Management Information


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..

How to Enhance Quality in Your Business


Every business must strive to provide quality products and services to customers. To achieve that objective the company must draw well thought out policies and procedures to ensure 100% achievement of the targets.

Employers - Protect Yourself from Custody Battles that Hold Your Company Hostage


Child custody? How'd that get to be an employer's concern?When an employee faces child custody litigation, it will effect their ability to do their job. And it often causes legal consequences for their employers as well.

Success in Business Means Managing Negative Emotions


You may have the MBA but if an internal critic constantly berates you, or you have feelings of self-doubt, low self-confidence, fears of rejection or other negative emotions your chances of success may be quite limited.More and more executives are beginning to realize that the next frontier in maximizing their chances for success is to start focusing on building personal internal skills that go beyond the business training that they have already received.

Executives and Emotional Self Awareness


A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional Blind Spots. Emotions, whether we like them or not, have a significant impact on one's decisions.

The Supervisors 14 Essential Truths For Communicating With Direct Reports


One amazing, but sadly true, fact of today's advances in communication tools is that we really don't communicate much better than in the past.Indeed one recent study determined the number one advancement in communication tools was the availability of cheap on-line airfares.

Twitch Speed: Reaching Younger Workers Who Think Differently


Every parent, educator, and manager knows that "Nintendo children"--those born after 1970 and raised on video and computer games, Walkmans, the Internet, etc.--are different.

Delegation: When to Delegate, Who to Delegate to


There are some very simple guides for delegation.Most people delegate based on not wanting to do something.

Employee Performance - If You Want the Best, Get Personal!


This is a story about a man and three dogs.I walk a lot - usually for about half to three-quarters of an hour most mornings.

Knowing versus Doing - Execution In The Workplace


Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to have the answers; who always seemed to know what should be done; who could always quote the experts view on a certain situation, but for some reason, just couldn't perform as expected?Working with a client last month I was struck by the fact that my client was already very knowledgeable about the issue that we were discussing. As we talked through the situation it was clear to me that my client was well read on this subject.

The Ten Keys to Maximizing Employee Performance


1. Let people know what you expect.

Islam in the Workplace


Suggested practice for HR personnelMuslims now form one of the largest religious groups in the UK. At a time when great misunderstandings and stereotypes circulate the media and society regarding the religion, it is crucial for an effort to be made at all levels to go beyond archetypal images and to begin to understand Islam and Muslims.

Building A Stellar Business One Employee At A Time


Top businesses that continually lead their industry clearly understand a simple fact:People are their most vital assets.Every employee plays a key role in the company.

Are You At The Mercy Of Computer Geeks?


Many business owners are sabotaging their business without even realizing it. They are completely out of the loop when it comes to all technology aspects of their operation such as websites, computers and software.

Cultural Awareness - an HR Perspective


The use of cultural awareness training has increased rapidly in the majority of global companies over the last decade.My experience working in global companies in which effective cross-cultural functioning was critical, involved the devotion of considerable time and energies to ensuring that cultural training needs were identified and accommodated as necessary.

Effective Multi Cultural International Business Meetings


Of the many areas in international business where cultural differences manifest is in the corporate meeting room. International meetings are an area where differences in cultural values, etiquette, interpretations of professional conduct and corporate rules are at their most visible and challenging to control.

The Top Three Problems IT Managers Face and How to Overcome Them


Todays business environment has changed drastically from just a few years back. Rather than working exclusively with equipment, data, and systems, todays IT managers face issues such as cross training, personnel management, interdepartmental communication, and a widening job scope for all IT employees.

Why Business Owners Need Security


The main reason is to stop any potential lawsuits from happening! But do you know how many individuals I have talked to about this very thing? Many! Do you know what the majority have told me? They have locks and cameras, so they don't need anymore security than that!This is a mess waiting to happen, the reason is as follows. This attitude is the reason things happen in business establishments that prompt major lawsuits from those that get hurt in some way while on the premises or by someone on the premises.

Outsourcing NOT Just for Big Business


Outsourcing has become a controversial issue and a hot topic among presidential candidates this year. But have you stopped to think how your business can benefit from the efficiency, functionality and cost savings of outsourcing? If you have, you might find that, like many others, you are already outsourcing-and enjoying its benefits.

Hiring and Retaining Good Employees


Hiring good employees is not only important to business, it's essential. Employees are the heart and soul of a business; they are the mechanism that makes a business run; they are the breath of life that enables a business to be something more than an idea.

4 Simple Steps to Successful Delegation


Last month, my featured article was about creating a "Stop Doing" list. Hopefully, if you followed my suggestion, you now have a list of tasks that you are looking to delegate away.

The Dog That Didnt Bark


A few weeks ago, after consultations with others in an association I represent, I made a partnership pitch to another organization with similar interests. If the idea comes to fruition, it will radically change our organization.

7 Tips for Growing Your Business You Do Not Want to Ignore: Business Strategies To Easily Implement


Growing companies must always be ready for the next challenge. If you fail in meeting critical business challenges you will not grow.

Competion or Cooperation?


It has been said, there is no better way to hone your skills and improve your performance, than competition. Competing with others, or even with your self, fosters continued improvement, striving for even higher goals, and an ongoing sense of achievement.

10 Resolutions For The New Year!!


Each year many people create a list of resolutions designed to help them improve their lives. As Business Leaders, we also need to take a look at our business lives and find ways to improve ourselves.

7 Steps To Hire The Best


You can use this step-by-step method to hire applicants who are likely to be "superstar" employees:- highly productive- low-turnoverImportant: Focus on hiring applicants you rate positively on all seven prediction methods.1st Prediction Method = Brief Initial Screening InterviewIf an applicant's application looks suitable, then conduct BISI, a customized 15-30 minute over-phone or in-person interview.

Bringing Ideas to Life: Seven Principles for Pulling Together


You're so excited you're practically bouncing off the walls. This idea-your best ever-is not only going to save the company tens of thousands of dollars this year, it's eventually going to be a moneymaker.

Thoughts on Empowerment


People are empowered when they are given the authority and responsibility to make decisions affecting their work with a minimum of interference and second guessing by others.Empowerment is an overused and under?practiced term.

The High, High Price of Distrust


A paper manufacturer with over 300 employees once announced that it was planning to move to more spacious and attractive premises thirty miles down the road. When staff members heard the news, they were very apprehensive.

The Paradox of Job Enrichment


Ellen was a clerk working for a large insurance company. One day, she spotted a glaring discrepancy in a form she was typing.

What to Do When Trust is Low


Trust is essential. You can't run a business without it.

Why People Resist Us


There's a one-word reason most ideas never see the light of day: Resistance.Resistance is often behind the glassy-eyed stares you get following a presentation, the sarcastic put-downs you have to put up with when you describe your vision for a new product or service, and other people's abrupt departure from the water cooler when you approach, enthusiastic and ready to share an idea.

Why Half of All Mergers Fail After the Honeymoon Ends


Marriages and corporate mergers in America have at least one thing in common, more than 50 percent end up on the rocks. In fact, according to a McKinsey study, only 23 percent ever recover the costs of walking down the corporate aisle.

A Fast and Simple Way to Update Your Business


You open your computer, the flashing button says, "We have a new update for your software program. Do you wish to update now or later?" You choose the Update Now button and immediately your computer begins to download a new version of the software program.

Five Steps to Increase the People Power in Your Business


Take some bold steps and help your employees and business partners open up to real change and help them start thinking again to the longer term. Send a message that you are ready to commit to new ways of thinking and that that includes a commitment to the success of your employees in the changing workplace.

What Your Employees Want You to Know (But You Might Be Afraid to Ask)


This is a challenge for every company owner and manager. You have tremendous plans for growth and expect a lot of your employees.

Four Employee Behaviors That Can Kill Your Business


I found it important to clarify for employees what "deal-breaker" behavior was at my company. These are the things I insisted would not be tolerated and would lead to immediate or ultimate termination, depending on the nature of the infraction of these hard and fast rules.

Five Essential Hiring Practices


Recruiting and hiring are often done in haste, leaving the company to repent in the long run. Today, there's a reason to be concerned about negligent hiring.

Are You in AWE of Your Employees?


Employers have become so concerned about seeming "unfair" or worse becoming the victims of lawsuits by unhappy ex-employees that they've stopped requiring minimum standards of employees. This can only lead to poor individual and eventually poor company performance.

What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask)


I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've seen from both perspectives what goes right and what goes wrong when a consultant comes in to a company. Generally the CEO or the manager who hires the consultant tells the consultant what he or she wants.

10 Critical Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Consultant


Talk to as many consultants as you can before hiring one. Even if you have one person or firm in mind, interview at least a few others as a sort of due diligence.

Five Defining Characteristics of Great CEOs


1. Personal insight.

How to Hire the Right People


One of the biggest challenges any business owner or manager has is hiring the right people. I've recently discovered a simple, inexpensive yet very effective way which will help you get it right.

Develop Your People and Make More Money


What is the no. 1 asset in your business beside yourself? It's your people.

Develop Your Managers and Keep Your Staff


Following on from the last edition of The Organised Times where we spoke about developing the people in your business, this week we're focussing on the importance of the continual development of your managers.Leadership comes from the top down.

Rethinking the CEO-Chairman Split


Traditionally, in American businesses, the same person occupies the role of chairman of the board and chief executive officer, though this is gradually shifting to the European model. In most European, British, and Canadian businesses, the roles are usually split, in an effort to ensure better governance of the company, and in turn bring higher returns to investors.

Knowledge Management - Capturing And Structuring Knowledge Into Reusable Assets


Many organizations have an approach for identifying and recording lessons learned, perhaps as part of a post-project review or similar process. Unfortunately, lessons learned reports have a tendency to end up on a shelf gathering dust, or lost in the un-chartered corner of a fileserver somewhere.

Knowledge Management - Learning Whilst Doing - Facilitating an After Action Review


Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at times, particularly if the effort required it great and the benefits aren't quickly identifiable.After Action Reviews (known as AARs) are one of the simplest knowledge management techniques, and have been used to great effect in organisations ranging from the US Army, to BP, and even in the development sector in NGOs like TearFund.

Improving Patient Sensitivity in Doctors and Hospital Staff


COMPANY/ORGANIZATIONA South Florida hospital. The CEO of the hospital saw the need to provide exceptional customer service to differentiate itself from the competition and avoid being acquired.

Improvements In A Large Public Electric Utility In South America


The company decided to develop and implement an improvement program. The main thrust was to propose strategies and alternatives for the implementation of a quality program.

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.

Five Problem-Solving Success Tips


The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important than ever in today's tough economy.From the time we're little kids, we're taught to solve problems by trial and error.

ISO 9001 Registration - 8 Steps for Success


You've made the plans, built the quality system and conducted the audit. So how do you register your company as ISO 9001 conformant? And how can you be sure you're getting the most value for your investment? Here's how the process works.

Auditing Improves Effective Planning


Speak of operations assessment, and we'll hear its significant value. Speak of an audit, and we'll run for the nearest emergency exit.

Steps to Build ISO 9001 Compliant Program


Implementing an ISO 9001 system represents a major effort. However, all of that effort can represent a significant shift for a business - from quantity to quality.

How to Meet Quality Standards with ISO 9001


In today's hectic business environment, it is vital that we are all on the same page, right? But how do we know if we meet those standards? Business owners and executives can avoid the uncertainty, and that's where ISO 9001 certification comes in.Standardizing Quality SystemsThe ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, was established in 1947 to develop international standards for everything from electronics to management systems.

9 Strategies for Writing Accounts Payable Procedures


The Cash to Cash CyclePart Four of SeriesNext: Complete Cash to Cash CycleThe white flag is just a nose away?toward the Million dollar prize in cash savings for your business?So far, in Inventory and Accounts Receivable, we've found $250,000 each in cash savings. Then we found another 250K in Sales and Marketing.

Your Blueprint For Business Success


Before you start your own business one of the first things you need to do is draw up your business plan. This is your blueprint for success.

What Personal Assistants Really Want


What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation were away for a week? How would it affect the running of your business or department? How would it affect you?personally?If you are fortunate to have a personal assistant whom you heavily rely on to assist you, in most instances you would find yourself run ragged if they were absent for longer than a day.This week I spoke with two clients who were in the situation where their p.

Knowledge Management - Leadership Behaviours Which Encourage Knowledge-Sharing


The concept of knowledge management or knowledge sharing makes intellectual sense to the leadership teams in most organisations. Why wouldn't we want to learn from our successes and failures, and translate that learning into value?However, there is often a gap between the conceptual understanding, and their own behaviours as leaders - and that can be a problem?How do you engage leaders both intellectually and emotionally, in a way which will make a difference to their day-to-day behaviours? It requires more than a set of competency frameworks!The examples below are taken from the bestselling fieldbook "Learning to Fly ? Practical knowledge management from leading and learning organisations", written by Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell.


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