Archive for August, 2009:
Recovering From a Business Failure
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
Generally in life, if you work hard and sensibly you will reap the harvest of your labour. This is true in business, and especially true of <a href=”http://bizcovering.com/small-business/how-to-start-a-business-2/” target=”_blank”>entrepreneurship. The public may look to the success stories of the ‘Dragons Den’ panel (BBC business reality show) and perceive these entrepreneurs as being lucky, or having some business flair denied to the rest of us. The <a href=”http://bizcovering.com/small-business/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-small-businesses/” target=”_blank”>reality is usually far more mundane and tedious. These stars of the business world have all succeeded through careful planning, hard work and perseverance. And more than one extremely wealthy self-made businessperson has failed miserably.
Causes of failure
Unfortunately, nothing in life is ever a definite given, and businesses often fail. <a href=”http://bizcovering.com/small-business/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-small-businesses/” target=”_blank”>Entrepreneurs are often cited as examples of people who make bad business managers. It is the process of starting a business from an idea that gets them excited. Often, the mundane execution of routine tasks gets neglected or handled badly. And this lack of understanding amongst entrepreneurs has caused many a failure over the years. Telecoms millionaire Peter Jones for example went bankrupt and lost everything. He slept in his business unit until he devised his comeback plan. He made a relatively common mistake that many businesses make when they start out. In his case he relied too heavily on one supplier. Some firms manage to get away with it for a while, others, like Jones’ didn’t. The point is that the man was not born with a preordained right to become immensely wealthy. He made it, lost it all and learned from his mistakes the hard way. He is a now lot more careful. And a lot more wealthy due to his stubborn perseverance.
Put your situation into perspective
Failure is a relative term. Peter Jones interprets his early business failure as feedback. We could learn much from the likes of Jones. Entrepreneurs should also take some pride in the fact that even if their start-up does fail; at least they attempted to become successful. It isn’t everyone that actually goes out and forms their <a href=”http://www.gomestic.com/Home-business/Starting-a-Small-Home-business.808687″ target=”_blank”>own business in the hope of improving their life. That fact alone puts them above most of the population in terms of business achievements. No businessman has a blemish-free career. How a person deals with a failure is what truly distinguishes them from their peers, and unfortunately, this is a lesson that can only be learned through experience.
Be brutally honest
‘Dragons Den’ is a wonderful learning resource for the would-be entrepreneur. The ‘Dragons’ dispense so many truths about business reality that investment seekers should really go onto the set with a notebook, ready to write down every word uttered by a group of extremely experienced business people. For in no time at all ‘the Dragons discover and point out any number of reasons why the business ideas put before them will probably fail. And it is the same approach that entrepreneurs should apply to their <a href=”http://bizcovering.com/small-business/what-do-i-need-to-start-my-own-business/” target=”_blank”>own businesses and lives with the same brutal honesty. By dissecting exactly what the reasons for the business failure were, without being soft and forgiving, is the only way any hard-learned lessons will be remembered. This is the beginning of progress.
True entrepreneurs never give up
Once the pain of failure has subsided, and the causes of the business failure have been identified and understood, the entrepreneur has two choices. He or she can accept that the business failed and move on to something they are more comfortable and secure in doing. Or they can hold on to their self belief, knowing that they may have lost the battle, but that they will never, ever surrender in the war. They will regroup (maybe not immediately), <a href=”http://www.bizcovering.com/Small-business/Is-a-business-Plan-Necessary.131077″ target=”_blank”>examine their mistakes, and start again. This is not a case of repeating mistakes, but of mounting a new strategic attack. Sooner or later victory will be theirs, as long as they never stop learning from their mistakes, eliminating them and pressing on towards their goal.
How to Create Paypal Account
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
How build without a PayPal account
If you earn money online, then you must have a PayPal account. Many companies that pay only through PayPal. PayPal is a quick way to send and receive payments online. PayPal has more than 100 million accounts in 190 countries is available. Opening a PayPal account is free. You can register for a PayPal account at paypal.com
Free PayPal account:
If you earn money online, then you must have a PayPal account. Many companies that pay only through PayPal. PayPal is a quick way to send and receive payments online. PayPal has more than 100 million customer accounts and does business in 190 countries. Opening a PayPal account is free. You can register for a PayPal account at paypal.com. You can receive money from your PayPal account. With PayPal, you can all pay with an e-mail address. There are three types of PayPal account. Personal, Premier and business.
Sufficient for most people a PayPal account. You can send and receive money for free with a personal account. The disadvantage of a personal account there is a deadline for the receipt of $ 500 per month and can use credit cards to get through the transaction. There are fees for receiving funds into a residential and business customer. You can update your personal account for personal pro account at any time. There is no deadline for the receipt of funds into a residential and business customers, and may also receive credit card transactions are financed.
A PayPal account, start-ups have a lower transaction costs, to prevent fraud. To increase the limit, you should check your account with a credit card. If you do not have a credit card, you can check your card account with the safety net. You can fund your PayPal account with a U.S. bank account or credit card. You should check your credit card before you can use to send money. You can make money from your PayPal account, cherub, or with your credit card or bank account. For the indigenous peoples’ money to your bank account in India. It is the cost just 50 rupees for amounts up to 7000 Rs and is free for most of 7000th
Steps to Free PayPal account creation:
In an attempt to help beginner’s blogs, here is a 1-2-3 steps on the application and
Create a PayPal account.
1. Go to http://www.paypal.com. Always type “https” in your browser to ensure you will be redirected in the right direction, not a fake PayPal site. Click the “Register” button and select your country and language. Fill out the Personal Choice Account, Premier or business. We recommend the establishment of a Premier account so you can receive payments by credit card. Once done, fill the necessary information and nothing else.
2. The next step is to your PayPal account so sure that you can withdraw your money. You can still pay well that difficult to receive not verify your account to mind, but you can never retire. Check your PayPal account, enter your credit card, Visa or debit card. Your card should be) a history of transactions (withdrawal or deposit, or deny your credit card PayPal.
3. Once you have your 16-digit Visa / credit card / debit card entered will automatically use the PayPal extension program to be included. Wait until you get the number of papers in the transaction card. If you his number EXPOSED, log into your PayPal account to complete the test.
Can I use my credit card to another person / VISA card? Absolutely not. You can use your own credit card or Visa. If you do not buy a PayPal VCC.
Home Staging Tips to Help You Sell Your Home Quickly
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
Image via Wikipedia
Home Staging Tips To Help You Sell Your Home Quickly
When you prepare to sell your home you need to consider what your house says to potential buyers. Obviously, your house needs to be clean, uncluttered, and organized. Your house should have attractive curb appeal. In addition to these selling tips, you should also look at your house and try to objectively determine the language of your house. Does it speak to the potential market that it would most likely appeal to?
If you live in a large house with numerous bedrooms and bathrooms, your potential buyer would most likely be a couple with one or two children or a financially established couple ready to begin a family. You, on the other hand, may be downsizing because your children are grown and living in homes of their own. Your house probably speaks a language that reflects your age. It may still have the same color scheme and décor that it has had for numerous years. Your decorating style may be satisfactory to your age group but may be very unappealing to a younger couple. Even though it is the “bones of the house” that a potential buyer should be most concerned with, the fact is that buyers are influenced by the visual appearance of a house. An outdated décor could negatively influence a potential buyers opinion of your house.
In order to make your house speak positively to potential buyers you can make a few small changes that could yield large rewards. Window treatments in older homes are often outdated. Changing them can make the entire house more appealing. Very often kitchen appliances that are satisfactory to you will seem old and outdated to a young couple buying their first home. Replacing them could be to your advantage. Color schemes often make a house appear outdated. You can rejuvenate a dull room by painting it or by adding a splash of color with inexpensive accent items. If you have carpet in your home that has survived your children’s growing years it most likely needs to be replaced. A couple looking for a home in which to raise their family are most likely looking for a home that is bright, cheery, fresh, and eager to be filled with activity. A nice yard is a bonus. If your house sits on a large lot make sure that you use this asset to attract buyers. If you have leftovers, such as an old basketball goal still standing in your yard, you need to remove them. Make your home and your yard a blank canvas for a potential buyer to visually personalize.
If your home is small and would be attractive to a single person or young couple buying their first home, you need to be sure your house speaks their language. While the buyer may be looking for a small house, they will not give your house serious thought if it is cluttered and appears to lack sufficient space. Before opening your home to prospective buyers you need to make your home appear as spacious as possible. If you have too much furniture in your house, store some of it. When clearing clutter, don’t stash it in cabinets or closets. Buyers open doors. Remove personal photos and collectibles so that the people looking at your home will be able to visualize the house as their home not your home. A first time homebuyer is often moving from an apartment. Your house should feel like a home not like an apartment.
If the house you’re selling is likely to be purchased by an older individual or couple it needs to speak a language that appeals to them. One key element to attract older buyers is safety. Make sure the entrance to your house is free of debris. No one wants to navigate an obstacle course to reach their front door. If there are steps leading to your door, install handrails before putting your house on the market. Older individuals and couple tend to prefer a décor that is simple and soft in color tone. Brightly colored walls and flashy décor could distract them from seeing the potential compatibility they might have with the house. Your home may be more appealing to them if it feels warm and serene.
When placing your home on the market, consider the age group that is most likely to show an interest in buying your home. Do as much as you reasonably can to make your home speak the language of the potential buying population. This can accelerate the selling process for you.
Hurricane Insurance Options in Florida
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
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As a native of Florida and a resident for 27 years, I have dealt with several hurricanes as a renter, a homeowner, and a landlord. While the storm itself can be scary to someone who has never lived through one before, most people who live in Florida get more anxious about their hurricane insurance. A recent series of bad storms has made obtaining hurricane coverage in Florida an expensive and risky proposition. If you’re a new resident or homeowner in Florida, here are a few tips to help you navigate the system.
Renters
Most rental insurance policies cover damage to household goods due to flooding or structural damage (that is, damage to the residence that resulted in damage to your personal property). Because renter’s insurance does not cover any damage to a physical structure (ie. The house, condo, or mobile home that is being rented) the insurer’s liability for damage during and after a hurricane is pretty limited. Thus, there has not been a lot of change to renter’s insurance policies over the past few years despite the changes to homeowner’s policies.
As a financial counselor, I recommend that all of my clients who rent their primary residence carry renter’s insurance. One of my clients reluctantly followed my recommendation to get renter’s insurance, then two months later was relieved to discover that the policy would cover the furniture she had on a covered, enclosed back porch which flooded during Hurricane Ivan.
A typical policy costs about $15 a month; a small price to pay when you consider the amount of damage that just one broken window during a hurricane can cause. Most policies have a deductible of about $500. When shopping for a policy, make sure to read the fine print about how your deductible will be paid. Some policies will cover things like spoiled food without assessing the deductible.
Homeowners
Homeowner’s policies are much more complicated than a renter’s policy. Typically insurance companies will charge two separate deductibles; one for hurricanes and one for all other disasters. Usually, the hurricane deductible is set to 2% of the value of the insured property. Be very careful with this; insurance companies typically change the value of a home every year. By raising the amount they believe it would take to replace your entire structure, they are essentially raising your deductible on even a partial damage claim.
It is very important to note that no policy will cover flood damage. In order to be covered in case rising water damages your home, you must purchase separate flood insurance. If your home is in a FEMA flood zone (typically anywhere 7 or less feet above sea level) the cost of flood insurance will be very high, and a hurricane rider on your homeowner’s policy may be impossible to get. If this is your situation, you might want to look into Citizen’s Insurance. This insurance “company” is subsidized by the state of Florida and covers anyone who cannot get hurricane coverage through another insurer at a reasonable rate. In order to qualify, you must three letters from insurance companies stating that you have been denied (or dropped) for insurance or three quotes for insurance that are more than double the rate you would pay to Citizen’s.
Expect to pay about 1%-2% of your home’s value per year in premiums if you do not live in a flood zone, and between 2% and 5% if you do live in a flood zone. When shopping for a policy, look carefully at the deductible formula and any “caps” or limits on your coverage for household goods, accessory buildings, landscaping, and swimming pools.
How to Get Out of a Networking Event on Your Time Not Theirs
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
Tired of getting tied up on the phone and leaving events later than you would like? What could you be doing or not doing to keep people talking while you are ready to go walking? Consider the following points:
First, plan to do something else afterward. If you know that you have some other things to do after you get off the phone or leave an event that will give you the motivation and a good excuse to tell everyone, “Sorry but I have to leave.”
Second, don’t assume that people really care that much about what you say at an event or over the phone. If you have to leave, you have to leave. Most people do not get off the phone wondering about whether you are telling the truth usually they may think briefly, “Oh I wish we could have stayed on the phone longer.” People who usually think like this have nothing better to do but use you to pass the time away anyway. When people are looking for a good way to waste time, they aren’t that interested about everything you say especially if it has nothing to do with them, so listen more and do less talking at these events and over the phone. If you spend more time listening, you won’t have to worry over finishing up your thought and wording everything you say in such a way as not to offend. If you are not the one engaging everyone in a long conversation or striking up a debate, you can get off the phone sooner, leave an event quicker, and even wrap up an online chat faster.
Third, befriend someone who thinks like you do and take them along with you to the event. It is very easy to say, “I have to take my neighbor home.” Then to say, “I need to leave I have better things to do than talk to you boring people all night.”
Fourth, don’t ever promise to volunteer if you know that you don’t like to stay at events for long. Too many people pressure themselves into helping out when they don’t really want to and attendees can pick up on a bad attitude coming from the help.
Fifth, don’t plan to talk to someone you know who likes to chat nearing time for you to go; instead, speak to those who love to talk first. This way you won’t have to bother with them when you are ready to go.
Lastly, don’t get into the habit of having long conversations with everyone you encounter at an event. If you do, you will find that they will hold you up when you least expect it and then because they have taken up your time when you didn’t want them to, you may leave quickly. This may offend someone particularly those who you may be trying to impress. They may think, “I made time to listen to him (her) and now she is in a rush to leave.” So strategize your time better when planning to talk to the more significant people at these gatherings, and those that wish they were important and you know from past experience couldn’t help you even a little bit — keep it moving!
10 Mistakes Floor Sales Representatives Make with Customers
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
Have you ever gone to a store and come right back out, because you didn’t like the sales representative’s cold stare, lack of emotion, and overall bad attitude? Many sales representatives are trained prior to hitting the sales floor, but for some, you wouldn’t dream that they ever were since they obviously lack professionalism in their demeanors. The following are ten mistakes sales representatives make when dealing with consumers.
One. Choosing or forgetting not to smile.
A smile tells everyone around you that you are approachable, happy, and very interested in listening to one’s concern. Yet, when a sales representative, whose primary duty is to help you find what you want, forgets to smile or consciously does it because they rather be somewhere else other than their job, it makes those around treat them distant or negatively.
Two. Avoiding eye contact.
We may have learned very young that a person who can’t look you in the eye is not trustworthy and may be hiding something. This thought holds true when dealing with a shifty eyed sales representative. If all you can see is the whites of their eyes because they are too busy looking at everyone and everything else but you, then you might want to consider handing your credit card over to him or her.
Three. Failing to know about the store merchandise.
An employee of the store should be aware of the latest products that have entered his or her store. A consumer should not know more than the sales representative. Even if this is the case, because the consumer just happens to be an enthusiast of a certain product line, the sales representative should put his or her best know-it-all attitude forward and direct them to as many of the latest and best products based on their needs.
Four. Taking breaks, conversing or sitting down and relaxing while the customer walks the floor.
The quickest way a sales representative can give a store visitor a false impression about his or her work ethic is to look like he or she is taking a break. Talking with fellow employees, sitting on a couch, or smoking outside while prospects are walking the floor doesn’t build a relationship with the customer rather it makes him or her feel distant. Sales representatives who do this look like they are more concerned about their own needs and those they converse with than the one that is going to put a nice commission in their pocket. Whether you are a sales representative or have some other title, you know that managers and clients don’t like looking at someone who doesn’t seem like they are working on his or her behalf.
Five. Walking away abruptly.
You know how this kind of body language would certainly put you in a bad mood when your partner or relative does this to you while you are talking, so why let a sales representative get away with this kind of behavior? He or she should be immediately reported to the boss if they have done this out of frustration.
Six. Ignoring the needs of the customer.
The customer tells the sales representative that she is looking for a brown couch made of fabric, but the clerk insists on selling her a black couch made of leather. What is the likelihood that her experience with the sales representative will end badly? When a visitor walks in the store, one of two things is going on in his or her own mind either, “I know what I want” or “I need someone to tell me what I want.” For the consumer who already knows what he or she wants, why do some sales representatives waste his or her time or provoke them to get angry, just give them what they want!
Seven. Entertaining instead of educating.
There is nothing wrong with making a joke to break the ice or to put one at ease about spending a lot of money on a purchase, but sometimes some sales representatives go too far. They may be so happy to receive a sale that they joke their way right out of one. Sales representatives should stay away from every kind of joke that may be deemed controversial or offensive especially those that use harsh language.
Eight. Forgetting manners.
It is never excusable to burp, pass gas, make strange noises or do other things that will most likely offend a customer. However, there are some sales clerks who think that “keeping it real” followed by a simple “I’m sorry” will not affect a sale. It’s kind of difficult to forget about the smelly breath sales representative with the flatulence problem
if the prospect decides to make the purchase with him or her, so to quickly avoid such a bad memory, the consumer might just pass on buying from this person for something that has nothing to do with purchasing the item.
Nine. Trying to up-sell when the customer is clearly not interested.
The sales representative may have had his or her work cut out for them just to close one deal, then in the midst of some uncertainty from the customer and the cloud of confusion from his or her relatives on the purchase that may still be lingering, the sales representative makes an all too common error of trying to convince the consumer to buy yet one more thing or a better, more expensive version. If the sales representative has prematurely asked for the sell, he or she will most likely send the buyer back out the door complaining. “He is so pushy…can’t she see we didn’t have the money for that but she kept wanting us to look at it…”
Ten. Favoring one sex over the other when communicating especially to couples.
It may be quite natural for a sales representative to go to the man with the deep pockets first. Yet, the man’s wife may be the ultimate decision maker and to deliberately ignore her would be foolish. Most women, particularly those who are 50 plus, grew up during a time when the man was considered king of the castle and his wife wrote the checks usually from a joint bank account. When history like this isn’t taken into consideration, this too may hurt the sales representative’s chances of closing the deal. The sales representative may communicate better with men than women or vice versa, but the consumer should never be able to determine this from the sales representative’s behavior. Both people should be treated equally.
Whether you are a consumer who just finds a major part of your shopping experience only as good as the sales representatives you encounter or you are someone who is either in the field of sales or considering it as a career, hopefully the tips in this article have provided you with additional insight or reminded some of you about those basic techniques that will help you seal the deal or kill the sale.
Networking The Best Business
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
Today many people are looking for home based business as part-time job to earn extra income. Since this is the Internet age, opportunities for networking. If you give the house to find business or how to get money on-line, millions of opportunities section of the website, make time income. Some are really good and you take them, others did. Anyone interested in obtaining an additional income on-line work is interested in working hard, consistently, etc. These are just some of the prerequisites for the successful development of business at home. I have found in previous articles. Now I want to add more in the list, networking.
The chances are good that you are with the word “red” or “network marketing” are familiar, and you can have good or bad experiences in network marketing. Here, I give no possibility of network marketing in your account, if interested. I’m in the disclosure of the significance of the “network of people who try to earn extra income on-line working interest.” There is no denying the fact that millions of people trying to earn extra income on-line. Most of them are not sufficient to earn a good income and the left. Maxims are those that are up to $ 50 to $ 100, or earn less, but still works in the hope of more. Many people have their hard-earned money because of fraud loss programs. Is that true? One last thing that I found by searching for opportunities to additional income that are not integrated, do not deserve another link to the programs and money, not trusting others to join. That is wrong.
We are people of the same interest in what we have to help each other to earn additional income. Do not be afraid, as a descendant of a loved one to connect
Chance. Your income is not deducted when you get someone to join or you join, you complete payment. Many sites / companies offer the benefits of referral. I urge you all to be honest, every time you connect to your connection to another person. If you really win or promote a belief in the program and then just your link, otherwise it will be discussed as another scam on the Internet. Join the promotion of effective compounds that are free.
“The promotion of genuine connection with others to additional income, while other active compound used to make the line and increase revenue in touch.” That is what he called a “network” What do you think
If you win for one program, and thus the reference income then do not hesitate to foster connections with others, put it in your website, outgoing e-mails on his observations etc.This how you can find some good friends everywhere. I never thought of why so community etc.sites are successful? They succeed, because the creation of networks of people. We will increase our revenue to the networks. Because we are here to earn a good income. The reasons why people are equal attract each other or increase on-line revenue.
Helping others to overcome in order to generate additional revenue, is. As the site is reliable and verified that there is no question of fraud. Do you already have the sentence “A friend in need is a friend?” This is true for us to increase our on-line sales.
I wish all the best.
Secrets to Nailing Every Job Interview Every Time
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
As a serial job-hopper, I have learned the art and science of performing marvelously well on any job interview. And as you will see, it’s not the same advice you have gotten over and over again.
Don’t Look Like The Last Candidate
Earl Nightingale once said that if you ever find yourself in a situation where you don’t know what to do, just look at what everyone else is doing, then do the opposite. Take a look at how other candidates interviewing for your desires position are dressed. Are they wearing a tie? business professional? Some employers have a strict dress code, and of course you don’t want to flagrantly violate it on an interview. But you also want to stand out. Make yourself look a little different. You don’t want to look too different because then you may come across as a rebel or just a freak. But by changing your appearance in some noticeable way, you will get noticed.
Run Into The Boss
This is going to sound a little weird. Sometimes when you’re walking to your interview, you will run into the boss and not even know it. It’s happened to me more than once, and every time I intuitively knew that it was the boss. But just to be safe, assume everyone you run into is the boss. Be courteous and friendly, and for pete’s sake, don’t tell that guy in the elevator about how crappy your last boss was.
Speak Freely
Speaking freely does not mean unloading all your irrelevant information onto the interviewer. Nobody wants to hear about how bad you need a job, or how bad traffic was, or how good that onion burger was. Nor does it mean talking like you’re in a bar with your friends. What it does mean is expressing your relevant opinions, thoughts, and ideas freely. If you think a company should do x, y, and z, then just say that in a professional and respectful way. Even if it’s not what you think the interviewer wants to hear, you will get points for honesty. Who would you rather hire: Someone who agrees with you all the time, or someone who you can trust? Exactly. Plus, you will demonstrate that you have spend some time and effort thinking about things that are very important to the company and can participate in intelligent discussions.
Reversal
Another great way to stand out is to turn the interview on its head by asking your own questions. I never go into an interview without a list of questions. And my acceptable answers. Asking your own questions does a few things: First, it shows the interviewer that you are serious and have given thought to this job. Second, it reminds them why they are interviewing you to begin with. Third, it tells you whether the company and the job is even right for you. I have walked out of interviews because I didn’t get the answers I wanted. And fourth, asking questions makes you stand out and leaves a definite impression on the interviewer. You will be remembered as the guy or girl who asked a question about _______. And people at the company will start talking about you. Very good.
Push Buttons
The fact that you are sitting with an interviewer means the company has a problem they are looking for you to solve. If you know what these problems are, and how to solve them, you can leave an indelible imprint on the interviewer’s mind by bringing up these issues, offering your brief suggestions (don’t spill your candy in the lobby), and convincing the interviewer that you are the solution. The point here is not to blandly drone on about problems and solutions. The point is to whip the interviewer up into an emotional frenzy, first by inflicting emotion pain by talking about the problem, then relieving that pain by offering yourself as the solution, and giving examples of how rosy life will be once you are working there. And if you think that all sounds goofy, think again. It has landed me jobs over and over.
A Warning
These tips will help you nail any job interview, but only if you are interviewing for a position you are qualified for. And by qualified I do not just mean having the education or experience. I mean being an appropriate fit for the company itself. I have turned down jobs because I didn’t like the way I heard employees speak to each other. You must be honest with yourself about whether the job is right for you or not. If you’re going to a job interview just to go, and not to land the job, you might as well stay home and read more of my articles, because you will get more value from them than you will from sitting through a time-wasting formality for a job you will not get.
Workplace Teams - A Failed Concept?
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
During the 1980’s and throughout the 1990’s virtually every business worth its salt wanted to develop their workforce into a team or a number of teams. So what happened, and where are we in the year 2009?
What we find is the failure of most that attempted to implement the team concept. In my opinion, the reason for these failures are many, but the number one reason has to be: It didn’t happen fast enough. That’s right, it took too long. I remember being asked many times to conduct a team building workshop. When I asked what their expectations were for this intervention, many made it clear they thought this would be all that was needed. They often went so far is to ask whether I really needed two days for the workshop. They felt that a few hours was all that was needed to actually implement the team concept. I called it “hurry up and fail”.
Those organizations that succeeded did the following:
- They gave the implementation of teams a priority
- It was understood and supported from the top down
- They realized that ALL employees must be trained
- They rewarded teams, not individuals
- They realized team development is a process, not an event
The employee training focused on skills that were normally taught to managers only.
- Team leader skills
- Coaching
- Counseling to improve performance
- Accountability
- Meeting conduct
- Conflict resolution
If an organization was willing to spend the money it would take to train all their employees in the skills listed above, I knew they were serious and would most likely follow through. Those who believed a one day team build was all they needed were destined to fail.
But, even those who trained still had hurdles to clear in order to continue. Patrick Lencioni in his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, defines them this way:
- An absence of trust among team members
- Not trusting leads to the second dysfunction which is fear of conflict
- If you are conflicted, and fear dealing with it due to lack of trust, it inevitably leads to a lack of commitment
- Lack of commitment and ‘buy in’ leads to the avoidance of accountability
- No one willing to be accountable leads to the fifth dysfunction, inattention to results—team members are more focused on themselves rather than the collective goals of the team
As you can tell from all of the above, it’s truly an on-going process to implement teams and keep them functional. You must be sure you hire only those who prove through the interview process that they are team players. There is little point in bringing in a new player who needs to be converted.
So, if you’re thinking of implementing the team concept in your organization, realize you have a lot of work ahead of you. You’re never done with it. You never truly arrive, but for those on this journey they tell me the results have made it all worth the effort.
Jim Doyle—doyle262@gmail.com
Consultant & Trainer
Practical Advice for Your Small Business
Yours truly GordonWebbo today wants you to read the following article, courtesy of this site:
The biggest challenge most small business owners face is how to most effectively make use of their time. It is no secret that there is truth in the tired cliche that time is money. The end result is that no matter what your business is you share one thing in common with every other small business owner, how do you maximize your time.
One of the most effective methods of doing so is taking advantage of the vast resources that the Internet provides access to. It offers an easy way to procure solutions to the situations and challenges that every business encounters be it accounting, sales/marketing, hiring/firing and or operations.
There is nothing profound in reminding ourselves that smart executives plan for the future. Part of that plan should be developing a list of the resources that are available to you. That includes compiling a word document or spreadsheet with the contact information for potential resources such as:
- Chambers of Commerce
- The Federal government’s SBA web site.
- Professional bloggers/experts who write about your field of business.
- Forums that discuss your field.
- Facebook Groups
- Smalll business Associations within your city.
In addition you should also explore using Twitter. Twitter is an excellent tool for communication that offers a number of options such as a place to ask questions and receive advice. One of the best ways to use it is to seek out experts in various areas and follow their Tweets. Not all of them are going to be relevant, but at only 140 characters it is easy to skim through and will lead to mining many useful nuggets.
For example yesterday numerous people tweeted about the American Express Open Forum for Small business article called <a href=”http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/money/article/101-tips-from-50-small-business-bloggers-gregory-go” target=”_blank”>101 Tips from 50 Small business bloggers.
It is a very useful list of practical advice with links to the blogs of those giving it. You may not agree with all that is offered but it is worth sifting through.
And don’t forget that small businesses are the engine that power the economy. The SBA Office of Advocacy offers these statistics in support of that:
Small Firms:
Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
• Employ about half of all private sector employees.
• Pay nearly 45 percent of total U.S. private payroll.
• Have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually
over the last decade.
• Create more than half of nonfarm private gross domestic
product (GDP).
• Hire 40 percent of high tech workers (such as scientists,
engineers, and computer workers).
The point of all this is that you are not alone out there. Spend time compiling the list of your resources so that you have them when you need them and it will pay big dividends.
