Month: September 2010

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Do You Have Boss Problems?

Employee having a discussion with his boss

Are you in this situation? You and your boss just don’t seem to connect and work well together. It isn’t that you are having knock down fights. It’s just that you know things could be better. You don’t want to look for another job. So you have to figure out how to make it work.

Here are seven guidelines for managing your boss so that your career won’t get stalled or sidetracked.

1. Know thy boss.
No two people think alike or work alike. No two bosses either. Your job is to find out her specific expectations – not to reform her, reeducate her or make her conform to what the management books recommend. For example: Does she want me to come in once a month and spend 30 minutes presenting the plans and performance of my team? Or does she want me to come in every time to report even when there’s a slight change?

2. Don’t hide.
It’s natural to yield to the tendency to minimize interaction with people we don’t see eye to eye with. Reducing your daily contact can cause a further loss of trust and respect on both sides. And a lack of communication can foster misunderstanding, mistakes and more problems.

3. Have perspective.
If you resent working under a manager you don’t like, you might perform below your abilities. Don’t let yourself fall into that trap. It could be a career killer. Rather, try to see what possible good there is if you let go of your frustration or anger. The boss can leave, you may get transferred to a more promising area or you may find that he or she wasn’t so bad after all.

4. Don’t bad-mouth.
Handle disagreements with your boss with particular care. Let him know of your concerns and suggest other alternatives or ideas. Support your manager’s position in public as much as you can and do you best to make polices and decisions work, rather than try to subvert them.

5. Avoid war at all cost.
The painful reality is that the boss has better access to power and influence at the top. If you take on this person, chances are you will lose. Management could very well stand behind the incompetent boss to avoid having its own hiring abilities called into question.

6. Make the boss look good.
Go to him or her and ask: “What do I and my people do that helps you do your job? And what do we do that makes life more difficult for you?” You need to find out what your boss needs and what gets in the way. Also, realize it is in your self interest to make the boss successful.

7. Keep the boss in the loop.
Bosses, after all, are held responsible by their own bosses for the performance of their people. They must be able to say: “I know what Anne (or Joe) is doing.” Bosses don’t like surprises!

How well do you manage your boss? What are some of the issues that won’t seem to go away? How can you do it better to get better results?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Can’t Avoid Crisis

Crisis on a black background

A working plan is often the difference between success and failure in crisis management.

The scary thing about a media crisis is that it can happen to anyone at any time. It isn’t always about big business. Even mom-and-pop operations can feel the pain. You almost never see it coming, and it is rarely something you could have predicted. One day, you get a terrible questions like:

* “Is it true your mechanic installed the tire improperly and your service station is responsible for the accident that killed three people?”

Or:

* “Did the employee of your landscaping company really apply the wrong chemical to the lawn that resulted in the death of the child who played in the grass?”

Crisis management is the most important public relations function. Poorly handled, it can cost a company its reputation and perhaps even drive it out of business.

As this quote from an OCALA Business Journal article, written by Ed Gorin, makes clear, every business runs the risk of becoming involved in some type of crisis. While some things are simply unpredictable, the difference between a successful resolution and major reputation damage is often in the planning. By maintaining a workable crisis management plan, your organization is more prepared to resolve issues in a responsible and timely manner, minimizing negative media interest and allowing you to get back to business.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

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What is Strategic Planning?

A man playing a strategic game of chess

Simply put, strategic planning is clarifying the overall purpose and desired results of an organization, and how those results will be achieved.

There are different ways to do that planning, depending on the purpose(s) of the planning, the life cycle or stage of development of the organization, the culture of people in the organization, types of issues the organization is currently facing, and the rate of change in the external environment of the organization.

For example, many people use vision-based or goals-based planning, in which they clarify the results they want to achieve in the future. They develop a vision of what the organization and its customers or clients will look like at some point in the future, and then articulate what they have to do to achieve that vision. They work from the future to the present.

Unfortunately, many people believe that’s the only way to do strategic planning. That’s wrong. Another form of planning is issues-based planning, which clarifies current issues that the organization must soon address and how it will address them. Issues-based planning works from the present to the future. Issues-based planning is usually a shorter term planning and often is focused primarily ( but not exclusively) on internal matters.

There are many different perspectives on how to best do strategic planning — and many different practitioners and facilitators have very strong feelings about how strategic planning should be done.

But first, take a look at a simple analogy in order to further understand strategic planning.

There’s lots more about strategic planning at
https://staging.management.org/plan_dec/str_plan/str_plan.htm

Also see the other posts in this blog about strategic planning.

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Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 800-971-2250
Read my weekly blogs: Boards, Consulting and OD, Nonprofits and Strategic Planning.
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https://staging.management.org/misc/analogy-strategic-planning.pdf
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Nonprofit and For-Profit Boards — a Comparison

Woman torn between two options

Our firm regularly gets calls, asking about the differences between for-profit and nonprofit Boards. Although there are certain differences, there are more similarities than people often realize.

Misconceptions often stem from the belief that nonprofits have to have a Board because they’re nonprofits. Not true. Chartered, or registered, nonprofits have to have a Board because they’re nonprofit corporations — they’re corporations just like for-profit corporations. Corporations must have Boards, whether nonprofit or for-profit.

Boards of corporations have certain legal duties, or fiduciary duties, the most basic of which are the duties of loyalty and care. Recent literature also refers to a duty of obedience. Both nonprofit and for-profit Boards must adhere to these duties — and the ways that they do that are very similar between both types of Boards.

This table gives a listing of the specific differences between the Boards, but keep in mind that those differences don’t result in major differences between how the Boards recruit and develop and organize members, do their planning, hold their meetings, make decisions, supervise the CEO, approve budgets and major contracts, etc.

There’s many more free resources about Boards — for-profit and nonprofit – in the “Free Complete Toolkit for Boards.”

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Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 800-971-2250
Read my weekly blogs: Boards, Consulting and OD, Nonprofits and Strategic Planning.

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Harvey Mackay’s Awesome New Book, Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door

Person reading a book

What surprised me most when I met Harvey Mackay this past weekend at the 2010 21st Century Book Marketing event? He’s kind. He’s funny. He’s REAL.

Harvey (shunning “Mr. Mackay”, he insisted on “Harvey”), has authored business best-sellers that have been translated into 37 languages and sold over 10 million copies in 80 countries. His first book, Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive was a groundbreaking New York Times #1 best seller for 54 weeks.

Harvey stood right there next to me, smiling and cracking jokes while my friend tried again and again to get the camera lighting just right. It took four shots. Harvey was as gracious as could be.

That’s the kind of human interest he injects in his books. No wonder he’s so popular. Harvey knows how to connect with people. So of course his latest book is on topic and in demand.

How to Market Yourself for Your Best Career Move

Recently released, Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door, offers much-needed motivation and practical advice for networking and selling yourself for that perfect next job. He doesn’t teach you how to write your resume – many other books do that enormously well.

With unemployment high and the perfect job seemingly out of reach, this book is invaluable for your soul. It infuses encouragement with humor and sound bites that will keep you emailing, dialing, knocking, and smiling;

  • “Don’t get dejected if you’ve been rejected – just get your new you perfected!”
  • “Remember the purpose of the resume. It’s to enable you to resume work.”
  • “You may not be interviewing for a sales job, but you have to be a great salesperson to sell yourself.”

Click here to buy Harvey’s book:

Sample Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door

He also offers iTunes Podcast Previews. Harvey believes in giving – so enjoy!

What are your favorite Harvey Mackay quotes?

(Special thanks to Harvey and www.HarveyMackay.com

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book, How to Make Money Online With Social Media: A Step-by-Step Guide for Entrepreneurs will be available in bookstores and online November 24, 2010. With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

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Sally’s First Day

Woman Sits in Front of Black Laptop Computer

Sally was so excited she couldn’t sleep. She kept playing the next day over and over in her head. She would arrive to her new job (her first “real job”) exactly ten minutes early dressed in the new business suit she received as a graduation present accessorized with a brand new leather Franklin Covey planner. She couldn’t help but to smile as she imagined being greeted by excited coworkers while receiving the full red carpet treatment she would receive as the newest employee at Dream Company, Inc. Her day would be busy and filled with introductions to co-workers who couldn’t wait to hear all the ideas she has to make things better at Dream Company, Inc.

When the alarm sounded the next morning at 6 a.m., Sally sprang out of bed as the excitement of the day masked her fatigue of a restless night sleep. As planned, she arrived at Dream Company, Inc. promptly at 7:50 am.

If your company was Dream Company, Inc., how would Sally’s story go from here? How long would it take for the honeymoon to end? Would Dream Company, Inc continue to be the dream she expected? What about her motivation? Would her immediate manager or peer group have a negative or positive effect on her? How does your culture support Sally?

Feel free to write the ending of the story and post comments about story telling in learning.

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com.

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Hands, Feet and Heart

Women colleagues talking while listening to their feelings and needs

“When you work, you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music” Kahlil Gibran

It’s been said in various faith traditions that God works through our feet and hands. Every day you get an opportunity to express God’s gifts through your work. As you share your gifts with the world, you are manifesting the Divine expression of Who You Are.

  • Do you see your work as an expression of your Divine gifts?
  • Do you see yourself as a Divine Being moving in the world?

You may find yourself caught up in your mundane tasks, the daily busyness, the time pressures or your performance goals that you pay more attention to what your hands and feet are doing (or your mouth and mind) than what your heart is doing. Our heart is what helps us connect to others and share our Divine Essence here on earth. Your ability to care about others, to deeply listen to someone, to offer acts of kindness are simple ways that God moves through you out into the world. Your feet and hands do the work, but your heart is what makes it all matter.

Here are some tips you can practice this week to engage your heart while you are working:

1. Listen when someone is hurting

2. Tell someone what you appreciate about them

3. Sit quietly and radiate loving kindness

4. Breathe deeply when someone criticizes you

5. Offer an apology when you react out of stress

6. Forgive someone who takes credit for your work

7. Forgive yourself for being less than perfect

8. Be patient with someone who unfairly judges you

9. Look past someone’s shortcomings to see them as a Divine Being

10. Build a temple of peace in your heart

I offer this revised Passover blessing for you to remember how to use your hands and feet and heart at work:

‘May I remember to use my powers to heal and not to harm,

to help and not to hinder,

to bless and not to curse,

to serve You O Spirit of Life’

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” available on Amazon.

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Incentive-based Compensation

Young professional in her office

Many startup businesses set up incentive or commission-based compensation systems for their initial employees. This is often done because they can’t afford to pay staff what they’re worth. As an enticement they offer the opportunity to earn much more than a smallish base salary if these early staff achieve great success. This is common in the for-profit world, for business managers and sales staff; and today many nonprofits or hybrid organizations are exploring this kind of compensation also, mostly for the same reasons.

We tend to get two questions about incentives: Do they work? What percentage?

First, yes, financial incentives work. Offer to pay someone extra if certain results are achieved, and they will go the extra mile to accomplish those results. But only if those results are achievable and clearly, verifiably and consistently measured, if the people offered the incentives have the right skills, and if the rewards are commensurate with the level of effort required. Otherwise – and this happens many times — people get motivated to do the wrong things (sales staff argue about accounting issues and who gets credit for the sale), or they get set up for failure (it’s too difficult to hit targets so they become resentful). So if you use incentives, define your targets carefully and use them with people and situations where there is a reasonable opportunity to succeed. Otherwise you’ll waste money and poison the well, both problems startup business cannot afford.

Secondly, it can be equally challenging to figure out what percentage to pay. Many questions need to be addressed first. What’s your profit margin? How hard is to get a sale? Does the product mostly sell itself or is the sales person the key to success? What do other companies selling similar products pay their sales staff? In most cases, sales commissions are based on sales rather than profits, in part because sales are easier to measure and verify than profits. You don’t want your sales person fighting with your numbers person on how net profit was calculated.

Finally, to throw out some numbers, we’ve seen sales commissions ranging from 5% to 20% of sales. And for venture or business managers, where the commission is typically based on profit rather than sales (and base salaries are larger), we’ve seen figures in the 5-10% range. But mileage may vary, so do your homework before committing to one figure or another.

What do you think?

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For more resources, see our Library topic Business Planning.

Copyright © 2010 Rolfe Larson Associates – Fifteenth Anniversary, 1995 – 2010. Author of Venture Forth! Endorsed by the late Paul Newman of Newman’s Own. Read our weekly blogs on Social Enterprise and Business Planning. Subscribe to our free social enterprise listserv.

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Satisfied Customers – Do You Know if Yours Are?

Young confused man raises hand wondering

In our world of customer service, it is our mission to keep customers.

“It is a privilege to serve you”, that is what the Banker told me today when I called for information regarding refinancing. Do your employees believe that serving your clients is a privilege? Do your clients feel like they are appreciated?

Nowadays a lot of consumer product and service companies are asking for feedback. Some companies incorporate the ‘how are we doing’ insight as a deep part of their company culture. Salesforce.com has a place for employees and customers alike to log their feedback. In “Behind the Cloud”, http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff explains how and why they spent money to build their IdeaExchange forum. Many e-commerce sites ask at the end of a sale for feedback about the shopping experience. Brick and Mortar stores are now enticing shoppers to log in and provide feedback on their shopping experience in exchange for a ‘prize’.

What about the business-to-business companies? With customers locked into contracts, the same drive to listen and improve is not always as entrenched into the company culture. We can change that. Start by listening.

CUSTOMER SURVEYS

There are several easy-to-use, cost-effective online survey solutions now to help you launch a Listening Campaign. Polaris Marketing provides you with some sample questions if you are new at this. Survey Monkey, Question Pro, and Zoomerang are just a few online resources that will not only help you with the logistics of doing a survey but also help you formulate a strategy so you get the answers you need.

Online Surveys are not the only option. Make calls to a % of your client base every quarter or send out a brief survey with your monthly invoice. Depending on your product or service, this simple effort may be a huge differentiator for you.

Make sure your survey will give you actionable feedback. In other words, ask questions that will give you answers about specific experiences as your customer so you will know what to fix. General questions like “ Are you happy with your experience in working with us” give you a good indication of how your customers are feeling, but if they answer in a negative way you won’t know what part of the experience needs fixing.

ACTION PLANS

Once you are ready to rollout a survey, you still have much more work to do. The most important element in asking for feedback is deciding what you are going to do about what the surveys say. Don’t bother asking if you don’t intend to allocate the time, resources or money to making changes.

Now it is time to put the feedback into actionable – who, by when and how – plans to make changes. You won’t be able to fix everything at once, but it is important for both your employees and your customers to see real change as a result of the surveys. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and set both short-term and long-term goals.

AND REPEAT

Now that you have launched your Listening Campaign, you will have the process for next time all mapped out. Quarterly? Semi-Annually? Annually? Whatever timeline works best for you and your business to ensure the feedback is put to use.

“There’s a big difference between showing interest and really taking interest.”

— Michael P. Nichols
The Lost Art of Listening

Barb Lyon, Consultant – Customer Service Strategies


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Managing Boundaries in Systems

Man Wearing White Dress Shirt and Black Necktie

Organization Development is all about change in work systems. Everybody talks about systems but what does that mean? General Systems Theory is an organizational theory. It is integrative, in that it is a study of “wholeness” and it is interdisciplinary. It is based on a biological derivative it is a method of organizing complexity. (And you thought it was just a word). I have come to believe that we need a more sophisticated understanding of systems and this is first and foremost a way of seeing the world.

Look around and you will see “systems” everywhere. The first thing you have to do is look for the boundaries. The boundary’s that encompass a team, like who is in and who is out, what is the purpose of the system and what are its boundaries? Information passes in and out through boundaries. Systems manage their boundaries, for better of for worse: too open boundaries threaten the system with a loss of identity, too tight and the systems tend to run down. All systems operate on a steady-state called homeostasis and they operate within norms and standards. There is a set performance level and gaining entry, as an outsider is tough because systems filter what’s plausible and realistic to them and who is not.

For Example,

Consider the internal consulting team where we developed, what we called our PWI Index. PWI was shorthand for a “perceived weirdness index”. What we recognized was that to cross the boundaries and be accepted as useful by the technology groups – you had to be enough like them, so they would allow you to cross the boundary and perhaps have influence upon them AND you had to be enough different to make a contribution. We were a pretty creative group, as people tend to be doing this work. The people in this consulting group were funny and they were irreverent. We knew in a trivial sense that crossing boundaries we had to put on different costumes. Working with the administrative groups, it was all suits and Land’s End; working with the lab folks (where the real work was happening) it was sneakers, sometimes without socks. A wise man once said to me that to do this work required social sensitivity and behavioral flexibility. You have to be astute in sensing the social norms and flexible enough to cross boundaries and not lose yourself.

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For more resources, see the Library topics Consulting and Organizational Development.

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Jim Smith has over 40 years of organization development experience in a wide range of organizations. He can be reached at ChangeAgents@gmail.com