Welcome to Business Management
Monday, October 15, 2007
Old Fashioned Common Sense Can Be A Good Management Model
As many of my readers and friends know I have a passion for history, especially business history. I think it's a shame that history has always been taught as though it were made up only of stories of kings and princes. Real history is about business. I'm an American, I'm a capitalist. I love the History Channel, I arrived home one afternoon after a particularly harrowing day. I flipped on the History Channel and started watching a documentary about the Great Fire of 1906 that burned San Francisco to the ground after a terrible earthquake. One interesting story that jumped out at me was the story of an italian immigrant who started a bank, The Bank of Italy, in San Francisco in 1904. His name was Amadeo Giannini. After the earthquake struck, he kept his whits about him. Amadeo saw the fire coming, and, thinking quickly, loaded all of the money out of his vault into boxes, put the boxes in a wagon, covered the boxes with vegetables, and took the money to his home which was several miles outside the city.
After the fire was finally put out (three days later), it had burned all of his competitors's banks down to the ground and all of their depositor's money was lost, "up in smoke" if you will. So Amadeo drove his cart back to town. Finding his bank building burned to the ground he proceeded to make an office out of a plank and two barrels and started making loans to local businesses well ahead of his competitors. His quick thinking had saved his bank and kept his depositor’s trust. A decendant of the bank that he started is still in existence today. Gianinni's Bank of Italy merged in 1929 with another California bank that was the first to develop the concept of branch banking. The name, the Bank of Italy was changed in 1929 with the merger. The two bank presidents agreed to co-manage the new bank and the company formed by the merger still exists. Today it is known as The Bank of America.
After the fire was finally put out (three days later), it had burned all of his competitors's banks down to the ground and all of their depositor's money was lost, "up in smoke" if you will. So Amadeo drove his cart back to town. Finding his bank building burned to the ground he proceeded to make an office out of a plank and two barrels and started making loans to local businesses well ahead of his competitors. His quick thinking had saved his bank and kept his depositor’s trust. A decendant of the bank that he started is still in existence today. Gianinni's Bank of Italy merged in 1929 with another California bank that was the first to develop the concept of branch banking. The name, the Bank of Italy was changed in 1929 with the merger. The two bank presidents agreed to co-manage the new bank and the company formed by the merger still exists. Today it is known as The Bank of America.
Balance Yourself With Your Life Wheel
The fall season is a time when things change. It’s also a good time to continue to get more balance in our work and life.
Have you seen the life balance wheel? You identify areas of your life important to you, and rate them anywhere from 0 to 10. All-encompassing balance can include areas like: finances, emotions, health, career, relationships, personal growth, community and recreation. The real importance of using this balance wheel is to identify areas in your own life that you value.
Pretend you are looking down at the life wheel and that each of these life areas represents a spoke on the wheel.
With the center of the wheel rating at zero or being totally dissatisfied, and the outer perimeter as a ten equaling total fulfillment, what level of satisfaction do you have with each life area?
As you look at your ratings you have ranked along each spoke of life, a new perimeter comes into focus which represents the balance of your life. How bumpy is your ride? Does it look and feel balanced? In a perfect wheel, you would have all tens, but life isn’t perfect. There are at least seven things to consider when you see your life wheel:
You can be so focused on one area of your life to the detriment of others. Does “all work, no play” sound familiar?
1. For the wheel, (your life), to turn smoothly, you have to have balance, not equality. Imagine the wheel turning with a 10 on your career spoke and a 4 on your family relationships. This would not be desirable as you’re placing too much emphasis on work and possible neglecting your family.
2. Finding balance is a continual process. Your focus can change from year to year and then as the wheel turns, the ride becomes smoother.
3. Use the life wheel to help you more clearly set priorities that bring more balance.
4. Consider what area(s) you need to do something differently in.
5. Find the one easiest thing you can do today to move you toward your ideal life and do it. Select another action in 30 days.
6. If your wheel is bumpy, consider professional coaching to help you create an action plan to move toward what you want.
Fall is a time to enjoy and celebrate life so what are you waiting for? Enjoy your continued renewal process to more life balance.
Have you seen the life balance wheel? You identify areas of your life important to you, and rate them anywhere from 0 to 10. All-encompassing balance can include areas like: finances, emotions, health, career, relationships, personal growth, community and recreation. The real importance of using this balance wheel is to identify areas in your own life that you value.
Pretend you are looking down at the life wheel and that each of these life areas represents a spoke on the wheel.
With the center of the wheel rating at zero or being totally dissatisfied, and the outer perimeter as a ten equaling total fulfillment, what level of satisfaction do you have with each life area?
As you look at your ratings you have ranked along each spoke of life, a new perimeter comes into focus which represents the balance of your life. How bumpy is your ride? Does it look and feel balanced? In a perfect wheel, you would have all tens, but life isn’t perfect. There are at least seven things to consider when you see your life wheel:
You can be so focused on one area of your life to the detriment of others. Does “all work, no play” sound familiar?
1. For the wheel, (your life), to turn smoothly, you have to have balance, not equality. Imagine the wheel turning with a 10 on your career spoke and a 4 on your family relationships. This would not be desirable as you’re placing too much emphasis on work and possible neglecting your family.
2. Finding balance is a continual process. Your focus can change from year to year and then as the wheel turns, the ride becomes smoother.
3. Use the life wheel to help you more clearly set priorities that bring more balance.
4. Consider what area(s) you need to do something differently in.
5. Find the one easiest thing you can do today to move you toward your ideal life and do it. Select another action in 30 days.
6. If your wheel is bumpy, consider professional coaching to help you create an action plan to move toward what you want.
Fall is a time to enjoy and celebrate life so what are you waiting for? Enjoy your continued renewal process to more life balance.
First Look at Balanced Scorecard Software
As you begin to realize your dream the business grows. At some point in time, most business owners notice that their heads no longer have “all the information” about the business. If success follows upon success, effectively tracking and evaluating the independent aspects of “the business” or “the enterprise” becomes nearly impossible.
Balanced Scorecard Software, claims to be the SuperHero designed to tame all the wild beasts and capture all the evil villains lurking throughout “the enterprise.” Well, they don't actually say it that way, but the various producers of Balanced Scoreboard Software are claiming some pretty big and important advantages for management.
The balanced scorecard software solutions allow management, (on all levels, in all departments), to check the real status of their own department/division against Corporate goals and against other departments/divisions.
The goal is to be able to install a reporting and management system that will allow looking at the enterprise across divisional lines, in the same way by using the same metrics for each aspect of the enterprise. According to devotees of the Balanced Scorecard the purpose is to enable a business to ensure that is operating under “best practices” guidelines to attain Enterprise goals with the least waste.
The problem with most of these reporting systems in the past has been the trade-off between “doing” and “documenting” when it comes to business activity. Doing lots of work to produce lots of products has often required at least some degree of shortchanging the documentation. Losing track of costs of labor, or other specific items has often plagued business. The developing black holes in the corporate budget, into which millions of dollars are sucked is not only a common issue, but is often associated with an organization which is turning a favorable balance sheet.
The Corporate world has always sought a solution which could produce real-time metrics on diverse aspects of the corporate structure in meaningful slices. “Is HR profitable?” is often an unanswerable question. We hope it is but can we measure its profitability on a day by day basis? Without some really good and accurate reporting and metrics system, we can only guess.
A Balanced Scorecard will (should) offer a tool to check performance, financials and all other characteristics of each segment/department of the entire enterprise. As with all solutions, the biggest and hardest part of setting up and running a balanced scoreboard is determining how and where to implement the solution. In the case of balanced scorecard, the big decision is to adopt the solution. After that, it becomes clear that it must be implemented enterprise-wide to reap the full benefits of the concept.
Adopting the Balanced Scorecard concept may be the biggest corporate decision you make in the next few years. It may be the way to turn your enterprise around by rethinking your corporate goals as part of aligning goals to performance and performance to goals, as Balanced Scorecard is designed to do.
Balanced Scorecard Software, claims to be the SuperHero designed to tame all the wild beasts and capture all the evil villains lurking throughout “the enterprise.” Well, they don't actually say it that way, but the various producers of Balanced Scoreboard Software are claiming some pretty big and important advantages for management.
The balanced scorecard software solutions allow management, (on all levels, in all departments), to check the real status of their own department/division against Corporate goals and against other departments/divisions.
The goal is to be able to install a reporting and management system that will allow looking at the enterprise across divisional lines, in the same way by using the same metrics for each aspect of the enterprise. According to devotees of the Balanced Scorecard the purpose is to enable a business to ensure that is operating under “best practices” guidelines to attain Enterprise goals with the least waste.
The problem with most of these reporting systems in the past has been the trade-off between “doing” and “documenting” when it comes to business activity. Doing lots of work to produce lots of products has often required at least some degree of shortchanging the documentation. Losing track of costs of labor, or other specific items has often plagued business. The developing black holes in the corporate budget, into which millions of dollars are sucked is not only a common issue, but is often associated with an organization which is turning a favorable balance sheet.
The Corporate world has always sought a solution which could produce real-time metrics on diverse aspects of the corporate structure in meaningful slices. “Is HR profitable?” is often an unanswerable question. We hope it is but can we measure its profitability on a day by day basis? Without some really good and accurate reporting and metrics system, we can only guess.
A Balanced Scorecard will (should) offer a tool to check performance, financials and all other characteristics of each segment/department of the entire enterprise. As with all solutions, the biggest and hardest part of setting up and running a balanced scoreboard is determining how and where to implement the solution. In the case of balanced scorecard, the big decision is to adopt the solution. After that, it becomes clear that it must be implemented enterprise-wide to reap the full benefits of the concept.
Adopting the Balanced Scorecard concept may be the biggest corporate decision you make in the next few years. It may be the way to turn your enterprise around by rethinking your corporate goals as part of aligning goals to performance and performance to goals, as Balanced Scorecard is designed to do.
First Look at Balanced Scorecard Software
As you begin to realize your dream the business grows. At some point in time, most business owners notice that their heads no longer have “all the information” about the business. If success follows upon success, effectively tracking and evaluating the independent aspects of “the business” or “the enterprise” becomes nearly impossible.
Balanced Scorecard Software, claims to be the SuperHero designed to tame all the wild beasts and capture all the evil villains lurking throughout “the enterprise.” Well, they don't actually say it that way, but the various producers of Balanced Scoreboard Software are claiming some pretty big and important advantages for management.
The balanced scorecard software solutions allow management, (on all levels, in all departments), to check the real status of their own department/division against Corporate goals and against other departments/divisions.
The goal is to be able to install a reporting and management system that will allow looking at the enterprise across divisional lines, in the same way by using the same metrics for each aspect of the enterprise. According to devotees of the Balanced Scorecard the purpose is to enable a business to ensure that is operating under “best practices” guidelines to attain Enterprise goals with the least waste.
The problem with most of these reporting systems in the past has been the trade-off between “doing” and “documenting” when it comes to business activity. Doing lots of work to produce lots of products has often required at least some degree of shortchanging the documentation. Losing track of costs of labor, or other specific items has often plagued business. The developing black holes in the corporate budget, into which millions of dollars are sucked is not only a common issue, but is often associated with an organization which is turning a favorable balance sheet.
The Corporate world has always sought a solution which could produce real-time metrics on diverse aspects of the corporate structure in meaningful slices. “Is HR profitable?” is often an unanswerable question. We hope it is but can we measure its profitability on a day by day basis? Without some really good and accurate reporting and metrics system, we can only guess.
A Balanced Scorecard will (should) offer a tool to check performance, financials and all other characteristics of each segment/department of the entire enterprise. As with all solutions, the biggest and hardest part of setting up and running a balanced scoreboard is determining how and where to implement the solution. In the case of balanced scorecard, the big decision is to adopt the solution. After that, it becomes clear that it must be implemented enterprise-wide to reap the full benefits of the concept.
Adopting the Balanced Scorecard concept may be the biggest corporate decision you make in the next few years. It may be the way to turn your enterprise around by rethinking your corporate goals as part of aligning goals to performance and performance to goals, as Balanced Scorecard is designed to do.
Balanced Scorecard Software, claims to be the SuperHero designed to tame all the wild beasts and capture all the evil villains lurking throughout “the enterprise.” Well, they don't actually say it that way, but the various producers of Balanced Scoreboard Software are claiming some pretty big and important advantages for management.
The balanced scorecard software solutions allow management, (on all levels, in all departments), to check the real status of their own department/division against Corporate goals and against other departments/divisions.
The goal is to be able to install a reporting and management system that will allow looking at the enterprise across divisional lines, in the same way by using the same metrics for each aspect of the enterprise. According to devotees of the Balanced Scorecard the purpose is to enable a business to ensure that is operating under “best practices” guidelines to attain Enterprise goals with the least waste.
The problem with most of these reporting systems in the past has been the trade-off between “doing” and “documenting” when it comes to business activity. Doing lots of work to produce lots of products has often required at least some degree of shortchanging the documentation. Losing track of costs of labor, or other specific items has often plagued business. The developing black holes in the corporate budget, into which millions of dollars are sucked is not only a common issue, but is often associated with an organization which is turning a favorable balance sheet.
The Corporate world has always sought a solution which could produce real-time metrics on diverse aspects of the corporate structure in meaningful slices. “Is HR profitable?” is often an unanswerable question. We hope it is but can we measure its profitability on a day by day basis? Without some really good and accurate reporting and metrics system, we can only guess.
A Balanced Scorecard will (should) offer a tool to check performance, financials and all other characteristics of each segment/department of the entire enterprise. As with all solutions, the biggest and hardest part of setting up and running a balanced scoreboard is determining how and where to implement the solution. In the case of balanced scorecard, the big decision is to adopt the solution. After that, it becomes clear that it must be implemented enterprise-wide to reap the full benefits of the concept.
Adopting the Balanced Scorecard concept may be the biggest corporate decision you make in the next few years. It may be the way to turn your enterprise around by rethinking your corporate goals as part of aligning goals to performance and performance to goals, as Balanced Scorecard is designed to do.
Managing People - Drilling Versus Skilling
Too many departments within organisations attempt to skill their employees when they need to drill their employees.
Drilling, or making people practise a skill or assimilate knowledge until it becomes second nature, is used when people are new to a task or need to correct errors in the way they execute a task. It is also used when an automatic response to stimuli is required.
Skilling, or giving people the rationale and the knowledge to adopt certain behaviours, is used when people are fully competent at tasks. It is also used when we want people to be able to interpolate and extrapolate from their current experience.
Drilling involves low levels of cognitive thought processes. It helps embed items held in sensory memory into short term memory and then to long term memory.
For example learning the "Ten Top Attributes of Leadership" from a list created from research by means of reciting the list, keeps the list in short term memory.
Repeating the same list and being tested on the list daily codifies the list into your long term memory.
Associating the codifying of the list into long term memory with a sound, a smell, a sight a touch or an emotion helps in retrieval of the list later from long term memory.
Skilling involves high levels of cognitive thought accessing information from long term memory. It requires analysis and decision making capacity. It is suitable to make people grow and to meet the higher needs of Maslow's hierarchy.
For example, running a course where classroom interaction is encouraged on the topic "What is a leader?" with participants sharing their experiences on good and bad leadership traits. A high level of cognitive thought is required to develop a list of leadership attributes.
Skilling and drilling require different instructional design.
Drilling requires participants to practise, practise and practise until they get it right. For example, learning that 1 + 1 = 2 as I was taught in grade one.
Skilling requires participants to be challenged in what they know as normal. People need to be given circumstances or put in environments where they have to interpolate and extrapolate from what they know to discover the general principles that govern the processes and tasks under consideration. For example, being required to prove that the number 1 exists and 1 + 1 = 2 at university.
It is popular to follow McGregor's XY Theory of motivation and be a theory Y (participative) boss or trainer. That is, to include much cognitive thinking in the training design (to skill). However, there are many times when it is much better to drill, especially where discipline and consistency are required.
Ten examples I can think of are remembering:
What is on the menu as a waiter in a restaurant
The safety procedure in the case of fire
How to reload your gun under fire as a soldier
What cannot be legally imported as a customs officer
What are the features, advantages and benefits of products as a retail sales person
How to answer the telephone in any business
What is in the brand style guide as a marketer
What to do as a pilot when the low altitude light comes on
Navigating through multiple screens and systems retrieve information in a help desk call centre
Where major streets and suburbs are as a taxi driver
There are some common approaches to training instructional design which are good to include.
Common approaches include:
Verbal repetition
Writing down what is said to have two modes of memory retention operating and reinforcing each other
Matching words and phrases to chunk the material to be remembered into smaller "bits" of information
Physical repetition to achieve muscle memory e.g. dancing, sport techniques or conditioned response e.g. emergency response
Quizzes, games and other competitive fun environments to associate feelings, sounds and touch with the information to be encoded
Revising to repeat retrieval and recoding into long term memory
Acknowledging that people will be tested to create higher levels of attention aiding the codifying process
Using fun to motivate and interest people - people remember more of what they are interested in
Drilling, or making people practise a skill or assimilate knowledge until it becomes second nature, is used when people are new to a task or need to correct errors in the way they execute a task. It is also used when an automatic response to stimuli is required.
Skilling, or giving people the rationale and the knowledge to adopt certain behaviours, is used when people are fully competent at tasks. It is also used when we want people to be able to interpolate and extrapolate from their current experience.
Drilling involves low levels of cognitive thought processes. It helps embed items held in sensory memory into short term memory and then to long term memory.
For example learning the "Ten Top Attributes of Leadership" from a list created from research by means of reciting the list, keeps the list in short term memory.
Repeating the same list and being tested on the list daily codifies the list into your long term memory.
Associating the codifying of the list into long term memory with a sound, a smell, a sight a touch or an emotion helps in retrieval of the list later from long term memory.
Skilling involves high levels of cognitive thought accessing information from long term memory. It requires analysis and decision making capacity. It is suitable to make people grow and to meet the higher needs of Maslow's hierarchy.
For example, running a course where classroom interaction is encouraged on the topic "What is a leader?" with participants sharing their experiences on good and bad leadership traits. A high level of cognitive thought is required to develop a list of leadership attributes.
Skilling and drilling require different instructional design.
Drilling requires participants to practise, practise and practise until they get it right. For example, learning that 1 + 1 = 2 as I was taught in grade one.
Skilling requires participants to be challenged in what they know as normal. People need to be given circumstances or put in environments where they have to interpolate and extrapolate from what they know to discover the general principles that govern the processes and tasks under consideration. For example, being required to prove that the number 1 exists and 1 + 1 = 2 at university.
It is popular to follow McGregor's XY Theory of motivation and be a theory Y (participative) boss or trainer. That is, to include much cognitive thinking in the training design (to skill). However, there are many times when it is much better to drill, especially where discipline and consistency are required.
Ten examples I can think of are remembering:
What is on the menu as a waiter in a restaurant
The safety procedure in the case of fire
How to reload your gun under fire as a soldier
What cannot be legally imported as a customs officer
What are the features, advantages and benefits of products as a retail sales person
How to answer the telephone in any business
What is in the brand style guide as a marketer
What to do as a pilot when the low altitude light comes on
Navigating through multiple screens and systems retrieve information in a help desk call centre
Where major streets and suburbs are as a taxi driver
There are some common approaches to training instructional design which are good to include.
Common approaches include:
Verbal repetition
Writing down what is said to have two modes of memory retention operating and reinforcing each other
Matching words and phrases to chunk the material to be remembered into smaller "bits" of information
Physical repetition to achieve muscle memory e.g. dancing, sport techniques or conditioned response e.g. emergency response
Quizzes, games and other competitive fun environments to associate feelings, sounds and touch with the information to be encoded
Revising to repeat retrieval and recoding into long term memory
Acknowledging that people will be tested to create higher levels of attention aiding the codifying process
Using fun to motivate and interest people - people remember more of what they are interested in
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Shoddy Wholesale List Myth - Revealed!
Perhaps wholesale list e-myth schlock revisited, could become another appropriate wholesale business title for describing the current without a stop myth bonanza in our fascinating e-commerce industry. In a way, it is appropriate for many of us to keep glued at those outrageous claims made by other apparent market successes.
Their message is sticking in quite a few of my Puerto Rican friends and other business enthusiastic that follow along. Let us get to read some of these points correctly, in a form of personal opinion for the need of maintaining our right of learning by either personal mistakes or, well, myths that need some pampering for the good!
The still alive wholesale business myth skepticism- I do not have much money to invest in any particular business product right now, what would you recommend? While quite a few might tell you to come back when you find something that you feel passionate about and then arrive back and they shall teach you to sell it, it is not enough. This living legend answer needs to be extended quite a bit more.
Reality being, you can have passion for a certain business but if the business brings no profit that you can count on, why should you bother feeding it more? Myth being, that you should follow a passionate business and the glory shall come! No, an appropriate plan should be: follow a passion, grow your strength a bit more in the most important aspects, sell it or teach it, test and test, results and conclude if it’s worth it when the proper analysis has been performed.
Another big one- I really do not have any time or money to build a business, I already have a family, full time job and a wife to entertain! What irritates me most is that I hear this from my buddies, my friends, the guys I usually drink piña coladas from time to time, problem being they later ask me in a humble way how you do this and that! While Richy Rich is not my name, you guys should also know quite a few things!
If pay check to pay check funds are being spent on mortgage, kids, cars, utility bills among others. You can go to an Internet marketing forum, study the vibe for a few weeks. Read a few posts and finally when you are almost sure, you can ask someone to build you an e-commerce shop and maintain it for you for a royalty fee and just in case, you get that site and pay as example 10-15% of all future business net profits. Having it better, you can negotiate time frame in months or find a partner so you guys can both leverage your timing and wife, husband, kids don’t go bazooka on you. Then upgrading your knowledge about such business by the numerous ways already available should be appropriate.
If it does not make sense yet and you really want to have an additional stream of income for improving your lifestyle, may it be possible and likely that the people that surround you and really care about you would want you to improve but may be a bit frighten from stepping way beyond their natural comfort zones? I know something is for sure, most of them will not understand if you ask- why would they? Key here is getting educated and having a minimum vision of what you want to do and stepping that action plan so you can see the light a bit more!
While it might sound sweet, why not care a bit more about your present, future and what you really want. Be it wholesale, Google Adsense, social networks or among others- choose one and do not whine! We are swamped with work all day, but why does that couch gets lowered once every sit and every weekend has to be about beer?
Then a very respectful question from a gentlemen- buying from US distributors and turning a profit from resell is totally impossible, I want to buy in bulk. It is totally a myth saying impossible on eBay or in a website. While sites like eBay have lots of competition, do know that eBay has plenty of distributors and suppliers selling high priced items in clearance and in brand new conditions. Why step foot in fire when the water is cooler in other popular merchandise? And even then, such distributors are taking advantage of instant traffic- most of them don’t own their personal sites for marketing them.
Their message is sticking in quite a few of my Puerto Rican friends and other business enthusiastic that follow along. Let us get to read some of these points correctly, in a form of personal opinion for the need of maintaining our right of learning by either personal mistakes or, well, myths that need some pampering for the good!
The still alive wholesale business myth skepticism- I do not have much money to invest in any particular business product right now, what would you recommend? While quite a few might tell you to come back when you find something that you feel passionate about and then arrive back and they shall teach you to sell it, it is not enough. This living legend answer needs to be extended quite a bit more.
Reality being, you can have passion for a certain business but if the business brings no profit that you can count on, why should you bother feeding it more? Myth being, that you should follow a passionate business and the glory shall come! No, an appropriate plan should be: follow a passion, grow your strength a bit more in the most important aspects, sell it or teach it, test and test, results and conclude if it’s worth it when the proper analysis has been performed.
Another big one- I really do not have any time or money to build a business, I already have a family, full time job and a wife to entertain! What irritates me most is that I hear this from my buddies, my friends, the guys I usually drink piña coladas from time to time, problem being they later ask me in a humble way how you do this and that! While Richy Rich is not my name, you guys should also know quite a few things!
If pay check to pay check funds are being spent on mortgage, kids, cars, utility bills among others. You can go to an Internet marketing forum, study the vibe for a few weeks. Read a few posts and finally when you are almost sure, you can ask someone to build you an e-commerce shop and maintain it for you for a royalty fee and just in case, you get that site and pay as example 10-15% of all future business net profits. Having it better, you can negotiate time frame in months or find a partner so you guys can both leverage your timing and wife, husband, kids don’t go bazooka on you. Then upgrading your knowledge about such business by the numerous ways already available should be appropriate.
If it does not make sense yet and you really want to have an additional stream of income for improving your lifestyle, may it be possible and likely that the people that surround you and really care about you would want you to improve but may be a bit frighten from stepping way beyond their natural comfort zones? I know something is for sure, most of them will not understand if you ask- why would they? Key here is getting educated and having a minimum vision of what you want to do and stepping that action plan so you can see the light a bit more!
While it might sound sweet, why not care a bit more about your present, future and what you really want. Be it wholesale, Google Adsense, social networks or among others- choose one and do not whine! We are swamped with work all day, but why does that couch gets lowered once every sit and every weekend has to be about beer?
Then a very respectful question from a gentlemen- buying from US distributors and turning a profit from resell is totally impossible, I want to buy in bulk. It is totally a myth saying impossible on eBay or in a website. While sites like eBay have lots of competition, do know that eBay has plenty of distributors and suppliers selling high priced items in clearance and in brand new conditions. Why step foot in fire when the water is cooler in other popular merchandise? And even then, such distributors are taking advantage of instant traffic- most of them don’t own their personal sites for marketing them.
Modeling NLP for Business Success
The key aim of NLP is to model the excellence of others. Generally when people are good at something they are not consciously aware of what they are doing that makes them good.
Most of the time people take for granted the things that they do well. For example, I assume most of you are good at walking...but when was the last time you looked at your legs and praised your walking ability, or analyzed what it is that allows you to walk with the unconscious fluency that you use.
modeling in NLP is about discovering what makes the difference between good and great results. An NLP Model of Success takes into account both what your subject does physically and also what goes on inside their head. Some of these elements would be absolutely vital and others might be just idiosyncratic and only apply to that particular person.
If we were to model a very persuasive person, the external model would be what they say. The internal model would be their beliefs and values about what they are doing. In a NLP modeling study you would gather all the information by observation and interview and then start using it. Once they are comfortable with the model they would start to leave bits out and test until they have just the core elements that make up success.
The same approach can be used for modeling an organisation. Any company exhibits a collective behaviour and this is based on the collective thoughts, values and beliefs of the individuals within.
modeling techniques in NLP won't make you Einstein, Bill Gates or a large multinational company. What it will give you is a way of analyzing, recording and transferring the key elements of success in any skill or endeavor. It is simply a way of breaking out of your own limitations and boundaries to become even better at the things you want to achieve, by systematically learning from those that are already proving successful.
Consider for a moment the value of being able to see inside the head of Bill Gates or Richard Branson and then being able to analyse their behaviour and personality for the answers to these questions and others I am sure you can think of:
What motivates you to create your success?
What keeps you going when it isn't going the way you want?
What do you believe about yourself and the world around you to be able to create this success?
What specific behaviours do you exhibit to create this success? Now imagine being able to do the same thing but with a successful organisation.
You might already notice that only one of the questions above concerns their behaviour...actually about what they do. The other questions are all about what is happening inside their heads. This is because, in most circumstances, behaviour follows thought. Let us consider a simple example, take these two beliefs:
I could never be a millionaire
My destiny is to be a millionaire; I just need to make it happenThe person with the first belief is not likely to make the effort or take the actions to go down this route but the second is likely to be always looking for the opportunity to move in this direction. An over simple example, but I hope it makes the point that internal thought proceeds external behaviour and consequently is far more powerful.
How does all this help create a successful business?
Firstly let's talk about individuals. Have you experienced or met people that have this experience? They know what to do to create success, or get things right or get rid of the problem, but they are continually repeating the same behaviour and making the same mistakes. This is still because what happens inside your head is the most powerful aspect of your behaviour. So if you can get this aligned with creating success then your external behaviour can be more easily modified to get the results.
By knowing what makes a successful sales person, trainer, business manager in your company or industry gives you several advantages. Firstly you can look for and recruit specifically for the right values and beliefs as well as skills and experience. Secondly, individuals can through a variety of NLP techniques and related exercises modify their own values and beliefs to give themselves more successful in their endeavors.
Secondly, by modeling successful business you can gain an insight into the collective beliefs and values that the company has to hold to be successful. Then through organizational development, corporate communications and key business statements you can align your organisation with these values and beliefs.
Most of the time people take for granted the things that they do well. For example, I assume most of you are good at walking...but when was the last time you looked at your legs and praised your walking ability, or analyzed what it is that allows you to walk with the unconscious fluency that you use.
modeling in NLP is about discovering what makes the difference between good and great results. An NLP Model of Success takes into account both what your subject does physically and also what goes on inside their head. Some of these elements would be absolutely vital and others might be just idiosyncratic and only apply to that particular person.
If we were to model a very persuasive person, the external model would be what they say. The internal model would be their beliefs and values about what they are doing. In a NLP modeling study you would gather all the information by observation and interview and then start using it. Once they are comfortable with the model they would start to leave bits out and test until they have just the core elements that make up success.
The same approach can be used for modeling an organisation. Any company exhibits a collective behaviour and this is based on the collective thoughts, values and beliefs of the individuals within.
modeling techniques in NLP won't make you Einstein, Bill Gates or a large multinational company. What it will give you is a way of analyzing, recording and transferring the key elements of success in any skill or endeavor. It is simply a way of breaking out of your own limitations and boundaries to become even better at the things you want to achieve, by systematically learning from those that are already proving successful.
Consider for a moment the value of being able to see inside the head of Bill Gates or Richard Branson and then being able to analyse their behaviour and personality for the answers to these questions and others I am sure you can think of:
What motivates you to create your success?
What keeps you going when it isn't going the way you want?
What do you believe about yourself and the world around you to be able to create this success?
What specific behaviours do you exhibit to create this success? Now imagine being able to do the same thing but with a successful organisation.
You might already notice that only one of the questions above concerns their behaviour...actually about what they do. The other questions are all about what is happening inside their heads. This is because, in most circumstances, behaviour follows thought. Let us consider a simple example, take these two beliefs:
I could never be a millionaire
My destiny is to be a millionaire; I just need to make it happenThe person with the first belief is not likely to make the effort or take the actions to go down this route but the second is likely to be always looking for the opportunity to move in this direction. An over simple example, but I hope it makes the point that internal thought proceeds external behaviour and consequently is far more powerful.
How does all this help create a successful business?
Firstly let's talk about individuals. Have you experienced or met people that have this experience? They know what to do to create success, or get things right or get rid of the problem, but they are continually repeating the same behaviour and making the same mistakes. This is still because what happens inside your head is the most powerful aspect of your behaviour. So if you can get this aligned with creating success then your external behaviour can be more easily modified to get the results.
By knowing what makes a successful sales person, trainer, business manager in your company or industry gives you several advantages. Firstly you can look for and recruit specifically for the right values and beliefs as well as skills and experience. Secondly, individuals can through a variety of NLP techniques and related exercises modify their own values and beliefs to give themselves more successful in their endeavors.
Secondly, by modeling successful business you can gain an insight into the collective beliefs and values that the company has to hold to be successful. Then through organizational development, corporate communications and key business statements you can align your organisation with these values and beliefs.
Managing KPI
In order for any business to be able to effectively starting managing KPI (key performance indicators) they must first decide what these are actually going to be. However when selecting them a business should limit themselves to those factors which they consider to be essential to the business in order for it to achieve its goals.
Another important thing when choosing your KPI's in order to manage them effectively is a business should keep them to a very small number. By doing this a business is more likely to be able to keep everyone who is involved in the business attention focused on what is required of them in order for them to achieve their goals.
The main reason why many businesses today are using key performance indicators in their business is not only as a way of getting staff to work more productively but it acts in some ways like a carrot on a stick would to a donkey. It also provides staff with a clear understanding of what is required of them in order that the business and they achieve the goals that have been set before them.
Once you have the KPI's chosen you need to allow all members of staff to know what they are. Certainly one of the quickest and simplest ways of doing this is by sending an email to them or placing them on the company's intranet system. You may also choose to actually print them off and place them in places where they are prominently displayed such as in the office canteen or in the conference room.
But not only should you be showing the employees what each KPI is you also need to show them over time what progress is being made in order that the targets and goals are being met. The more people are provided with information relating to their KPI target the more motivated they will remain in order to reach them.
Along with telling staff what the key performance indicators are it is important that you allocate a certain role or step in the process to achieving the businesses goals to a particular member. Once you have decided just which member of staff will be dealing with which particular sector of the KPI you then need to spend time looking at the ways in which they can achieve their goal of completing the task. You may find that for some staff members it may well include them undertaking some additional training, but in order for your business to attain its goals this may be necessary.
Certainly the more a business is capable of managing KPI's then the employees within the company will find it much easier to meet and attain the goals that they have been set. If you keep the above in mind you will find that actually managing yours will be much easier than you first suspected.
Another important thing when choosing your KPI's in order to manage them effectively is a business should keep them to a very small number. By doing this a business is more likely to be able to keep everyone who is involved in the business attention focused on what is required of them in order for them to achieve their goals.
The main reason why many businesses today are using key performance indicators in their business is not only as a way of getting staff to work more productively but it acts in some ways like a carrot on a stick would to a donkey. It also provides staff with a clear understanding of what is required of them in order that the business and they achieve the goals that have been set before them.
Once you have the KPI's chosen you need to allow all members of staff to know what they are. Certainly one of the quickest and simplest ways of doing this is by sending an email to them or placing them on the company's intranet system. You may also choose to actually print them off and place them in places where they are prominently displayed such as in the office canteen or in the conference room.
But not only should you be showing the employees what each KPI is you also need to show them over time what progress is being made in order that the targets and goals are being met. The more people are provided with information relating to their KPI target the more motivated they will remain in order to reach them.
Along with telling staff what the key performance indicators are it is important that you allocate a certain role or step in the process to achieving the businesses goals to a particular member. Once you have decided just which member of staff will be dealing with which particular sector of the KPI you then need to spend time looking at the ways in which they can achieve their goal of completing the task. You may find that for some staff members it may well include them undertaking some additional training, but in order for your business to attain its goals this may be necessary.
Certainly the more a business is capable of managing KPI's then the employees within the company will find it much easier to meet and attain the goals that they have been set. If you keep the above in mind you will find that actually managing yours will be much easier than you first suspected.
How To Manage Up - The Art Of Managing Your Boss
The art of managing your boss may sound like some subversive corporate political undertaking. However, I assure you it's not, if done properly; your boss will thank you. Managing your boss can be the ultimate win-win scenario for your career and organization. Most workers view the corporate chain of command as a psychological hierarchy written in stone. The chain of command clearly dictates, who reports to whom.
In order to break out of this psychological bondage, one must consider why they would want to manage his or her boss. The benefits of managing boss is numerous, one of the chief reasons would be because you are the expert at what you do, not your boss and you have the best vantage point of what should be done either in your department or with your position.
A number of companies have readjusted its hierarchy to a flat system, meaning they are trying to give more authority in a linear perspective to empower more employees to become more effective at getting things done. The desired effect of going flat is to reduce the time lost at going through a typical corporate chain of command. These companies understand that where an individual is positioned within an organization hierarchy is of less importance than what the person knows.
This brings me to my initial point of managing your boss. Conventional wisdom tells us to be a good leader we must first become a good follower. Accepting this hypothesis as being true, the first place to start is managing you. A self-analysis should consist of a personal strengths and weakness of your management skills. Some personal questions to ask for self-assessment are:
1. Can you verbally and visually show enthusiasm for most duties in your department?2. Are you able to focus your attention on department goals in lieu of your own personal goals?3. Are you committed to lifelong learning? If so, how many books have your read, seminars attended, or classes taken in the last six months?4. How do you respond to rapid unorganized change?5. Can you train and develop individuals to perform effective tasks?6. Can you arbitrate disputes amicably between parties that are equally passionate about their positions?7. Can you look at the grand view of the company rather than just your small piece of the pie?
Self-assessment is just the initial step; since most of us view the world through our own kaleidoscope. The importance to have others, preferably not friends to answer these questions about you becomes paramount. The ideal situation is to involve at least six different individuals who are impartial towards you as a manager or personal friend. In the event you are unable to locate at least six impartial people, use friends or teammates. Using friends or teammates pay particular attention to the answers. Any responses that are not a consensus on a particular question is probably a good indication of an area that needs to be addressed by you.
Equipped with the skill set necessary to manage your boss; you should have a through understanding of what motivates your boss and why. As strange as this may sound; all bosses are not motivated by the bottom-line. I can hear the rumblings now that I don’t know your boss; understand that each boss is responsible for a certain set of objectives or goals if you will; this is not necessarily their primary motivation. Some bosses do it for the recognition, ego, money, prestige, and many other reasons. The germane fact here is that you should be aware why your boss does things, so you can appeal to his or her primary needs. When you understand what makes the boss tick then you can direct him or her to the most effective problem solution that is inline with your own core beliefs.
In order to break out of this psychological bondage, one must consider why they would want to manage his or her boss. The benefits of managing boss is numerous, one of the chief reasons would be because you are the expert at what you do, not your boss and you have the best vantage point of what should be done either in your department or with your position.
A number of companies have readjusted its hierarchy to a flat system, meaning they are trying to give more authority in a linear perspective to empower more employees to become more effective at getting things done. The desired effect of going flat is to reduce the time lost at going through a typical corporate chain of command. These companies understand that where an individual is positioned within an organization hierarchy is of less importance than what the person knows.
This brings me to my initial point of managing your boss. Conventional wisdom tells us to be a good leader we must first become a good follower. Accepting this hypothesis as being true, the first place to start is managing you. A self-analysis should consist of a personal strengths and weakness of your management skills. Some personal questions to ask for self-assessment are:
1. Can you verbally and visually show enthusiasm for most duties in your department?2. Are you able to focus your attention on department goals in lieu of your own personal goals?3. Are you committed to lifelong learning? If so, how many books have your read, seminars attended, or classes taken in the last six months?4. How do you respond to rapid unorganized change?5. Can you train and develop individuals to perform effective tasks?6. Can you arbitrate disputes amicably between parties that are equally passionate about their positions?7. Can you look at the grand view of the company rather than just your small piece of the pie?
Self-assessment is just the initial step; since most of us view the world through our own kaleidoscope. The importance to have others, preferably not friends to answer these questions about you becomes paramount. The ideal situation is to involve at least six different individuals who are impartial towards you as a manager or personal friend. In the event you are unable to locate at least six impartial people, use friends or teammates. Using friends or teammates pay particular attention to the answers. Any responses that are not a consensus on a particular question is probably a good indication of an area that needs to be addressed by you.
Equipped with the skill set necessary to manage your boss; you should have a through understanding of what motivates your boss and why. As strange as this may sound; all bosses are not motivated by the bottom-line. I can hear the rumblings now that I don’t know your boss; understand that each boss is responsible for a certain set of objectives or goals if you will; this is not necessarily their primary motivation. Some bosses do it for the recognition, ego, money, prestige, and many other reasons. The germane fact here is that you should be aware why your boss does things, so you can appeal to his or her primary needs. When you understand what makes the boss tick then you can direct him or her to the most effective problem solution that is inline with your own core beliefs.
Increasing The Velocity Of Your Corporate Client's Money
Forward-thinking businesses are seeking to integrate payment systems with business management systems, improve liquidity management, and automate payment processing. For banks, the opportunity lies in offering next generation cash management and liquidity services that truly meet the demands of business.
Banks rightly pride themselves on their status as trusted financial advisers to their corporate customers. And yet, there is a wide gap among the banking community in its current knowledge about what ERP systems are capable of and their importance to the effective management of a business. Banks that understand how corporations systems sit together, the role of legacy ERP applications in the organization, and the place that corporate-to-bank connectivity has in that framework will greatly enhance this status.
We look to banks for their expertise in managing money, investments, liquidity, credits and payments, not for their prowess in IT. Yet, a number of banks are investing heavily in developing payment systems for their customers (SEPA) and wider cash management requirements, which are inflexible, of limited functionality and unable to adapt to change.
Corporations currently require payments systems that are capable of sharing information in a variety of flexible and customized formats. Corporations need – and are increasingly demanding of their banks – a cash management system that is bank-neutral and integrates with their back-office financial management or ERP systems. Businesses are looking to link their physical and financial supply chains to provide company-wide visibility and control of business and financial processes. Corporations need flexible solutions featuring systems based on open standards, and able to adapt to evolving regulatory and business requirements.
In both our quantitative surveys and focus groups, our research shows that corporate customers have a clear need to receive additional structured remittance information that will allow them to apply a payment quickly. This will enable an efficient posting and reconciliation process. Many companies have expressed a great deal of frustration that the capability is not available
Treasury functions at many organizations are facing the same critical dilemma. Profit pressures are forcing your corporate client’s treasury departments to be more efficient and cost effective in their cash management. However, as treasury staffs and resources continue to shrink, the question on the minds of treasurers is: How can I do more with less?
The highlights of this system would be as follows:
Fully automated, next generation enterprise payment system offering a revolutionary change in Payments Infrastructure
Common payment & remittance interface
World class management team – top banking & payments leaders
Common gateway for Domestic & Cross Border Payments
Flexible format for exchanging remittance information – with 72 easily customized fields, 3 of which are mandatory (Invoice #, Date, Currency)
A/P and A/R software that integrates with electronic payments
Provides Straight through Processing of electronic payments into major accounting systems (SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, QuickBooks, etc…)
Merges payment instructions with settlement
Least cost routing – ACH, Wire Transfer, Check, Swift, etc…
Converts currency and settlement on the fly
Greatly reduces settlement, fraud & FX risk
Compression from batch to real time
Highest levels of security, compliance and fraud control
Fully Scaleable with simple integration
Web Based and simple to use from the convenience of any Web Browser – Easy for the sender & receiver
Cost effective, feature rich and fully automated
ASP model – can be White-labeled
Full audit trail with 7 years of payment history
Business Case for the Banks
Enhances your banks capabilities to include remittance information with payments
Enables your banks cash management systems to integrate more effectively with accounts payable and accounts receivable systems to facilitate straight-through-processing
Having remittance information with the payment would increase efficiencies and enhance value to your corporate clients
Provides Thought Leadership and trusted financial adviser status to your corporate clients
Improves efficiencies, enhances value & promotes growth
Accelerates the cash inflows
Slows down the outflows of cash
Manages liquidity and/or borrowing costs
Improved relationships with corporate clients
Enables banks to proactively monitor, predict and pre-empt their corporate customers’ liquidity requirements
Business Case for the Corporate Client
Standardized, automated means of processing electronic payments
Payment includes the remittance information
Adds convenience, speed and security to the processing of B2B electronic payments and emittance information
Automatically moves the remittance information with the payment
Based on open standards, and able to adapt to evolving regulatory and business requirements
Ease of use from the convenience of any Web Browser
Integrates seamlessly into the entire information processing network, with a minimum of cost, delay and disruption – Simple integration
Real time information for ease of account reconciliation
Spend less time on non-core account payables and receivables management, and focus on the core treasury and finance challenges
Provides the ability to purchase Spot or Forward Foreign Currency Transactions including gain or loss (for forward contracts and/or revaluation purposes) for posting to the accounting records – FX Capable
Banks rightly pride themselves on their status as trusted financial advisers to their corporate customers. And yet, there is a wide gap among the banking community in its current knowledge about what ERP systems are capable of and their importance to the effective management of a business. Banks that understand how corporations systems sit together, the role of legacy ERP applications in the organization, and the place that corporate-to-bank connectivity has in that framework will greatly enhance this status.
We look to banks for their expertise in managing money, investments, liquidity, credits and payments, not for their prowess in IT. Yet, a number of banks are investing heavily in developing payment systems for their customers (SEPA) and wider cash management requirements, which are inflexible, of limited functionality and unable to adapt to change.
Corporations currently require payments systems that are capable of sharing information in a variety of flexible and customized formats. Corporations need – and are increasingly demanding of their banks – a cash management system that is bank-neutral and integrates with their back-office financial management or ERP systems. Businesses are looking to link their physical and financial supply chains to provide company-wide visibility and control of business and financial processes. Corporations need flexible solutions featuring systems based on open standards, and able to adapt to evolving regulatory and business requirements.
In both our quantitative surveys and focus groups, our research shows that corporate customers have a clear need to receive additional structured remittance information that will allow them to apply a payment quickly. This will enable an efficient posting and reconciliation process. Many companies have expressed a great deal of frustration that the capability is not available
Treasury functions at many organizations are facing the same critical dilemma. Profit pressures are forcing your corporate client’s treasury departments to be more efficient and cost effective in their cash management. However, as treasury staffs and resources continue to shrink, the question on the minds of treasurers is: How can I do more with less?
The highlights of this system would be as follows:
Fully automated, next generation enterprise payment system offering a revolutionary change in Payments Infrastructure
Common payment & remittance interface
World class management team – top banking & payments leaders
Common gateway for Domestic & Cross Border Payments
Flexible format for exchanging remittance information – with 72 easily customized fields, 3 of which are mandatory (Invoice #, Date, Currency)
A/P and A/R software that integrates with electronic payments
Provides Straight through Processing of electronic payments into major accounting systems (SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, QuickBooks, etc…)
Merges payment instructions with settlement
Least cost routing – ACH, Wire Transfer, Check, Swift, etc…
Converts currency and settlement on the fly
Greatly reduces settlement, fraud & FX risk
Compression from batch to real time
Highest levels of security, compliance and fraud control
Fully Scaleable with simple integration
Web Based and simple to use from the convenience of any Web Browser – Easy for the sender & receiver
Cost effective, feature rich and fully automated
ASP model – can be White-labeled
Full audit trail with 7 years of payment history
Business Case for the Banks
Enhances your banks capabilities to include remittance information with payments
Enables your banks cash management systems to integrate more effectively with accounts payable and accounts receivable systems to facilitate straight-through-processing
Having remittance information with the payment would increase efficiencies and enhance value to your corporate clients
Provides Thought Leadership and trusted financial adviser status to your corporate clients
Improves efficiencies, enhances value & promotes growth
Accelerates the cash inflows
Slows down the outflows of cash
Manages liquidity and/or borrowing costs
Improved relationships with corporate clients
Enables banks to proactively monitor, predict and pre-empt their corporate customers’ liquidity requirements
Business Case for the Corporate Client
Standardized, automated means of processing electronic payments
Payment includes the remittance information
Adds convenience, speed and security to the processing of B2B electronic payments and emittance information
Automatically moves the remittance information with the payment
Based on open standards, and able to adapt to evolving regulatory and business requirements
Ease of use from the convenience of any Web Browser
Integrates seamlessly into the entire information processing network, with a minimum of cost, delay and disruption – Simple integration
Real time information for ease of account reconciliation
Spend less time on non-core account payables and receivables management, and focus on the core treasury and finance challenges
Provides the ability to purchase Spot or Forward Foreign Currency Transactions including gain or loss (for forward contracts and/or revaluation purposes) for posting to the accounting records – FX Capable
Occam's Razor at 2am - Help Desk Escalation
Occam’s Razor at 2am (Incident Management)
The Principle:
Occam’s Razor is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. The principle states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. Many people have heard it phrased more commonly this way “All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one," or alternately, "we should not assert that for which we do not have some proof." In other words, when multiple competing theories are equal in other respects, the principle recommends selecting the theory that introduces the fewest assumptions and postulates the fewest entities. It is in this sense that Occam's razor is usually understood.
Now for the story:
It happens when you least expect it and are sleeping (for most Problem Escalation Teams).
You get the call (at 2am) that something is not working and you have to dial in or participate on a call.
At this time, a series of people have already attempted to resolve this problem. It is very likely that they have tried simple things and that if the application is downed for more than several hours; they have moved into more complex solutions. I have found that in these calls, we typically fail to answer 4 questions.
1. When was the last time this was working correctly?a. In my line of work, it was usually working within the last 12-24 hours.b. Its relevant because things don’t break for “no reason”…the cause may not be known, but it usually happens from an action, or omission of an action.c. Is it working correctly is some locations and not others (i.e. Web based architecture is broken, but local networks are up.2. What Incidents were opened today (check all resources)?a. We had several different queues and people that helped in different locations.b. Call ANY resolver and ask them if there touched anything today.3. What upgrades or implementations occurred or were ATTEMPTED?a. This can contribute to problems that were missed in Testingb. Attempts can cause breaks, but if it is not rollback, or not rollbacked correctly this can cause unknown issues.4. When was the last time this server was rebooted?a. Windows Patching can cause issues since the testing on these is not rigorous.
These 4 questions usually lend themselves to resolution. At one 2am call, the IT team had been working for an extensive time (13 hours) and they were getting ready to rollback patches from 2 weeks ago, when I entered the call. I asked the four questions mentioned above and found some compelling information.
It was at question 2, that we took a step to resolution. Earlier that day, someone had opened a ticket where the root cause of the incident was a missing .exe. The Resolver did nothing wrong by replacing the missing .exe. He resolved the incident as he should have.
I asked our IT guys to run a directory compare of .exes and .dlls and found some missing items from a working app (another site) to the broken app. We found 3 things missing. We copied them back in and magically things started working again.
These 4 questions have helped me immensely but also helps focus where to start looking. In effect, everyone is looking for what changed. This helps refine the search and brings folks into the loop on what occurred. It is my contention that after a few hours of resolving a problem, we tend to go deeper, when in reality; we might want to consider more shallow, back to basics.
The Principle:
Occam’s Razor is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. The principle states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. Many people have heard it phrased more commonly this way “All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one," or alternately, "we should not assert that for which we do not have some proof." In other words, when multiple competing theories are equal in other respects, the principle recommends selecting the theory that introduces the fewest assumptions and postulates the fewest entities. It is in this sense that Occam's razor is usually understood.
Now for the story:
It happens when you least expect it and are sleeping (for most Problem Escalation Teams).
You get the call (at 2am) that something is not working and you have to dial in or participate on a call.
At this time, a series of people have already attempted to resolve this problem. It is very likely that they have tried simple things and that if the application is downed for more than several hours; they have moved into more complex solutions. I have found that in these calls, we typically fail to answer 4 questions.
1. When was the last time this was working correctly?a. In my line of work, it was usually working within the last 12-24 hours.b. Its relevant because things don’t break for “no reason”…the cause may not be known, but it usually happens from an action, or omission of an action.c. Is it working correctly is some locations and not others (i.e. Web based architecture is broken, but local networks are up.2. What Incidents were opened today (check all resources)?a. We had several different queues and people that helped in different locations.b. Call ANY resolver and ask them if there touched anything today.3. What upgrades or implementations occurred or were ATTEMPTED?a. This can contribute to problems that were missed in Testingb. Attempts can cause breaks, but if it is not rollback, or not rollbacked correctly this can cause unknown issues.4. When was the last time this server was rebooted?a. Windows Patching can cause issues since the testing on these is not rigorous.
These 4 questions usually lend themselves to resolution. At one 2am call, the IT team had been working for an extensive time (13 hours) and they were getting ready to rollback patches from 2 weeks ago, when I entered the call. I asked the four questions mentioned above and found some compelling information.
It was at question 2, that we took a step to resolution. Earlier that day, someone had opened a ticket where the root cause of the incident was a missing .exe. The Resolver did nothing wrong by replacing the missing .exe. He resolved the incident as he should have.
I asked our IT guys to run a directory compare of .exes and .dlls and found some missing items from a working app (another site) to the broken app. We found 3 things missing. We copied them back in and magically things started working again.
These 4 questions have helped me immensely but also helps focus where to start looking. In effect, everyone is looking for what changed. This helps refine the search and brings folks into the loop on what occurred. It is my contention that after a few hours of resolving a problem, we tend to go deeper, when in reality; we might want to consider more shallow, back to basics.
The Secret to Making More Money
Do you feel like every dime you make gets sucked into a black hole to pay bills and leaves you asking yourself, “Where did all the money go?” Want to know an age old secret?
You have to make the money before you can spend it!
How do you do that? It’s called INCOME PLANNING. Here are some steps you can do every week to make more money.
RESEARCH YOUR MARKET –
First, find out what products or services your customers want and then provide that. One way to find out what they want is to look over your sales receipts, and find out what product is selling the best. Ask the customers 1) why they bought the item, and 2) what they expected it to do for them. Now use what they said in your advertising to promote that product.
PROMOTE TO YOUR MARKET –
There is an art to promoting something so that it will be responded to by your customers. Promotion does not necessarily mean offering a discount. It’s more important to find out why a customer wants or needs what you have to offer, and what they will base their buying decision on. Price may not be as important as fast delivery and dependable service.
Find inexpensive, but effective ways to promote. Collect business cards from potential customers, and send them a personal letter letting them know how your products/services can benefit them. It is one of the least expensive, most personal promotional actions you can do. A series of postcards mailed at regular intervals to current and potential customers can also be very effective.
Another great way to get new business is to ask your satisfied customers for referrals. You can make it fun for your customers to participate by creating a referral game they can play, where they get something in return for a certain number of referrals who buy. Let your customers help you out. They really do want you to do well in your business.
SELL AND DELIVER -
Selling is easier when you are genuinely interested in your customers and want to help them. ASK you customers what they need and want. Then it becomes much easier to sell them that product or service. For example, a family of 4 who wants a van to cart the kids and their equipment around to sports activities is going to walk off in disgust if the salesperson is showing them 2-door sports models, despite the fact that the sports car is a good deal.
Once you’ve sold the product or service, fast, courteous, professional delivery is key to customer satisfaction. This is especially important if you are in a service business. Delivering what you promised, when you promised it, can mean repeat business and referrals for new business.
PREVENT THE WASTE OF RESOURCES -
For every dollar you agree to spend in your business, ask how it is going to bring $5 or more worth of income back into your business. Carve out a percentage of the income every week to fund a promotional budget and then figure out the most effective ways to reach your customers within the budget. It is no laughing matter when the income you worked hard to earn gets wasted on things that do not give you a return on your investment.
REPEAT SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONAL ACTIONS –
Look back at when you were last making the most sales. Find out what your successful actions were at the time and do those actions again.
Focus your time, energy, and creative thinking power on planning how to get the money in. That gets the cash flowing in the right direction and puts your attention back on servicing your customers and you will enjoy your business even more.
You have to make the money before you can spend it!
How do you do that? It’s called INCOME PLANNING. Here are some steps you can do every week to make more money.
RESEARCH YOUR MARKET –
First, find out what products or services your customers want and then provide that. One way to find out what they want is to look over your sales receipts, and find out what product is selling the best. Ask the customers 1) why they bought the item, and 2) what they expected it to do for them. Now use what they said in your advertising to promote that product.
PROMOTE TO YOUR MARKET –
There is an art to promoting something so that it will be responded to by your customers. Promotion does not necessarily mean offering a discount. It’s more important to find out why a customer wants or needs what you have to offer, and what they will base their buying decision on. Price may not be as important as fast delivery and dependable service.
Find inexpensive, but effective ways to promote. Collect business cards from potential customers, and send them a personal letter letting them know how your products/services can benefit them. It is one of the least expensive, most personal promotional actions you can do. A series of postcards mailed at regular intervals to current and potential customers can also be very effective.
Another great way to get new business is to ask your satisfied customers for referrals. You can make it fun for your customers to participate by creating a referral game they can play, where they get something in return for a certain number of referrals who buy. Let your customers help you out. They really do want you to do well in your business.
SELL AND DELIVER -
Selling is easier when you are genuinely interested in your customers and want to help them. ASK you customers what they need and want. Then it becomes much easier to sell them that product or service. For example, a family of 4 who wants a van to cart the kids and their equipment around to sports activities is going to walk off in disgust if the salesperson is showing them 2-door sports models, despite the fact that the sports car is a good deal.
Once you’ve sold the product or service, fast, courteous, professional delivery is key to customer satisfaction. This is especially important if you are in a service business. Delivering what you promised, when you promised it, can mean repeat business and referrals for new business.
PREVENT THE WASTE OF RESOURCES -
For every dollar you agree to spend in your business, ask how it is going to bring $5 or more worth of income back into your business. Carve out a percentage of the income every week to fund a promotional budget and then figure out the most effective ways to reach your customers within the budget. It is no laughing matter when the income you worked hard to earn gets wasted on things that do not give you a return on your investment.
REPEAT SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONAL ACTIONS –
Look back at when you were last making the most sales. Find out what your successful actions were at the time and do those actions again.
Focus your time, energy, and creative thinking power on planning how to get the money in. That gets the cash flowing in the right direction and puts your attention back on servicing your customers and you will enjoy your business even more.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
International Business - Can Americans Cope
The world may be flat and international companies may believe that they know all there is to know about business overseas. Nonetheless, the recent “lead paint” problems with China would suggest otherwise. Mattel may be saying “sorry” to the Chinese, but the real question is “where was the on-site management in the first place?” Most likely enjoying their “perks” instead of minding the store.
Establishing an international operation or assigning personnel to an existing one requires planning and development that is generally overlooked. Having spent the past 25 years watching American companies fumble overseas, I've been fascinated with the trials and tribulations of expatriate living. International assignments require both savvy business acumen coupled with the knowledge and understanding necessary to live and function successfully in a foreign environment. A compensation system based on performance rather than greed might also be useful.
There are several reasons for this:
1. American companies continue to think of themselves as American, not multinational, thus assignments overseas are not viewed in a strategic totality, but rather as a nuisance that must be dealt with from time to time.
2. The majority of the literature on the subject appears in personnel and/or training development magazines, thus the key decision makers in a company are not exposed to the problem on a regular basis.
3. The cost of establishing an in house development program is a visible budget item and considered high, relative to the numbers transferred each year. Thus picking consultants (one from column A, one from column B) to present a less than integrated approach is seen as a quick and cheap fix.
4. Then there is the attitude displayed by company and individual alike that" no one tells me how to act overseas, I'm an American, I'm great, I know all there is to know, they need me and if they don't like it they can lump it."
5. Lastly, compensation programs not tied to performance but linked to in country costs and keeping up with the “Jones”, defeats any real incentive to produce.
Establishing an international operation or assigning personnel to an existing one requires planning and development that is generally overlooked. Having spent the past 25 years watching American companies fumble overseas, I've been fascinated with the trials and tribulations of expatriate living. International assignments require both savvy business acumen coupled with the knowledge and understanding necessary to live and function successfully in a foreign environment. A compensation system based on performance rather than greed might also be useful.
There are several reasons for this:
1. American companies continue to think of themselves as American, not multinational, thus assignments overseas are not viewed in a strategic totality, but rather as a nuisance that must be dealt with from time to time.
2. The majority of the literature on the subject appears in personnel and/or training development magazines, thus the key decision makers in a company are not exposed to the problem on a regular basis.
3. The cost of establishing an in house development program is a visible budget item and considered high, relative to the numbers transferred each year. Thus picking consultants (one from column A, one from column B) to present a less than integrated approach is seen as a quick and cheap fix.
4. Then there is the attitude displayed by company and individual alike that" no one tells me how to act overseas, I'm an American, I'm great, I know all there is to know, they need me and if they don't like it they can lump it."
5. Lastly, compensation programs not tied to performance but linked to in country costs and keeping up with the “Jones”, defeats any real incentive to produce.
Bosses Need Gift Of Better Meeting Leadership
Studies show millions of meetings are held each day in the United States and that thousands of dollars are spent per meeting hour where the meetings include multiple executives as attendees. Are all these meetings a business investment or a waste of time? Sadly many of those same studies indicate the managers attending the meetings felt up to half their time investment was wasted. If meetings are important enough to hold, then why don’t the bosses of the organization insist they be better lead?
Can the gift of better meetings be this year’s ultimate management prize? If meeting leaders can learn to accomplish more in the same amount of time or less, then the answer is most definitively yes. If the answer is yes, then how can this gift of better meetings come about?
There are lots of good training courses and books on meeting management. When looking for a good meeting leadership course, besides using the words “meeting management”, search for courses that include some form of lead or facilitate in the course title. Sometimes meeting management course titles seem to be disguised as something else or the meeting training is a component in a larger package offered as a longer workshop. The benefit of taking a course is concentrated effort on learning the tools and techniques along with networking and ideas from other course participants who have the same business world experiences. The main disadvantage is time away from the job to attend the course, which is why many do not take advantage of this formal training option.
Reading and following a book on meeting management is a viable alternative to formal training, if the meeting leader commits to following the guidelines and the book includes examples or usable forms. One option with examples and forms is the new book “R.A!R.A! A Meeting Wizard’s Approach” (ISBN 1-4196-5367-9). This book and others on meeting management may be bought through Amazon or ordered from bookstores. The primary advantage of informal learning from a book is that it is portable and may be read on or off work hours using small segments of scattered time rather than consecutive hours. Books often include the same benefit of tips, tools, and techniques but in a different format than found in a formal course. The disadvantage could be the lack of networking and discussion with other course participants who are learning the meeting leadership material at the same time. However, this disadvantage may be overcome by forming a book study group at the jobsite or having a regular meeting team explore the book’s materials and learn better meeting management together.
Going back to the meeting studies, they also show that the number of meetings is increasing and their duration is too. To save dollars, time, and management worry - offer bosses the gift of better meetings as a direction towards higher profits and increased productivity. Better meetings lead to more productive employees, less time and dollar cost wasted, and less cost means higher profit margins. Make meetings a business investment instead of a waste of time by reading a book or attending a course so more people become better meeting leaders. Give and share the gift of better meetings this year.
Can the gift of better meetings be this year’s ultimate management prize? If meeting leaders can learn to accomplish more in the same amount of time or less, then the answer is most definitively yes. If the answer is yes, then how can this gift of better meetings come about?
There are lots of good training courses and books on meeting management. When looking for a good meeting leadership course, besides using the words “meeting management”, search for courses that include some form of lead or facilitate in the course title. Sometimes meeting management course titles seem to be disguised as something else or the meeting training is a component in a larger package offered as a longer workshop. The benefit of taking a course is concentrated effort on learning the tools and techniques along with networking and ideas from other course participants who have the same business world experiences. The main disadvantage is time away from the job to attend the course, which is why many do not take advantage of this formal training option.
Reading and following a book on meeting management is a viable alternative to formal training, if the meeting leader commits to following the guidelines and the book includes examples or usable forms. One option with examples and forms is the new book “R.A!R.A! A Meeting Wizard’s Approach” (ISBN 1-4196-5367-9). This book and others on meeting management may be bought through Amazon or ordered from bookstores. The primary advantage of informal learning from a book is that it is portable and may be read on or off work hours using small segments of scattered time rather than consecutive hours. Books often include the same benefit of tips, tools, and techniques but in a different format than found in a formal course. The disadvantage could be the lack of networking and discussion with other course participants who are learning the meeting leadership material at the same time. However, this disadvantage may be overcome by forming a book study group at the jobsite or having a regular meeting team explore the book’s materials and learn better meeting management together.
Going back to the meeting studies, they also show that the number of meetings is increasing and their duration is too. To save dollars, time, and management worry - offer bosses the gift of better meetings as a direction towards higher profits and increased productivity. Better meetings lead to more productive employees, less time and dollar cost wasted, and less cost means higher profit margins. Make meetings a business investment instead of a waste of time by reading a book or attending a course so more people become better meeting leaders. Give and share the gift of better meetings this year.
Just Say No to Interruptions
As a business owner, everyone wants a piece of your time. With an onslaught of people demanding your attention and only so many working hours in the day, event the smallest interruptions can keep you from accomplishing your goals and running your business to its fullest potential. With PDAs, bluetooth, wireless internet and other gadgets and gizmos making us even more accessible 24/7, sometimes you just have to say ‘no’ to interruptions. Of course, as with everything, this is easier said than done. Here are three easy ways to make sure you set aside interruption free time everyday.
Turn Off the ComputerMaximizing productivity is a great way for a business to tap into hidden profit potential. I tell my clients to notice their productivity levels throughout their day and throughout their week. Most of them tell me that they are most productive when they are not emailing or on their computer. Sending a quick email often isn’t as quick as we think. It can take time to craft perfect prose to send out to clients and friends alike. It is also easy to get distracted on the wide world of the internet and lose precious time mindlessly surfing around. To avoid getting sidetracked, determine your internet and computer needs and then decide when you will turn off your computer. I suggest that you make a list of goals for each day before the day begins (I make my lists at the end of the previous day). Then, in the morning, I work on projects and other tasks and make phone calls before ever turning my computer on. I find that I accomplish much more in those morning hours than I do while reading and responding to emails in the late morning and afternoon. Of course, depending on your industry, it might be wise to inform clients and vendors of your routine, so they will not send you an urgent email instead of calling you in the morning. Or you could have an automatic email response message to call you in the case of an emergency.
Open for BusinessEven if you turn your computer off your employees can still interrupt you in the office. In order to be an accessible, helpful and involved boss, but still have time to run your company, you must devise a simple but effective method of avoiding untimely interruptions. You could institute an ‘open-door policy’ in your office and let it be known that when your door is open your ear is as well. However, when the door is shut, you would only like to be contacted in case of emergency through your assistant (who may be able to handle the emergency in the first place), if possible. Open communication in the workplace is vital to the happiness and productivity of a company, but if we sat around and talked all day, when would the work get done? A productive work environment should include a combination of time to talk and time to do. So while meetings and ad hoc brainstorming and conversations are great; sometimes, you must declare it time to close the door on interruptions and get some work done.
Hold the PhoneDuring the time when you are avoiding interruptions from email and your office, it’s best to divert your calls to voicemail or have someone else handing your calls, so people who can’t see your door closed won’t interrupt you either. If someone else will be fielding your calls make sure you tell them exactly what you want them to say. “Ummm, he’s not here,” does not make you sound like a super successful CEO. Remember your brand image is created as a result of all the things that people see, hear, and experience when they interact with your company. So perhaps Mr. Smith is with a client right now, may I take a message,” would portray more of the image you want. When you are ready to return your calls, you want to make sure you can do it efficiently and effectively. Instruct the person taking your messages to also get all of the relevant information for you including: who, they are, what they want, and how urgent this is, and where you can best reach them. This will give you the opportunity to deal with inquiries according to priority and make sure that you are well prepared with all of the information you need when you call them back.
Turn Off the ComputerMaximizing productivity is a great way for a business to tap into hidden profit potential. I tell my clients to notice their productivity levels throughout their day and throughout their week. Most of them tell me that they are most productive when they are not emailing or on their computer. Sending a quick email often isn’t as quick as we think. It can take time to craft perfect prose to send out to clients and friends alike. It is also easy to get distracted on the wide world of the internet and lose precious time mindlessly surfing around. To avoid getting sidetracked, determine your internet and computer needs and then decide when you will turn off your computer. I suggest that you make a list of goals for each day before the day begins (I make my lists at the end of the previous day). Then, in the morning, I work on projects and other tasks and make phone calls before ever turning my computer on. I find that I accomplish much more in those morning hours than I do while reading and responding to emails in the late morning and afternoon. Of course, depending on your industry, it might be wise to inform clients and vendors of your routine, so they will not send you an urgent email instead of calling you in the morning. Or you could have an automatic email response message to call you in the case of an emergency.
Open for BusinessEven if you turn your computer off your employees can still interrupt you in the office. In order to be an accessible, helpful and involved boss, but still have time to run your company, you must devise a simple but effective method of avoiding untimely interruptions. You could institute an ‘open-door policy’ in your office and let it be known that when your door is open your ear is as well. However, when the door is shut, you would only like to be contacted in case of emergency through your assistant (who may be able to handle the emergency in the first place), if possible. Open communication in the workplace is vital to the happiness and productivity of a company, but if we sat around and talked all day, when would the work get done? A productive work environment should include a combination of time to talk and time to do. So while meetings and ad hoc brainstorming and conversations are great; sometimes, you must declare it time to close the door on interruptions and get some work done.
Hold the PhoneDuring the time when you are avoiding interruptions from email and your office, it’s best to divert your calls to voicemail or have someone else handing your calls, so people who can’t see your door closed won’t interrupt you either. If someone else will be fielding your calls make sure you tell them exactly what you want them to say. “Ummm, he’s not here,” does not make you sound like a super successful CEO. Remember your brand image is created as a result of all the things that people see, hear, and experience when they interact with your company. So perhaps Mr. Smith is with a client right now, may I take a message,” would portray more of the image you want. When you are ready to return your calls, you want to make sure you can do it efficiently and effectively. Instruct the person taking your messages to also get all of the relevant information for you including: who, they are, what they want, and how urgent this is, and where you can best reach them. This will give you the opportunity to deal with inquiries according to priority and make sure that you are well prepared with all of the information you need when you call them back.
Crazy Ideas
“Sometimes it’s the crazy ideas that work.” Is the end line in an article in Inside Housing called Mobile Rescue.
The article is about helping the homeless in Richmond, Virginia. Local church groups had both money and volunteers, but they were unable to secure planning permission for a hostel. Volunteers didn’t feel comfortable working on the inner city streets – remember this is America where homeless means roofless.
So how did they solve this problem? They bring the homeless to the suburban churches each and every night – and have done for twenty years. Every night 120 people are collected in specific buses at specific points around the city and shipped to different churches. These are the 120 who have booked in for the night – and they need to do it every night. They are given a bed and a meal, and then local agencies talk to them and try to sort out their issues. In all, about 170 people are involved in helping the homeless from various agencies. During the night both church volunteers and staff from Caritas, a homeless charity in Richmond, are there.
On the surface, it seems crazy, doesn’t it?
And yet it works.
When I first read the article, I thought it was nuts. Then I started thinking about the logistics, the expenses – all the practical aspects. This set up has done a number of things. To begin with, it certainly keeps overheads down. No building, no building related expenses, no security concerns, no expenses for volunteers coming into the city centre. The situation has brought all the agencies together, and, according to the article, kept the issue of homelessness in the minds of the local churches and people. The volunteers are working in an area of town they are comfortable with, they are able to give meaningful help to a serious local issue, and be involved in a church project.
It turns the whole issues on it’s head – why not bring people to the services, rather than the tradition bringing services to people.
It’s also a perfect example of creative thinking and not giving up when you can’t get what you want. I assume that the first idea was to create a hostel, and, when that was made impossible, someone came up with another idea which gets everyone to the same end.
So what’s the crazy idea in your office? Haven’t had one? Why not? The next time you are confronted with a problem, try turning your traditional solution on its head and let the creative genii out of the bottle. You may just find that this works – not just in the short term, but as a long term solution. Remember, it’s worked in Richmond for twenty years.
The article is about helping the homeless in Richmond, Virginia. Local church groups had both money and volunteers, but they were unable to secure planning permission for a hostel. Volunteers didn’t feel comfortable working on the inner city streets – remember this is America where homeless means roofless.
So how did they solve this problem? They bring the homeless to the suburban churches each and every night – and have done for twenty years. Every night 120 people are collected in specific buses at specific points around the city and shipped to different churches. These are the 120 who have booked in for the night – and they need to do it every night. They are given a bed and a meal, and then local agencies talk to them and try to sort out their issues. In all, about 170 people are involved in helping the homeless from various agencies. During the night both church volunteers and staff from Caritas, a homeless charity in Richmond, are there.
On the surface, it seems crazy, doesn’t it?
And yet it works.
When I first read the article, I thought it was nuts. Then I started thinking about the logistics, the expenses – all the practical aspects. This set up has done a number of things. To begin with, it certainly keeps overheads down. No building, no building related expenses, no security concerns, no expenses for volunteers coming into the city centre. The situation has brought all the agencies together, and, according to the article, kept the issue of homelessness in the minds of the local churches and people. The volunteers are working in an area of town they are comfortable with, they are able to give meaningful help to a serious local issue, and be involved in a church project.
It turns the whole issues on it’s head – why not bring people to the services, rather than the tradition bringing services to people.
It’s also a perfect example of creative thinking and not giving up when you can’t get what you want. I assume that the first idea was to create a hostel, and, when that was made impossible, someone came up with another idea which gets everyone to the same end.
So what’s the crazy idea in your office? Haven’t had one? Why not? The next time you are confronted with a problem, try turning your traditional solution on its head and let the creative genii out of the bottle. You may just find that this works – not just in the short term, but as a long term solution. Remember, it’s worked in Richmond for twenty years.
Tips to Ensure Your High Performing Teams Are Prepared for World Class Skills
Do you feel your workforce is equipped for the challenge of 'World Class Skills' ? Do you know that the skills they are using today will be effective for the work of tomorrow? Well, if we had a crystal ball, then we would be able to see the future. One thing is for sure, there is an increased need and demand for training and managing skills effectively. The more you invest in your people resources, the more likely the pay off will be a growing business.
This means that training and its effective use, is becoming increasingly important. The UK 'Leitch Report' (Dec 2006) - aiming for World Class Skills offers a challenge for all to grasp. To be part of the leading economy, means that businesses must invest in their people. There are several ways to do this:
ensure that you have a good quality management system (QMS) in place - such as ISO 9000/2000, or appropriate standards/ awards such as EQFM.
develop and foster a culture of innovation and its promotion, through involving the people who work for you, as well as from customer feedback.
ensure there are opportunities for your people to learn, and to be self aware - do they understand their strengths and potential? Or does the appraisal or assessment process leave them uncertain and unsure of their value and contribution? How will you ensure good team building and learning?
create access to a range of learning opportunities and methods - no single method suits all the different learning styles and needs. Good learning inspires and promotes innovation. Yet, there is one area of training, that can accelerate all the others. What if, your people had the tools and skills to be able to manage change more effectively, to learn and develop the required new skills more easily?
What if, you could accelerate the pace of learning in a way that was comfortable to individuals so you could similarly accelerate your business? Now you can, with the help of accelerated learning techniques. This combined with individual development analysis, together with you business goals and plans can take you forward.
Quality in Mind offers consultancy services in Training and Career Planning for Individuals and Workforce Development. Sue has a background of careers guidance with adults, working with both individuals and organizations; training in employability skills, professional assessment and the processes of careers guidance.
This means that training and its effective use, is becoming increasingly important. The UK 'Leitch Report' (Dec 2006) - aiming for World Class Skills offers a challenge for all to grasp. To be part of the leading economy, means that businesses must invest in their people. There are several ways to do this:
ensure that you have a good quality management system (QMS) in place - such as ISO 9000/2000, or appropriate standards/ awards such as EQFM.
develop and foster a culture of innovation and its promotion, through involving the people who work for you, as well as from customer feedback.
ensure there are opportunities for your people to learn, and to be self aware - do they understand their strengths and potential? Or does the appraisal or assessment process leave them uncertain and unsure of their value and contribution? How will you ensure good team building and learning?
create access to a range of learning opportunities and methods - no single method suits all the different learning styles and needs. Good learning inspires and promotes innovation. Yet, there is one area of training, that can accelerate all the others. What if, your people had the tools and skills to be able to manage change more effectively, to learn and develop the required new skills more easily?
What if, you could accelerate the pace of learning in a way that was comfortable to individuals so you could similarly accelerate your business? Now you can, with the help of accelerated learning techniques. This combined with individual development analysis, together with you business goals and plans can take you forward.
Quality in Mind offers consultancy services in Training and Career Planning for Individuals and Workforce Development. Sue has a background of careers guidance with adults, working with both individuals and organizations; training in employability skills, professional assessment and the processes of careers guidance.
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