Business articles
Showing page 38 of 90 - There are 2700 Business articles
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Five principles of effective communication
- The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred. George Bernard ShawI'm sure this has happened to you: a colleague has just done the exact opposite of what you wanted him to do. How can that be, you ask yourself. I told him exactly what I wanted. Yes, maybe you told him but did you check that he was listening, that he understood, that he agreed and that he would carry ou...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Rapid culture change is possible
- Purpose: Show how immersion leadership training makes strategic initiative success possible.Adults learn through experience. We learn behaviors through experience. This is the flagpole fact of the educational world. This flag is visible for everyone to see, and it's where educators know they need to be whether they are training hard or soft skills. Deborah Solomon Reid of Tuck School...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Focus and shoot
- One of my earliest childhood memories is watching Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) win his third Most Outstanding Player award while leading UCLA to its third straight NCAA title in 1969. Of course, March Madness? is now ingrained in our sports psyche. From the unveiling of the brackets in mid-March, to the playing of "One Shining Moment" celebrating a new national champion, the NCAA D...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Summertime blues
- It's hard to believe the year will be half over in just a few weeks. All the planning you did is either turning out great, coming along slowly but surely or hasn't really gotten off the ground because other issues keep getting in the way.With so many things to distract you from your small business this time of year ? like outdoor activities, yard work, vacations and the kids being home from...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Managing dickheads
- "We are so different and individualistic that we can't work together." Subroto Bag chi, a senior executive in wipro technologies and Indian Technology MNC, said to his chairman in a straight talk. But Premji, the chairman, simple reply to the statement was, "That's because we should work together."High performers are very erratic, individualistic, and egoistic in nature....
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The ?better product? fallacy
- Another fallacy ingrained in the minds of most marketing managers is the belief that the better product will win the marketing battle.Behind the thinking of many marketing managers is the thought that "truth will out."In other words, if you have the "facts" on your side, it's only necessary to find a good advertising agency who can communicate those facts to the p...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The ?better people? fallacy
- It's easy enough to convince your own staff that better people will prevail, even against the odds. It's what they want to hear. And surely in a marketing war quality is a factor as well as quantity.It is, but superiority of force is such an overwhelming advantage that it overcomes most quality differences.We have no doubt that the poorest team in the National Football League could c...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Your company without training - any questions?
- Okay, be honest!Are you guilty of sticking in a few boring videos and calling it training?Do you send in your department heads to deliver a few, rushed, canned presentations and call it orientation?Are you then surprised when your new employees don't live up to your expectations, and your employee turnover numbers keep rising?What if you took the time and money that you...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Have you fixed the broken window?
- Left alone it doesn't take long for a building with a single broken window to rapidly become a building with many broken windows. Fixing problems when they are small will prevent them from developing into larger problems.The same is true when considering the level of employee satisfaction Dissatisfaction spreads like wildfire and in a surprisingly short period of time you've got morale prob...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Is your employee newsletter management propaganda?
- It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter, it will serve the needs of readers (employees) as much as it serves the needs of the publisher (management).Let me explain how to ensure it serves employees as well as management, by reviewing four key points I make in A Manager's Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results.Objectives and reader responses:First, state you...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Group decision making : are the decisions really made by the group?
- GROUP DECISION-MAKING: Many managers feel they are well-versed in areas of group effort, such as problem-solving, goal-setting, and action planning. Frequently, however, the implementation of such techniques never seem to get beyond the initial stage. Often, this is because managers can not quite seem to understand that brainstorming or group decision-making requires comprehensive utilization of v...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Problem-solving success tip: look for sponsors and solution owners
- Look for sponsors and solution owners rather than problem owners.Everyone participating in the situation owns the problem, like it or not-and nobody likes it. However, if one person is designated as the problem owner, that gives everyone else involved implicit permission to step away and essentially pretend that they don't have an ownership role in the problem. In other words, appoin...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Poor employee performance: how to deal
- KEEP WRITTEN RECORDS: "Document !Document! Document!" Keep a record of periodic performance reviews, incidents of unsatisfactory performance, conferences where warnings are administered or terminations are announced. Issue warnings and terminations in writing as well as verbally. When dealing with a particularly unstable or vindictive employee, request that the employee sign a written su...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The how-tos of firing incompetent employees
- CATEGORIES OF OFFENSES: Most organizations have two categories of offenses in their policies. One category is for flagrant actions which are cause for immediate termination. Cited as examples of such offenses were theft of company property, gross negligence, and being intoxicated on the job. The second category comprises all other offenses for which some prior notification to the employee is requi...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Budgets!
- Budgets! There I've said it. For some the most hated and feared word in business. But it doesn't have to be that way. As a matter of fact, a well thought out and constructed budget can be the small business owners best friend. After all, a budget is just a laid out plan to produce profits and profits is what we are all after.Instead of feeling overwhelmed by looking at a 13 column budget sp...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Assertiveness helps accomplish everything
- When trying to get something accomplished, assertive behavior is the most effective. Although other methods may accomplish the intended ends, the alternatives imperil our own rights or those of others, creating conflict and building mistrust into relationships. One of the keys to effectiveness is learning how to communicate thoughts and feelings without jeopardizing yourself or others, and this ab...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Pricing strategy for retail flower shops
- When you create your profit and loss statement to assess the health of your business, you will see:Sales minus Cost of Goods Sold equals Gross Profit.You pay for all of your expenses with the gross profit. If you are finding that your gross profit is not enough to cover your expenses, you have two options, you can either raise gross profit by increasing sales or lowering cost of good...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Supervisor-employee relations: tips for managers
- Supervisor-employee relations are a critical part of a work place atmosphere and promoting productivity and cohesiveness. The following tips address these issues:1. Don't ask or expect your employees to do things you wouldn't do. Giving consideration to job assignments shows you have respect for the employee. Think about whether the assignment is fair before you give it.2. Be availab...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Important communication tips for managers
- The following tips will help you communicate more effectively with your employees:1. Let employees know that having feelings is okay. Feelings are facts and need to be dealt with.2. Praise in public, criticize in private. Nothing improves a person's behavior better than well-timed, sincere, and justified praise. Nothing builds resentment faster than being yelled at in front of others...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How your feelings and those of your employees can make the difference
- How we feel is really more important than what we know. This is because how we feel plays a bigger role in our behavior than knowing what we should or should not do. For instance, we "know" smoking is bad for us. We see research that tell us auto accident injuries and deaths can be greatly reduced by using seat belts. We "know" that brushing our teeth after each meal fights too...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The changing boss-secretary relationship
- THE CHANGING BOSS-SECRETARY RELATIONSHIP: Imagine a partnership at work. One member is outlining the agenda for the annual stockholders' meeting, the other is managing the logistics. The last decade has brought many changes to the traditional boss/secretary relationship. We now see powers and responsibilities delegated to "executive assistants" that only ten years ago would have been the...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How bad communication can hold you back and how to break free of it
- The reason jobs are often not done right and employees are fired is because of lack of skill. Right? Wrong! Poor communication and ineffective human relations are the major causes. Remember: Communication is a "meeting of meanings." It's getting through to the other person what you mean in a way that they understand. In fact, you want them to do more than understand, you want them to act...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Using an appraisal to benefit your organization
- PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS BENEFIT THE ORGANIZATION:Appraisals help spot employees with potential for advancement. Appraisals bring attention to the so-called high-potentials - people who have both the will and the ability to excel in the organization. Appraisals can also aid in the human resource planning of the organization. --Appraisals provide management with a profile of the supervisor. On...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Improved communication to improve results
- Facilitating good communication can make the difference between a well oiled, effective team and disorganization and ambiguity. By following the tips below, you, the supervisor, can take steps toward improving communication with your employees:1.Sure you're their boss, but people listen better when you show respect and consideration. Remember how you felt in school when the teacher talked d...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Todays employees and their new needs: what you need to know
- Today's employees are not only interested in security or in pay and fringe benefits. They are often placing increased value on being recognized and involved in reaching personal growth goals. As a supervisor you must be aware of these new values. Keeping your employees' interests and priorities will help you better motivate them to work well.Employees' interests and values are changing. Mor...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Help your employees prepare for a performance appraisal
- PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to give some thought to the purpose of performance appraisal: it is a means to learn from the past, plan for the future, and improve effectiveness and work satisfaction. The performance appraisal discussion is an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and reward your employee. It is a time for you and your employee to shar...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Communication, feedback, and participation: three easy tidbits for smarter business
- On communication: One of the biggest strains on the communication process occurs when the sender or receiver is experiencing stress, anger, or frustration either at work or at home. When a situation is emotionally charged, it is difficult to express yourself clearly and maintain a positive communication relationship. How we communicate can be as important as what we say. Using "I" statem...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Conference calling can save your sales organizationtime and money!
- Conference calling can save you money. There is no doubt that in the sales business, every second counts. Whether it be training, sales meetings, or other needs, pulling your employees away from the sales opportunities even for these important tasks, cuts down on the time they can be making you money. If you take the first step and try using conference calling, you may just find yourself saving mo...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Help for the meeting-weary manager
- Most of us have found ourselves working on a team at one time or another. That means we have been asked to attend, and even participate, in lots of meetings. Unfortunately, few of us found these meetings to be particularly effective. Many in fact are a complete waste of valuable time and resources.The difficulty with most meetings is that they are typically planned and run by extroverts, wh...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Try it out on your team first
- Wow! You're brilliant! You have a great idea. You've looked at it every possible way to find holes in your logic, fallacies in your assumptions. You know it will work and you can't wait to turn your new brainstorm loose then reap the rewards of your genius. I know you're excited but before you unleash your great idea, first try it out on those around you for analysis, discussion, improvements, and...