Management Information |
Do You Really Care What People Think?
You had better care! Because what people think usually leads to predictable behaviors that can really affect your business, non-profit or association for better or worse. Look at your employees. If they believe you really don't care about them, your organization's productivity can take a nose dive. And what about customers? They had better remain convinced of the value of your products and services or off they go to a competitor. Even prospects constantly need to be made aware of your product and service values or you'll never get them as customers in the first place. And seriously caring what key groups of people think about your organization doesn't stop there. You'll have trouble hiring and keeping employees if area residents don't see your organization as a good place to work. Same with minorities if, true or false, the idea takes hold that you discriminate in your hiring practices. And don't forget the need to be above board with journalists covering your operation. A suspicious reporter can create whatyou'll certainly view as "bad press." While we've talked briefly about a half dozen of your key "publics," there are certainly others that need your attention. That's why the care and feeding of your most important external audiences can easily turn into a full-time job when you stop and think about the impacts they can have on how successfully you achieve your objectives. O.K., so you can't afford full-time public relations help, but is it hopeless? Not at all because there are several actions you can and should take to address this challenge. It will require a chunk of timeto implement, but isn't it worth it? First, list the top five or six audiences that could keep you awake at night. Clearly, the top priority is to stay aware of how they perceive your enterprise. And that translates into speaking regularly with members of each group - members, customers, employees, area residents, reporters, prospects - and LISTENING for any problem areas. Of course, in your own best interests, you should be a regular speaker at area podiums and a willing interviewee when local or trade media want to ask you questions. By doing so, you "ventilate" matters and lessen the impact of future "bumps in the road" when they inevitably occur. So, when problems ARE identified, corrective actions should be put in place. And when it's time to take those actions, you need a two-part strategy: one, a clear, truthful message written to persuade that audience and, two, effective communications that will actually reach that audience. Communications tactics may range from media interviews, open houses, facility tours and plain, old meetings to promotional events and news releases. It's important to track progress if you ever hope to know whether your efforts are changing minds. Most important, do you appear to have successfully addressed the problem areas that came up in your initial information gathering among those key audiences? And that means more of the same - personal meetings with members, customers, prospects, employees, area residents, reporters and other so-called "thought-leaders." What people think is really key to the success of your organization because, like it or not, people act on their perception of the facts before them and that leads to certain behaviors. Because something can be done about those behaviors, this article outlines how you can address any problem areas BEFORE they negatively affect your business. Remember, if you leave those problems unattended for very long, you may be trifling with your own survival. How much better to deal promptly and effectively with questionable perceptions and encourage behaviors that insure the success of your business. end Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Net word count is 700 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2003. Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to business, non-profit and association managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communi-cations, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, major in public relations. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in an organization. That sounds simple, but diversity encompasses race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, education, background and more. Do You Hear That? I read a report in the Toronto Star stated that 70% of workplace errors happen because of communication breakdown and that many of them directly relate to a lack of listening skills.The challenge is most people filter out sounds, noises and people talking as much as they filter out most of the things their eyes see. Prioritise Your Day - Keep Focus - Win! Whether you run your own business or manage a team, there are times when things don't go to plan. Like:-Your key people don't show up. Balance Your Managerial Life We have only one life, but we live in three overlapping worlds-our business world, our family world, and our other social world. Imagine bringing your spouse and kids to a meeting with seven of your salespersonnel. Lack of Operations Manuals Stunting Your Growth? Lack of Operations Manuals stunting your growth?CONTENTS:1. Do you lack functional Operations Manuals?2. Communicating When A Crisis Strikes How would you handle communication if your business or practice got into a crisis situation?I was pleasantly surprised when my Internet service provider responded competently and quickly to a technical crisis. And, we can learn to communicate more effectively by studying its response. Lone Rangers Suffer without Tonto A lone ranger is someone who prefers working in solitude or isolation. Sometimes life circumstances can call for us to adopt this attitude. Communicating with Offsite Workers How do you, or would you, communicate with employees who work offsite?Perhaps you have telecommuters reporting to you, or sales reps who work out of offices in other cities. How do you communicate with them?Let's start with the strategic issues: what do you want to accomplish by communicating with them? And, why would they want to communicate with you?Strategic means you'll probably want to deal with issues like productivity, accountability, and predictability. Measuring Creativity, DIY style Creativity measurement is often required in order to benchmark existing competencies, monitor improvement, increase output and generally provide tangible and useable processes and structures for clients.Individuals can measure their own creativity, the creativity levels of their group, department or organisation. This Old Business Not long ago I was asked to come out and take a look at a business that had been around for about 10 years.. Maximizing Sales through the Ultimate Tracking Software Every small to mid-sized business owner would love to know how to effectively keep a pulse on their marketing and customer service efforts. The common barrier that all companies run into is how to cost effectively measure and control this process. The Leaders Fallacy May Be Howard Deans Undoing Howard Dean's tenure as chairman of the Democratic National Committee will be fleeting unless he avoids a common leadership trap I call it, the "Leader's Fallacy".Leaders adhere to the Leader's Fallacy when they believe their enthusiasm for a particular leadership challenge is automatically reciprocated by the people they lead. How Managers Can Help Retain Their Best Employees A major problem for employers today is attracting the best talent, and then retaining key employees. Research shows that the key ingredient for retention lies within the manager's ability to understand what employees really want. Einstein, The Universe, And Leadership Every since serving a hitch in the military, I have been nagged by the question that's been hanging around leadership since time immemorial: How can some leaders persuade people to believe in them and follow them and other leaders can't? But it wasn't the military that provided me with a framework to answer that question. It was Albert Einstein and his quest for the unified field theory of the universe. Are You Managing to Lead? For many people, the terms "manager" and "leader" are synonymous. In the business world, they are often used interchangeably, i. Employee Turnover: Is It Eating Up Your Profits? Keeping the cost of doing business down, yet providing a quality product or service, is one of the most critical components of success for today's leader. What many fail to realize is that employee turnover can represent a very substantial price tag to a company's productivity and its bottom line. Developing Your Management Style One thing a lot of us don't do in sales is take time out to analyse things.How are we doing it?Why are we doing it?Can we do it better?Taking time out to assess your management style is one of the most fundemental tasks a person can do. The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - The 6th C: Changing Vision A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 6th C: Changing VisionIn order for a business to be a success the vision and mission must be reflected in all aspects of the structure, the culture and the strategy by which business is conducted. Transform Any Business into a Go-Getting Power House by Working SMART Probably as well known as SWOT, SMART turns goals, objectives and tasks into concrete deliverables. If there is one key to turning busy, ineffectual organisations into models of streamlined efficiency then this is it. Identifying Candidates for Leadership A critical task in the succession planning process of any organization is identifying candidates. Traditionally, candidates have been identified based on past performance. |
home | site map | contact us |