potential of this system is endless and depends solely on your ability to use the information to your advantage…

A flourishing business depends to a great extent on competent people management skills. These skills can be developed and studied. Having a spontaneous affinity for communicating with people is a plus, even so there are a lot of skills you can do to facilitate the process. Relationship Development: Addressing employees by name will be a great beginning. Encourage conversation; get eye contact during a conversation. Have a respectful attitude, and do pay attention to what the other individual has to say, even if you disagree or have a different opinion. Listening to what staff have to say is one of the best people management skills in your arsenal. Exhibit an interest in what people can contribute to the business.

Keep your promises: Do not give promises you won’t keep. When you don’t deliver on what you have promised, the fragile bond of trust is destroyed, and no-one will give you their best efforts if they can’t trust you. Everytime you give a commitment or give your word on something, ensure you can follow through or don’t bother giving your word at all. The truth is, if you can’t be counted upon, they can’t be trusted on to be there when it’s really important. Be open to any observations: It’s a two way street. Talent management skills mean being receptive to all feedback. Being accessible and open proves that you appreciate other’s views, and they should respect your ideas. Open discussion in addition furthers original ways of thinking, new ways of accomplishing goals, and improves the company dynamic. When team members have a voice, each employee takes ownership of the project’s outcome.

Communicating is fundamental: Your people management skills boil down to one concept - communication. Keeping an open door policy, practice listening techniques, remember to welcome feedback , and allow all your employees a chance to speak. Staff must be inspired to communicate with each other not only with you. The growth of any business relies to a great extent on the open exchange of opinions, and by listening to one another, it becomes simple to discover issues before they may present as problems, and corrections can be applied before things get out of hand.

This will take time, but the rewards far outbalance the effort. By encouraging a good team dynamic and listening to what your employees have to offer, a thriving business can be yours.

Nowadays numerous managers feel that, when every last member of staff has basic health & safety instruction, they have everything necessary to cope with a catastrophe. The truth of the matter is that, regardless your industry, basic instruction in safety regulations and risk asessment simply isn’t enough. Equipping employees, choosing an enthusiastic supervisior and encouraging regular practise are all essential factors.

An employee in a supervisory job has a larger purpose to perform than just managing the floor. Any supervisor you choose needs to see the importance of health & safety training and have the ability to encourage other people to share their excitement. In addition to enforcing any relevant legislation, the supervisor must furthermore make certain that each employee performs to the highest standard. This isn’t a simple task. A good standard business knowledge is a requirement in a supervisory position not to mention a high level of knowledge of the safety regulations, risk assessment, and CPR. It’s just not enough to offer your staff health & safety instruction. They need to practise risk assessment and the identification of problem areas. They in addition need a firm grasp of the essential precautions that they must to take and understanding what to do if anything unforeseen happens. Employees are only totally prepared when all they have been taught has become second nature.

Education is by all accounts useless if you don’t have the required safety supplies. Without the right apparatus or if they find out that supplies are broken only after an emergency has occurred, even the most advanced instruction can not help them. It is important to examine each item frequently to ensure that you possess all the necessary apparatus and that it’s all in good working order. If you find your equipment isn’t in good order, make certain that it is rectified as quickly as possible and returned to the right place. Appropriate health & safety instruction is critical to the well-being of your staff, but in addition they need good quality supplies, the opportunity to practise, and a knowledgeable supervisor who can get everyone charged up about being safe at work. If you implement these steps you should find all the safety regulations before long become established in your business culture rather than something for employees to think about constantly.

Conflict at work is inevitable. And, it can even be
helpful, supporting a healthy organization.

But, step over the edge and you’ll quickly find yourself
getting caught up in who’s right rather than what’s right.
Having the argument without end, replaying the same issue
over and over, without resolving your differences. Or, angry
blow ups or sullen silences. You can get stuck on “She’s
doing that just to make me angry,” or “He needs an attitude
adjustment.”

Step back, stop avoiding, solve the problem, and prevent
future conflicts. Try these solution steps.

1. Wait until the uproar has settled down then
approach the other person with “We’ve got a problem. I need
your help.” Be sure your tone of voice conveys solution not
attack.

2. Describe what has been happening. Use “we”
rather than “you” or “I.” Emphasize how this conflict belongs
to both of you, and you both need to work together to get to a
resolution.

3. Then seek resolution. “This isn’t working. We
need to figure out how to do something different so this
doesn’t happen again.” Ask “What can we do instead?”

4. Then quit talking and listen. This is the crucial
moment. If there’s been an atmosphere of blame and
shame the other person might offer up excuses or good
reasons for the conflict. Redirect the focus of the
conversation with a reminder of “How can we make sure
this doesn’t happen again?” Or, if the other person makes a
suggestion that you’re the one who needs to change, listen
very carefully. No conflict is just one sided. Find the kernel of
truth in their comment.

5. Negotiate the differences. What are you willing
to give to get? What is he willing to do? Are you holding on to
need to be right rather than get the problems resolved?
Resolution is built on compromise. This is the time and
place to get ego out of the way so you can move beyond
who’s right to what’s right. Find the common ground you
both can agree on.

Seldom will you find the perfect solution. The
objective is to find a way to work together so you can get on
with the work at hand. Taking differences personally
prevents resolution. Working from a problem solving
perspective moves you forward.

Copyright © 2005 Patricia Wiklund, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

Pat Wiklund is known as the One-Person Business
Turnaround Specialist. She works with professional
services
business owners so they can make more money and get
more personal satisfaction from their work. Start taking
charge of your business and your life with her TakingCharge
mini ecourse from her latest book, Taking Charge When
You’re Not in Control by sending a blank email to tcnic@1PersonBusiness.com

Contact Pat at
Pat@1PersonBusiness.com

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in
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the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource
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Listening to complaints, whether they’re reasonable or not, is a
part of every manager’s job. Sometimes complaints can be
overwhelming. However, when we take them in stride with an open
mind, we can learn much from our employees’ and customers’
feelings about the workplace. After all, a complaint is nothing
more that a person telling you that his (or her) needs haven’t
been met. As dissatisfied customers, they are giving us a second
chance to correct something that should have been done properly
the first time around. (In this case the customer happens to be
your employee.)

If you listen to them patiently and attentively, their
complaints will alert you to a real or potential problem, or
tell you of a better way to handle a situation.

We are not use, however, to coping with complaints. We let our
emotions rule our thinking usually. Consequently, we let
complaints wear us out because we take on the complaint as a
personal attack on us. It is not!

The next time you are faced with an irate employee, here are
some steps to consider:

Try doing something new and different.

Listen attentively, patiently, and with good nature.

Even if the complaint seems unreasonable, don’t tell him so.
Keep it to yourself.

Because nobody wants to be accused of being unreasonable,
especially if it’s true, admit that he might be right. (The
implication is that you may be wrong.)

Invite him to offer you in his own words a solution to his
complaint. Say, for example, “If you were in my shoes, what
would you do to correct the situation?” (Be careful not to call
his complaint or situation a problem, because doing so might
aggravate him to the point that he loses his ability to think
and express himself clearly.)

Listen carefully and actively. Read his body language.

Use feedback questions or statements to let him know that
you’re trying to understand and meet his needs. (Begin responses
with statements like, “If I understand you correctly, …”)

When you take the time to listen to your complaining customers
or employee, you’ll hear what he’s telling you. Then you’ll be
in a better position to turn him into a satisfied and loyal
customer.

Remember: When you maximize your potential and that of the
complaining customer, everyone wins. When you don’t, we all
lose. © MMIV, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

Evaluate Immediately! It is important to do your
evaluation/assessment of the event while the details are fresh
in your mind. Include anyone in the evaluation process that had
a stake in the event. Stakeholders would include vendors, hired
staff, volunteers and employers. You could host a debriefing
session or a wrap up meeting to accomplish this task. Make this
a pleasant experience. Include refreshments and lots of kudos
(thank you’s for a job well done). Prior to, or when the meeting
begins, enlist a “scribe” to record the comments and answers
from the group. Ask yourself and them the following questions:

Did the event fulfill the goals and objectives set forth?

What worked? What didn’t? What would you do differently? The
same?

Did the event run smoothly and on schedule?

Which vendors/stakeholders should be hired/recruited again?

Were any items missing from the checklist that should be
included in future events?

Did you generate favorable publicity for the event?

How was attendance? Were the attendance goals achieved?

Did you receive positive feedback from those who attended? Did
you use formal (written, documented forms or one on one surveys)
or informal (chatting in the restrooms, lines, seminars, etc.)
methods of evaluation?

What could you do differently, better to reach your goals? To
involve more people? To spread the word about the event?

Was the event worth doing? What were some of the benefits?
Would you do it again?

Encourage alternative forms of feedback from those unable to
attend, such as via e-mail, website and fax back forms. Once you
have received feedback from the group, have the notes
transcribed for distribution to all the stakeholders (clients).
Be sure to include this in the event portfolio for future
reference. Proper evaluating of the event will lead to even
greater success in the future. In fact, it is important to
evaluate all aspects of business from time to time. Otherwise,
how and when would you know what needs to be improved? One final
thought; make sure you get feedback from attendees. And here’s a
key question to ask, especially if it is an event that is open
to the public: How did you hear about this event?

© 2005 - Heidi Richards

In my last addition of leadership we dealt with selection of
leadership style, based on individual and organizational
variables. Another way to look at leadership is to consider how
it is used. We will now explore the leader’s selection of the
“right” approach to running an organization.

One way to deal with approaches to leadership is to consider
builders and fixers.

Builders develop their teams or businesses to perform
successfully. They are leaders that have long term vision. They
build for the future. They are strategic thinkers. They foster
understanding and commitment to their subordinates. They train
others to work and to lead. Builders say “I may be achieving the
results but I need to make sure my folks understand and use all
the available tools and skills to continue success.. My people
must be prepared to face changing market conditions and to move
on to places where those skills will be needed.”

Workers from builders’ teams and companies can move to any
market and easily adapt. They have been required to use and
learn all the basics-even if they weren’t critical to success at
the time. As new leaders they will be able to teach the basic
skills to their subordinates.

The performance curves of builders’ teams and companies show
gradual, but generally steady improvement. Their efforts sustain
success because their approach breeds subordinates who are
capable and committed to perform, even in the absence of their
leaders. Builders are mentors and the stabilizing influences on
their teams or companies. They mold their companies and teams
for success and when they move on they leave productive
individuals that can maintain the momentum.

Fixers come into companies at a dead run and have an immediate
impact on performance. Fixers don’t lead. They push. They are
short-sighted. They are tacticians. They work in the near term.
They run their companies on the strength of their authority.
They make people produce and perform without developing the
understanding and commitment that builds for the future.

Fixers say, “I’m being successful now. That’s what’s important.
Don’t bother me with unimportant details.”

Workers and subordinate leaders from fixer companies have
trouble adapting to changing conditions in the market. They have
to relearn how to make it in a tougher and forever changing
market environment. The problems is compounded when the worker
themselves become leaders. They suffer from the inability to
teach and adapt.

The performance curves of fixers’ companies have a fast
rise-time. Their results may be sustainable, however, because
they are based on the presence of the fixer as the driving
force. Fixers uses their people; they produce results; they make
a name for themselves and then they leave. You have seen so many
of them in corporate level executives. When a company needs an
immediate impact they hire a fixer. When the fixer leaves the
organization usually stops producing. When they leave the
organization breathes a sign of relief.

Builders sometimes use fixer tactics in approaching the task at
hand. They know that all organizations need to be energized
occasionally. A builder knows when to stop the fixer does not. A
builder knows when to change his approach. A fixer either
doesn’t know when to change or can’t adapt to the need for
change.

As a senior leader you must remember that the operative phase is
“build for the future” not “fix” for the future.

Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and they’ll either laugh or get that stricken look in their eyes. Yet it’s well documented that businesses with a strategic plan are more successful. No matter what size business, from solo practitioner to hundreds of employees, a thoughtful strategic plan will help you achieve your dreams.

Many business owners don’t go down the strategic planning road because they are a little intimidated by the idea. They don’t know how, they are not familiar with the terminology and simply don’t know where to begin.

We can remedy that. A couple of preliminary principles to understand: a strategic plan is not a long to do list - it’s about the big picture, your approach to the market, and the metrics you’ll use to measure your progress. Strategic planning is a bit of an oxymoron. Strategizing is a creative process; planning is a rather linear process. So be creative first, then organize into a plan. To keep the creativity in the strategic planning process, remember that it’s not etched in stone. You create it and you can change, modify and tweak it as needed.

Here are ten steps to creating an effective strategic plan:

1) Start by listing five or six values by which you want your company to operate. Be honest and be real. If intensity is part of your culture, say so. If fun is part of your culture, say so. There are no right and wrong values.

2) Write out your company’s brand promise. This is the one unbreakable promise you make to your customers. For example, our brand promise for EWF International is “Real-life, real-time business help in a confidential community of peers.”

3) Articulate your vision. Get clear on what you want your company to look like long term. Though you are thinking about some point in the future, describe in present tense terms what your company looks like in five to ten years.

4) Set big goals. Goals are desired outcomes, not a description of actions or activities, but the final picture. For example, “Achieve 95% customer satisfaction” as opposed to “Improve our customer service process.” Your goals should be ambitious and achievable, not bravado. Choose three to five big goals that you want to accomplish in the next five years.

5) Now it’s time for numbers. Choose three to five key metrics that drive your business. Of course everyone tracks income and expense, but what key numbers, ratios and percentages, specific to your industry and your business, do you need to faithfully track weekly and monthly? Don’t overcomplicate this, simply ask yourself, “What numbers need to go up or down for this business to be successful?” For example, if you’re in retail, you might want to track profit per square foot. A professional services firm might track billable hours. You might track client retention or profit per client. There is no one set of numbers relevant for all businesses, but you know best how your business works and what needs to be measured. Then choose one critical number that needs to be watched carefully and immediately. Often this is a measure of some activity, one aspect of the business or someone’s job. For example, how many sales calls do you need to make each week to get new clients? How many new strategic alliances do you need to expand your market?

6) Next it’s time to think about what actions need to be taken in the next 90 days to move you toward your goals. For example, technology improvements, marketing connections, staff training, new equipment, better financing, certifications, strategic alliances. Review these actions every quarter and determine new actions for the next 90 days.

7) Determine accountability - you must determine who is responsible for what by when. Use a simple three column chart to track the initiatives.

The most often overlooked part of a strategic plan is celebration. You and your team will work hard to implement the plan. Decide in advance how you will celebrate. What’s the reward? It could be bonuses or some new piece of technology you’ve wanted, a company party, whatever sounds fun to you.

9) The next step is to have each person set weekly priorities, and from those priorities each person chooses the #1 priority for their week. This simple process, when written and tracked faithfully will create the biggest difference in your organization.

10) Above all, don’t worry about perfection and keep it simple. Your plan is not going to be published and critiqued. It only has to make sense to you and your team. The purpose is to be focused and intentional, yet flexible.

Have fun with it!

© 2004 Darcie Harris

Darcie Harris is co-founder of EWF International®, an Oklahoma based firm providing peer advisory boards for women business owners and executives. With 30 years experience in marketing, sales, management and entrepreneurship, she is achieving her dream by helping others achieve theirs. EWF International® franchises are available throughout the Southwest.
http://www.ewfinternational.com

The New York Times Company (NYT) isn’t just reporting the news - it’s making the news. At yesterday’s annual meeting, shareholders withheld 28% of their votes for the four directors elected by holders of the company’s common stock. Nine other directors are elected by holders of the Class B shares, effectively granting control of the company to a group holding less than a 1% economic interest in the business.

Most of the large newspaper companies have not done a great job of earning the best returns for their shareholders. Some of these companies overdid acquisitions. The New York Times Company illustrates the danger of adding to the empire - you dilute the crown jewel.

In 1993, the company bought The Boston Globe. Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of paper that will be hurt by online news sources. Second-tier major city dailies are not in a strong position, because they try to be all things to all people.

A newspaper can thrive by dominating a specific niche. That niche can be geographical or topical. Community newspapers can thrive, because they still have no real competition. The news they report is unique. It is very important to a very small group of people.

A company that owns clusters of these papers in wealthy suburbs will do fine. By reporting on local schools, sports, and events these publications set themselves apart from all other news sources. They have a mini-monopoly both on the news they provide and on the ads they run.

There are places in states like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvannia where advertisers benefit from targeting specific communities, because the demographics of the next town over are not nearly as attractive. A lot of this has to do with public schools. I don’t see that system changing anytime soon. So, I imagine these properties will fare much better than big city newspapers.

The New York Times Company has one great asset - its brand. The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal each have a very valuable national brand. People all over the country have been exposed to them through other media outlets. The value isn’t really in the size of the circulation. If you think of the entire country as their potential market, their circulations are tiny (the news business is very fragmented).

A few years ago, it would have been crazy to think of the entire country as a potential market for these publications. But, I don’t think that’s the case today. These papers could earn a lot of money online. Of course, they have to figure out how to earn money online.

Long-term, I don’t like the idea of expensive online subscriptions. It looks like a great idea now, but it could limit future ad revenue. Becoming a dominant online news destination would prove extraordinarily profitable. Unfortunately, no one is going to capture more than a tiny sliver of the online news market by charging a lot of money for their content.

It isn’t just an issue of people not wanting to pay. It’s also an issue of exclusivity. The less exclusive an online news source is the more often it will be cited. People who don’t visit your site are far less likely to reference it. Just as importantly, no writer wants to exclude any part of his own readership. So, many writers simply won’t cite a subscription service.

Some online writers do reference subscription services. Knowing how strongly people react to being excluded, I think writers who cite paid services are absolutely nuts. Even if it isn’t consciously acknowledged, readers will enjoy your site less if it points out something they can’t have.

Both The New York Times Company and Dow Jones (DJ) went the route of buying an established online destination. I’m always skeptical of these kind of me too acquisitions. These businesses did need to go online, but they needed to do it in their own way. The acquisitions will probably work out better than I thought they would. But, I still think the real value is in the brand.

Is the New York Times Company cheap? It’s close. If you agree with me about the potential for a real national news brand, the stock looks cheap. Otherwise, it looks about fairly priced.

Newspapers have been beaten down a lot recently, but they were so well-loved to begin with that they aren’t at the kind of levels that guarantee market beating returns regardless of how well they’re run. That’s happened in other businesses. You could extract more cash from a dying business than the stock was selling for. That isn’t the case here. The stock is currently priced as if it were a continuing (albeit mature) business.

If the New York Times is truly a dying business, it isn’t worth the current price. But, if there is real value in the brand, it’s a bargain right now.

I’m not confident in the decision making at this company, because I’ve seen how capital was misallocated in the past. Many of these questionable investments were small relative to the value of the core franchise. But, that doesn’t excuse the lack of focus and the lack of a true owner oriented culture.

The favorable economics inherent to the business are no excuse either. There are very profitable companies out there that aren’t nearly as profitable as they could be. For instance, Campbell Soup (CPB) consistently earns good returns on capital; but, I haven’t seen any evidence that those returns were the result of skillful capital allocation. I think much the same is true at the New York Times Company. A great franchise helps cover-up less than optimal uses of capital - and the Times’ management has benefited from inheriting a great franchise.

If I were confident about the way this company will be run and the way capital will be allocated, I’d be buying shares right now. There’s real value and real opportunity in this franchise. But, I’m not sure there’s the will to do what needs to be done.

Geoff Gannon writes a daily value investing blog and produces a twice weekly (half hour) value investing podcast at Gannon on Investing