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- Is ‘Win at All Cost’ the Number 1 Quality for Great Leaders? - by Submitted on Aug 26, 2009 from Andrew RondeauAn interesting development in the Porsche vs Volkswagen drama has been the recent resignation of it’s CEO of 17 years, Wendelin Wiedeking. It could also be that Wiedeking was made to leave. It was a very sudden decision. Wiedeking took over the management of Porsche when the automaker seemed ...
Views: 1738(4 votes) - 7 Ways of Dealing With Negative People - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2009 from Mark ShepardI got a very thoughtful comment from one of my readers in response to my Brainwashing vs. Influence article that warranted a full post in reply. “Your article really hit a nerve, since my wife and i were talking about my parents recently. my dad retired 6 years ago, and my mom retired ...
Views: 2353(8 votes) - Hit the Prospects Hot Buttons to Close More Sales - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2009 from Geoff FickeAt the conclusion of every sales presentation the salesman will have achieved one of three results: a sale is made, a sale is lost or valuable information is gleaned that can result in building a relationship. The third result can be called identifying the “hot button”. Obviously, the purpose of ...
Views: 5501(3 votes) - Does Hiring a Virtual Assistant Save Money? - by Submitted on Aug 30, 2009 from Denise GriffittsCan you really save money by hiring a virtual assistant? According to virtual assistants’ websites, the answer is a resounding yes. As a matter of fact, money-saving is usually listed as one of the most important benefits of working with a VA. Check out a virtual assistant’s website and ...
Views: 2651(3 votes) - The Importance of the Unreasonable Man - by Submitted on Aug 24, 2009 from Geoff FickeAlmost every person in the world takes a certain pride in being a reasonable person. They will make prudent choices based on their background and attitudes. The safe decision minimizes the chances of being wrong. No one likes to be wrong. The safe decision, however, carries little upside ...
Views: 1409(1 vote) - Evaluate Progress - by Submitted on Aug 24, 2009 from M.J. RyanPamela Busch owns a restaurant in San Francisco. Like everyone else, she felt the pinch of the economic downturn as people stopped going out to eat. She decided to adapt by offering a three-course tasting menu at a set price. Great. Her desired outcome is to stay in business. She’s accepted ...
Views: 1717(5 votes) - Selling Is the Most Important Job For Every Entrepreneur - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2009 from Geoff FickeLet’s consider the example of an entrepreneurial inventor attempting to market his newest creation: a portable hydrostatic body fat test appliance. Design is complete, testing is finished and results exceeded initial assumptions, several working prototypes have been built, UL Approval is in ...
Views: 1391(2 votes) - 5 More Guaranteed Ways NOT to Sell Your Business - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2009 from Andrew RogersonThis is the second of three articles that discusses what NOT to say or do if you own a business and are trying to sell. The first article was called “5 guaranteed ways NOT to sell your business.” The third article is called “5 things to avoid when trying to sell your business.” All articles ...
Views: 1362(2 votes) - What's Going On? - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2009 from Mary Jane ParisLike many of you, I spend a lot of time on the road in my “roving office” and enjoy listening to a variety of music and talk as I travel. Recently, “What’s Going On?,” Marvin Gaye’s 1971 social commentary about the environment came on and got me thinking about how common this phrase has become. ...
Views: 1232(1 vote) - Disarming the Dangerous - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2009 from Renee CormierMalcontents...every company has them and they are costly to have around. In spite of this, many companies are reluctant to get rid of their troublesome employees. Some malcontents manage to create the perception of having value because they are long time employees and know many important things. ...
Views: 1525(1 vote) - Hiring – New or Experienced Buyer’s Agent - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2009 from Dirk ZellerThe hiring of Buyer’s Agents has perplexed Lead Agents for years. I will admit that much of what I write about this subject comes from many mistakes in personally hiring and firing Buyer’s Agents. Some of the principles, skills, techniques, and evaluations have come from the frustration of the ...
Views: 3010(2 votes) - Hiring – New or Experienced Buyer’s Agent - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2009 from Dirk ZellerThe hiring of Buyer’s Agents has perplexed Lead Agents for years. I will admit that much of what I write about this subject comes from many mistakes in personally hiring and firing Buyer’s Agents. Some of the principles, skills, techniques, and evaluations have come from the frustration of the ...
Views: 3010(2 votes) - Leadership - What's Love Got to do with It? - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2009 from lisa mcleodWe want our customers to love us. We want our employees to love their jobs. Yet if you bring up the “L word” in the context of leadership, people get uncomfortable. They envision an afternoon of holding hands around the company campfire with the staff swaying to the strains of ...
Views: 866(3 votes) - Forget Balance: Work, Life, and the Surprising Secrets of Happiness - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2009 from lisa mcleodWork/life balance is a crock. The elusive goal of balance keeps us teetering on a tightrope of insanity as we frantically juggle the plates of our compartmentalized lives. Balance may be the big buzzword in corporate America, but parceling yourself out in the quest for perfect balance ...
Views: 922(3 votes) - A Few Secrets Not Mentioned in "The Secret" - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2009 from Burke FranklinPerhaps you've seen the film, "The Secret" which features interviews with many success gurus sharing how they made it -- I saw the video and thought it was pretty good. In my experience; however, there are a few more factors for achieving the success you want. Having owned my dream airplane, ...
Views: 1235(1 vote) - 5 Helpful Tips When Hiring Freelance IT Help - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2009 from John ChiltonI recently finished creating my latest website, and since I am a designer, not a coder, I often find the need to seek the services of a freelance IT professional. There are several good sites out there that can easily help you find the help your looking for. There are quality professionals ...
Views: 1351(1 vote) - How To Sell More In A Down Market - The Leadership Secrets To Dynamite Sales Results - by Submitted on Aug 17, 2009 from Randy GorukFollowing are a collection of excerpts from an eBook written by R.W. Goruk; "How to Sell More in a Down Market - The Leadership Secrets to Dynamite Sales Results" More information about the author and the book can be found at: Http://www.howtosellmoreinadownmarket.com ...
Views: 813 - Leader as Bridge: What Do Leaders/Coaches/Managers Have in Common with Bridges? - by Submitted on Aug 17, 2009 from Chuck Reynolds5 Areas of Leadership One day after the terrible bridge collapse in Minneapolis in the summer of 2007 I found myself traveling in a cab across a bridge in Seattle . While on the bridge, I noticed an adjoining LRT (Light Rapid Transit) bridge under construction. The cab driver mentioned that ...
Views: 1820(2 votes) - 5 Guaranteed Ways Not to Sell Your Business - by Submitted on Aug 16, 2009 from Andrew RogersonSelling a business is not easy. Here’s a look at 5 guaranteed ways you will NOT be successful. 1. It is unclear exactly what is being sold. Make sure it is clear exactly what is being sold. For example, have a list of all the Fixtures, Furniture and Equipment. If any items are not being ...
Views: 1375(2 votes) - Why Great Customer Service Is So Critical For a Virtual Assistant - by Submitted on Aug 14, 2009 from Denise GriffittsCustomer service is a powerful differentiator that can set a virtual assistant apart from her competitors. This translates directly into more new clients, more work from existing clients and ability to charge higher professional rates. And yet for all its potential benefits, some virtual ...
Views: 1457(2 votes) - Sales Managers: Don’t Gamble With Your Medical Sales Hires! - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeSometimes, hiring medical sales reps feels like a roll of the dice. You hope you get a winner, but you’re never sure you will. In an article called “Stop Hiring Poor-Performing Salespeople,” Brian Jeffrey wrote about 3 specific pitfalls of hiring sales reps you should look out for, and ...
Views: 2190(1 vote) - Achieving Better Work-Life Balance by Managing Upward - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2009 from Ellen SmolkoOf all the skills and knowledge required to succeed in today’s workforce, managing upward – the ability to manage one’s supervisors, managers, and leadership team – is perhaps the least taught or practiced, yet it is one of the most valuable skills a knowledge worker can have. When done ...
Views: 4406(1 vote) - Ahead of the Crowd: Are You a Change Leader? - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2009 from Ellen SmolkoChange. It’s a word everyone seems to be using these days. And it seems to have different connotations for different people. Regardless of what it means to you, change is inevitable. And, contrary to what many believe, people actually like change. People resist change when they fear it, and they ...
Views: 1053(2 votes) - People Management – How to Run Effective One-to-Ones - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2009 from Kate TammemagiOne of the most important People Management tools is the regular one-to-one performance discussion. As with most things in life, being effective at performance One-to-ones requires planning, structuring and building effective habits. This article provides a concise ‘how to’ guide to holding ...
Views: 5879(3 votes) - Goodbye Information Age – Hello Conceptual Era! - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2009 from Cookie Tuminello“You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.” ~ Les Brown I’m probably not the first person who is going to break this astounding news to you, but I do want to make sure all you savvy business people are aware of the shift in business ...
Views: 1513 - Opportunity and Innovation - The Power of Weird Thinking - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Geoff Ficke“The Big Idea” that will make an entrepreneur successful is not obtainable by filling in the blanks on a magic invention template. Where do ‘The Big Ideas” come from? Why are some people able to develop exciting concepts and others, though constantly scheming, achieve nothing of value? How do ...
Views: 2107(2 votes) - Are You Doing the Right Job? - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Bryan BecksteadThis sounds a little strange but having the right people doing the right jobs can have a powerful impact on your bottom line and how effective you and your organization is in getting the job done. Right now I’m personally caught in the classic dilemma of starting a new business and having to ...
Views: 1609(3 votes) - When You Throw Dirt, You Lose Ground - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Cookie Tuminello“When you throw dirt, you lose ground.” – Texas Proverb Nothing tears down relationships, teamwork, effectiveness, and productivity like the office rumor mill and gossip. Some refer to this as water cooler chit chat. There are certain type individuals that will go straight to the source to ...
Views: 5154 - Communicating with People - An Essential Management Skill - by Submitted on Aug 11, 2009 from Chris GentWe use two prepositions with the verb ‘communicate’ - ‘with’ and ‘to’. ‘With’ implies dialogue and involvement between communicator and recipient. ‘To’ implies the one way process of informing and has no place here. The involvement of communicating with someone may have an outward or ...
Views: 1151(5 votes) - Seven Great Questions to ask at a Job Interview - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2009 from Paul SloaneIf you are going for an interview as a prospective employee then you should do some research. Read the job description and requirements carefully. Browse the web site to see how the organization presents itself. Search for news items and comments about the company on news sites and ...
Views: 1802(3 votes) - Calming Conflict - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2009 from Ellen SmolkoThere are two universal truths about conflict: 1) everyone experiences it, and 2) no one really likes it. Conflict, at best, is a disagreement; at worst it can be intensely destructive. But can conflict also be a positive experience? I believe it can be a constructive – or even welcome – ...
Views: 1832(3 votes) - It’s Time to Stave Off Staff Stress - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Clint MaunSpreading responsibility across all employees in the facility relieves stress in individual staff members. Stress of all kinds pummels those who work in long term care. Facilities are expected to deal with major reimbursement changes, staffing concerns, regulatory compliance changes, consumer ...
Views: 1521(7 votes) - Three words: STOP THE EXCUSES - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Clint MaunIn today’s healthcare world, the customer will not tolerate excuses made to justify unacceptable care or services. They’re not going to listen to inane excuses such as “We’re working short”, “That’s not my patient”, “I just came on duty”, “No one told me that”, “I’m brand new”, or “I’m a float”. ...
Views: 1388(3 votes) - Conflict Management: What Really Works? Here are Proven Solutions! - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Clint MaunIt would be simple for a healthcare operation to be successful if you didn’t have to work with customers and co-workers. All joking aside, many people feel their day is composed of merely trying to make positive human connectivity occur. Many organizations find, instead, human entanglement ...
Views: 3507(4 votes) - Living in the Now - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2009 from Clint MaunLook around where you work and see how different people live in different periods of time. They are living in the Past Now, Current Now or Future Now. Being around people living in the Past Now can be depressing. These individuals believe something great happened in the past, but nothing will ...
Views: 7936(7 votes) - Blueprint Your Business By Creating An Operations Manual - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2009 from Lisa MontanaroCan Your Business Run Without You? What would happen to your business if you became ill for an extended period of time? Could someone else man the shop for you easily? Would you be more relaxed on vacation (or at the very least, take a vacation!) if you knew that the business could be ...
Views: 2337(2 votes) - 5 Steps For Taking Calculated Risks To Succeed - by Submitted on Aug 05, 2009 from Cookie Tuminello“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” – General George S. Patton A few years ago, I was asked to teach a workshop called, "Dreams Never Die - How to keep your dreams alive after 50". It is true that dreams never die, but they can wind up fading into the woodwork of ...
Views: 3326 - Leadership - The Essential Competencies of the Effective Leader - by Submitted on Aug 17, 2009 from Kate TammemagiThe Effective Leader works at building up and maintaining a series of Leadership Competencies which they use to do their job. By ‘competencies’ we do not mean ‘natural’ attributes, personality styles or skills. Competency is something, either natural or learnt, which is practiced and used ...
Views: 3461(4 votes) - Hiring Sales Reps? Use a Strong Third-Party Recruiter - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2009 from Peggy McKeeAt AACC, I had the pleasure of a long conversation with a national sales manager of a $30M company (10 sales reps and 10 technical support folks) where I discovered his opinion that “sales reps these days just aren’t as strong as they used to be.” I said, “Really? I’ve found that sales reps ...
Views: 2047 - Considering Cutbacks? Conflict Gives You Choices! - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2009 from Alberta FredricksenEconomic times are bad! Finances are tight! I can’t afford to carry these people! Sound familiar? If you add your energy to this choir of voices in conflict, you are actually creating a reality that you don’t want! How DO you deal with conflict and financial realities without adding ...
Views: 1253(1 vote) - Recession Proof Your Business (Part 2) Leadership for Success - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2009 from Susan HindsLeadership for yourself and your business is extremely important in tough economic times. Leadership is about setting goals and then working towards those goals. It is also about accessing what is the most important task that you can complete in your business to get the best possible results. ...
Views: 1217 - ***Weak Leaders Try to Use Money as a Motivator - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"Managers tend to use compensation as a crutch. After all, it is far easier to design an incentive system that will do management's work than it is to articulate a direction persuasively, develop agreement about goals and problems, and confront difficulties when they arise." — Michael Beer, ...
Views: 1405(4 votes) - ***Organizational Changes to Deal with Whirlwinds of Change - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"The world is moving so fast these days that anyone who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it." — Elbert Hubbard, 19th century American editor, lecturer, and essayist My library is full of books chronicling, charting, and categorizing the major changes societies, ...
Views: 1120 - ***Paradoxical Balancing Acts in Organization Improvement - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart go together." — John Ruskin, 19th century English critic, artist and social reformer Too often, we see the world in narrow binary, either/or terms. Odd or even, closed or open, introverted or extroverted, individual or group, ...
Views: 1210 - ***Visions Provide the Energizing Context to Reach Our Goals - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon." — Konrad Adenauer, first chancellor of post war West Germany Like mission and vision statements and values, goal setting and visioning labels often get confused and used interchangeably. Generally that doesn't matter. ...
Views: 1113 - ***Timeless Leadership Principles in a Changing World - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"There are no new truths, but only truths that have not been recognized by those who have perceived them without noticing. A truth is something that everybody can be shown to know and to have known, as people say, all along." — Mary McCarthy, author and critic I write these words as I sit in ...
Views: 1408(34 votes) - ***This Crazy Period of Constant Change is Normal - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely." In the middle of a meeting with a few colleagues I caught myself saying, "Once we get through this crazy period and things get back to normal..." Then it hit me. I had been saying something like that for at least a year or two. As we ...
Views: 1071 - ***Technomanagement: A Deadly Mix of Bureaucracy and Technology - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"The practice of management is badly misunderstood by management scientists who confuse thinking with merely being logical." — Ted Levitt, Thinking About Management Far too many organizations are ruled by bureaucrats and technocrats either in management or staff support roles. One of their ...
Views: 1057 - ***Successful Change Flows from Learning, Growth, and Development - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"Leaders in learning organizations are responsible for building organizations where people are continually expanding their capabilities to shape their future — that is — leaders are responsible for learning ." (his emphasis) — Peter Senge, The Leaders New Work: Building Learning ...
Views: 1157(15 votes) - ***Successful Change and Improvement Needs Balanced Improvement Planning - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"A foolish cabin owner eventually lost his cabin to the rot that set in through the leaky roof. When it was raining, he couldn't fix the roof. When the sun was shining, he was too busy outside doing other things — and the roof didn't need fixing then anyway." As Yogi Berra would say, "It was ...
Views: 1002 - ***Steering Our Leadership Wheel - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2009 from SelfGrowth.com Articles"The winds and waves are always on the side of the best navigators." — Edward Gibbon, English historian Leaders look beyond the current situation – beyond what is, to what could be. That's why leadership is all about change. It's why leadership is action, not a position. Growing our ...
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