Year: 2010

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6 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Christmas party

Celebrating-christmas-with-friends-with-a-burning-candle

The recession may not be feel like it’s over yet but most managers appreciate that Christmas needn’t be cancelled again this year.

Be creative this Christmas
Be creative this Christmas – do some team building

Boozy parties are probably not the best way to mark the end of a tough year but that doesn’t mean there’s not value in gathering everyone together.

As we enter an era when return on investment is at the forefront of our minds the annual celebration needs to deliver more than just a few laughs and sore heads the next day. Why not think of your Christmas event as a chance to do some team building.

So, while everyone is together in celabratory mood here are a few suggestions that will turn a turkey dinner into a turning point: Continue reading “6 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Christmas party”

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Basic Principles of Organizational Design (Part 1 of 2)

Female professional doing a presentation

In my last half-dozen posts I have been focusing on system theories of organization. I have done this because practitioners of organization development depend upon theories about what makes organizations tick. Nothing so practical as a good theory said Kurt Lewin, the mind behind action research. Well thought out theories helps us sort patterns and produces hypotheses about how it all hangs together- this system before us. Good theories are a basis for action. As we test our theories we develop design solutions, which have to be tested. Organization development is a diagnostic process and a design process. This is designing change. . . . .

Eight Organizational Design Principles: PART ONE

Some years ago Albert Cherns, an important figure in the Norwegian work redesign efforts highlighted some important Principles of Social and Technical Systems Design. The Principles of Organization Design have been known for 30 years in the academic and consulting community. Knowing the principles and implementing them are clearly two different things. First, I will detail the principles and following that I will highlight what has made the implementation so difficult.

1. Complementarities:

How we go about restructuring needs to be compatible with what we are trying to achieve by the restructuring. The process of design must be complementary with the objectives. This means the design and implementation process is critical. If you want flexibility and participation within the work group as an output of the design, then how you go about designing the organization has to be flexible, interactive and participatory.

If the completed work system will depend upon high levels of meaningful flexibility in accomplishing the work, then it is through a process of meaningful flexibility that the system needs to be built. The “means” have to be complimentary with the “ends”. In other words, if you want a system where people assume responsibility, then people have to be responsibly involved in creating the work system or you won’t get it. We do not get participative highly effective organizations by fiat.

2. Minimal Critical Specification:

New technologies require people to learn and change. These abilities have to be developed through the work itself. Therefore, specify as little as possible concerning how tasks combine into jobs and how people are to interact within jobs. The creation of a well-designed work team must involve dialogue and decisions being made by the people involved. Most teams struggle from over-structure, which is based in job descriptions and compensation schemes, which result in “that’s not my job”. The trick in building a team that works is to specify no more than is absolutely necessary about the task or how jobs relate to the task, or how people relate to individual jobs. To build a high performance team the rule is to FIX as little as possible. This means to identify and specify no more than what is absolutely critical. Generally the critical information is about output expected. The vision of results is very important and has to be co-constructed with the group but more than anything you want to build an organic ability to learn and change into the team.

3. Variance Control:

Support and reward groups that deal with errors at the point of origin. Effective teams need the legitimacy to find out where things go wrong and deal with variance where it occurs. The goal is to minimize exporting problems to others. The assumption that is safe to make is that people know what good work looks like. Exporting problems and unsatisfied customer needs is the mark of a team that lacks options.

4. Clear Goals and Flexible Strategies:

Define what is expected in terms of performance early and clearly and then support adaptations toward appropriate means by which the group can achieve ends. (Do not over-specify.) This is an adaptability principle, which recognizes that we are designing living systems rather than machines. With living systems, the same ends can be reached by different means. There are a lot of ways to solve problems and meet a customers needs. What is critical here is the definition and understanding of the end goal. The “What” is to be highly specified. The “How” is open to local decision and initiative. This enables learning and an increased sense of “efficacy” on the part of team members. Efficacy is the sense that we are effective as a team that we can make a difference and do the job well. Efficacy is fragile and needs to be supported by continuous learning and improvement. High performance teams constantly “tinker” with the means by which they accomplish their results. They seldom settle on “one best way”.

(Be sure to read Part 2.)

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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

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How to Start a Social Media Crisis

Social media icons on mobile screen

Controversial topics can easily lead publications to the need for crisis management.

A Marie Claire writer has sparked a social media crisis for the magazine after a seemingly negative article about the “Big Six,” a group of leading women’s health and fitness bloggers, drew thousands of fans to their defense. Ragan’s PR Junkie blog has more details:

These “Big Six” bloggers write about their sometimes extreme exercise routines and strict eating habits–habits that the article’s author, Katie Drummond, suggested border on eating disorders. They might be a bad influence on their readers, the story said.

“But behind the [bloggers’] cutesy titles and sloganeering lies an arguably unhealthy obsession with food, exercise, and weight,” Drummond wrote.

A BlogHer post referred to the story as a “mean-spirited attack” on the Big Six.

That’s the overwhelming sentiment across social media platforms, where the backlash to Drummond’s piece has proven fast and furious. In only a handful of days, the story has sparked outrage in blogs, on Twitter, and on Marie Claire’s Facebook page.

If you look at Marie Claire’s Facebook page, it is absolutely covered in negative postings about the article, but any response from the magazine is suspiciously absent. The case is the same for Twitter. As we’ve seen in many other social media crises, declining to respond is one of the worst choices an organization can make. By delaying the inevitable mea culpa, Marie Claire is allowing reputation damage to pile up and increasing the likelihood of traditional media sources taking notice of the story.

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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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How to Attract Laser-Targeted Traffic – Part 2 of 2

Dart targeted a bullseye in a dart board

(Lots of background and tips are in the previous post!)

Use Google AdWords’ Keyword Tool to get the inside scoop on how many times your keywords are searched, globally and locally.

Go to: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and type in your narrowed keywords, one at a time.

How do Your Keywords Stand Up Against the Competition?

Google’s Keyword Tool results will also give you a simple indicator of competition (low, medium and high) as well as local search trends, among other interesting indicators. It will even sort results by traffic and other meaningful ways … it’s a fabulous tool!

Repeat your keyword search until you’re satisfied that you have identified at least six great long tail keywords. Repeat this for each website page, each blog post, each article, press release, etc.

If you want to take this research to the next level, try these two things:

  1. Find your competition and check out their keywords. Jump onto a competitors’ site, click on “View”, then from the dropdown, click on “Source”. Now scroll through the mumbo jumbo (HTML) until you find the keywords imbedded into their site code. These are likely the keywords for which they are optimizing. And they very likely optimize each page for different keywords (as they should!)
  2. Use Google’s free Traffic Estimator tool to find out how much traffic your chosen keywords probably get: https://adwords.google.com/select/TrafficEstimatorSandbox

Don’t be Fooled

Google has an auto-fill feature on the toolbar. When you begin to type your phrase, the drop-down suggestions reveal Google’s most searched terms. But remember, they are usually not long tail, specific enough to get you ranked for first page. Use Google AdWords’ Keyword Tool to test that!

Once you master this skill and art, it will become second-nature, and your traffic will SOAR!

What keyword research tips work best for you?

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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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Corporation Solicitation Programs – Part 1 of 3: Consultant Compensation

a commission consultant with a director in an NPO

A thread in a listserve in which I participate addressed the question(s) of Creating-and-Implementing and Finding-and-Compensating a Consultant to help with a Corporation Solicitation Programs.

Interestingly, the latter issue stimulated most of the responses/comments, with little attention being paid to the former.

So, I’ll address the “more popular” issue first – compensating the “consultant” … and you’ll soon see why I use quotation marks around the term.

In my 30+ years as a fundraising consultant, I’ve seen corporate fundraising done by staff and/or volunteers, with a consultant advising/teaching/guiding; and, I’ve seen a “consultant” doing the fundraising from the corporations on behalf of the NPO. In both cases, it always created a conflict of interest if the consultant was to be compensated on a commission/percentage basis.

In the first circumstance, the relationship is between the NPO and the corporation. The consultant may make the initial contact with the corp, but the discussions are between the NPO family and the corporate people. In this case, the consultant actually consults. S/he is paid for her/his time/effort/expertise, with no consideration as to how much money the NPO may or may not raise.

In the second scenario, the “consultant” does little or no consulting. The relationships are between the “consultant” and the corporations. The “consultant’s” role is to “show” the corporation how their support of the NPO will benefit that corporation. Again, the “consultant” should be compensated on the basis of the time/effort/expertise that goes into making “it” happen, not on a percentage/commission basis.

Many corporations (especially those who are frequently asked to support NPOs) are aware of the “rule” prohibiting commission/percentage compensation for those raising money for a non-profit organization. Many of those corporations agree with and accept that concept. Some don’t!! Some don’t care!! The question is whether you want to risk appearing ignorant of “accepted practice” and/or seeming not to care??

(Conflict-of-Interest issues tend to become public information, and have hurt many nonprofits and their ability to raise money. It is, therefore, with good reason, that all of the major associations of nonprofit organizations and those of charitable-fundraising professionals accept and endorse this “rule.”)
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Have a comment or a question about starting or expanding your basic fundraising program, a corporate giving program, your major gifts fundraising program or a capital campaign? Email me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com. With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, we’ll be happy to answer your question.

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Let the Fish Swim in the Deep Pool

A blue fish swimming in the deep

I heard a man say that he doesn’t like to tell his wife his small concerns because, “I don’t want to incite her creative ways to worry.” When was the last time you took a small thing to worry about and turned it into a catastrophe in your mind? We humans are very creative beings. We can imagine all sorts of dreadful things occurring. I love Mark Twain’s quote – “I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”

When you find yourself worrying about things – Let the Fish Swim in the Deep Pool. In our vast dark ocean of thoughts, imagination and creativity, let your worries swim where they are. No need to fish for them and bring them to the surface.

When you find yourself stressing over something that could go wrong, ask yourself, “What do I know for a fact, right now?” If you find you are getting yourself worked up about something, pay attention to what you know to be true and what you are just creating in your head. See if what is bothering you is a story you are telling yourself about the situation. Stop to reflect on whether you are using your creativity to develop a calamity in your mind. If so, catch yourself and take a good laugh at how imaginative you can be. Another phrase I like to use is “How do I find Peace now?” This may be enough to stop you from jumping into your pool of worry, panic, or distress.

Serenity and inner peace come from seeing through the illusions of doubt and worry to what is really in front of you. Remember – you are Diving Being having a human experience. Reconnecting with your Divine Essence, knowing that you are supported and guided at all times, you can ask in prayer for assistance to see you through a worrisome situation.

I recently felt out of balance over a pending job change. Going to bed I looked at the moon and realized it was the Fall Equinox. I usually do some ceremony to mark the Equinox as a time of balance so appreciated how out of balance I felt. I asked in prayer for support to find balance in my life. The next night, after a really rough day at work, I decided to read some Rumi poems. Out of my book came a card that I must have placed in the book some months ago. On one side of the card were the words “Harmony and Balance”. On the other side of the card was the message “I am fully supported.” I asked and received.

Pay attention to what you fish for. You can fish for worry and doubt or you can fish for guidance and support. You get to choose where you throw your hook and line.

…when all is said and done, the one sole condition that makes spiritual happiness and preserves it is the absence of doubt. – Mark Twain

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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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Yes, Not Now

Close-Up Shot of Keys (spelling "yes" and "no") on a Red Surface

At our last week’s coaching session my client was stressed by a decision she needed to make. She couldn’t decide if she should go ahead with a project or not do it. Both solutions caused her angst. If she went ahead with it, she felt that competing work demands would interfere with this project’s success. If she didn’t go ahead with it, she felt that she would miss a great opportunity. Her thinking was very black or white – either yes or no.

Through our coaching conversation, she realized she had another option – “yes, not now”. With this option, she decided to begin the project in 6 months instead of at the present time. Her stress level diminished because she had a strategy that felt doable.

What about you – when is “yes, not now” the best decision?

For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.

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Pam Solberg-Tapper MHSA, PCC – I spark entrepreneurial business leaders to set strategy, take action, and get results. How can I help you? Contact me at CoachPam@cpinternet.com ~ Linkedin ~ 218-340-3330

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Who’s Responsible For Your Career?

Man in suit holding up a finger

career responsibilityMany think of it as a 50-50 arrangement. I carry 50% of the responsibility for my career development and my employer carries 50%. Yes, in theory, but not in reality. Here’s the rub.

What an employer considers 50%, you may consider only 10% and be dissatisfied. And what you feel is your 50% contribution, may be considered a measly 20% by your employers. This leads to mismatched expectations and employee/employer frustrations.

The Bottom Line:

If you are concerned about your career advancement, as you should be, then take complete ownership of it. These are some of the things you could do to take charge of your career:

1. Build your career capital.
Career capital consists of your qualifications, experience and reputation. It requires investments of time and resources to grow. Find workshops and trainings that would enhance your capabilities. Don’t assume your organization has no money for professional development – you won’t know unless you ask. However, you may need to do it on your own time or even with some of your own money. Realize this is an investment in your future.
2. Be known and be seen.
Take the initiative. Ask your manager for the opportunity to lead a task force or take on a project outside of your job duties. For example, head a committee recommending personnel policy changes, facilitate the next staff meeting or make a presentation to upper management or the board. It’s not only who you know or who knows you but, most importantly, who knows and is impressed by what you can do.
3. Find a mentor.
You need to have someone who can introduce you to people, give you strategic career advice and help you learn from his or her mistakes. Mentors don’t have to be in your organization. Look around your community. Who is doing interesting work? Who inspires you? Develop a relationship first before popping the mentor question.
4. Work with a coach.
While a mentor can help build your network and give advice, a coach can build your skills and help you develop a winning career strategy. That person can also work with you on the leadership or managerial challenges you’re currently facing so that you don’t make career fatal mistakes.
5. Above all, make sure you perform well.
You can do all the other stuff, but if you do not deliver, sooner or later you will trip up. So step number one in your career development is to do what you are currently doing to the very best of your ability and with all your energy – even if it is not yet what you ultimately want from your career.

Your career is your responsibility.

Yes, of course, you manager should have your best interests in mind, but your career development is not at the top of his her daily to-do list. It should be on the top of yours. So, to take charge of you career, set time aside to answer these questions:

  • What can you do right now to enrich your present job or assignment?
  • What career options can you start exploring for challenge, variety, or greater personal satisfaction?
  • What internal training courses or external seminars can you participate in for professional development?
  • Are there off-the-job experiences that could enhance your portfolio of skills and your reputation as a leader?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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4 Ways to Instill “The Power of One”

When I first started in the community development field, I was amazed to discover that so many of the target populations that we dealt with really felt they didn’t have a voice and that their opinions didn’t matter or count for anything. At first I had a hard time grasping the concept that someone could believe that their voice could mean nothing. But as the years passed and I worked with more and more people who felt disenfranchised and felt they had no voice, my opinion started to change.

Probably the greatest hurtle that anyone doing community development or capacity building has to overcome is the fact that many of the people they work with feel very alone and because of their dependence upon social agencies and government services, they have been made to feel like they have little control in their lives and so their opinions don’t matter.

But the power of one person can be combined with many others to make a difference in their own lives, in their communities and in our society. The power of one when united with a multitude of others with common perspectives is a huge power and a strong voice.

How do we help people to realize that their one voice has power? Well there are several ways to do this. Community development workers can:

  • Build a positive relationship with their clients – Speak sincerely, openly and honestly with your clients and demonstrate that you value their insights, opinions and perspectives. Never promise them anything that you can’t deliver.
  • Talk about current issues in the news – Talk to clients about current issues that impact their lives and ask their opinions on those issues. Encourage them to share their opinions through group discussions, coffee meetings, or having them present their opinions in a speech to their peers.
  • Ask for clients input on community – Create opportunities for clients to provide input on what they think about their communities and what they identify as issues in their community and challenges they are facing as residents of that community.
  • Set a goal – In co-operation with your client and other individuals, set a goal to accomplish in the community. Set a goal and encourage them to take ownership of that process by talking to others about it. Once the goal is achieved, your clients will begin to understand that their voice when united with others can be loudly heard and have a huge impact on their personal lives.

Question of the Day: What other ways can you think of to assist people in recognizing the power of one?

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For more resources, see our Library topic Nonprofit Capacity Building.

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By Ingrid Zacharias

Website: http://envisioningthefutureintl.ca/

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L is for Love

Red-and-white-love-shaped-balloons-floating-in-the-sky

Here are some popular love/work quotes: “Do what you love and the money will follow.” “Work is love made visible.” “If you’re not in the job you love, love the job you’re in.” How great would it be to love your work?! Do you? I can honestly say I do.

I remember knowing what it feels like (i.e. stress, anxiety, anger, frustration, boredom) to not love your work. All of these things bring you down literally; lowering your energy level and thus attracting more of what you don’t love. Yet when you love your work, you feel so light and alive – full of love. You are passionate and have endless energy. The gratitude for what you do is contagious, touching each person you come into contact with, thus attracting more of what you love.

The Law of Love

So how can we bring more love to our workplaces? According to Rhonda Byrne by the Law of Love, most commonly referred to as the Law of Attraction. Her new book The Power, sequel to The Secret shares how love is the most powerful force in the universe that we can tap into to improve all areas of our lives. The more you love what you do (even if you need to pretend you do at first); the law of attraction will bring you more things you love.

Expression of Love at Work

So how do we express love for and at our work? I just have to share this picture with you (permission to show photo granted) of my youngest son, Garrett. It’s a great example of love at work on many levels. He and I went to the photo studio and worked with a photographer who loved her work. It’s said that “love is in the details” and such was the case with this photographer, as she remained patient and loving toward us despite my 9-month old not wanting to sit still. Her love allowed me to receive one of my all-time favorite pictures. I have this in my office, which surrounds me of who and what I love.

The 5 Love Languages

One of my favorite examples of understanding the concept of love comes from the author Gary Chapman. He wrote the best-selling book The 5 Love Languages originally for couples, but it’s applicable to the workplace. In his book, it shares with us the five ways to we can show and receive love. It is important is to determine what your love language is and the love language of those around you. Here are the five love languages, along with examples of expressing love at work using that language.

  1. Words of Affirmation –written or verbal words that express how we feel about another person. It is words of appreciation that you might share with a co-worker. It is words of encouragement that you might share with your staff. It is words of thanks that you can give to your boss.
  2. Gifts –whether big or small, gifts are symbols or tokens of appreciation. Some corporations give employees gifts for a certain amount of years employed with the company. Providing a gift certificate to someone who helped you out on a project is another example. A favorite gift I once received from a colleague was chocolate-covered peanuts.
  3. Physical Touch – this is about how you connect with others physically. It could be a simple gesture of thanks with a genuine handshake or hug. (FYI: This is probably the hardest love language to express at work because of harassment laws).
  4. Quality Time –spending focused and uninterrupted time with people. You build relationships with others when you invest time in knowing who they are. An example might be having a team building day to planning a happy hour after work so you can get to know each other.
  5. Acts of Service –the things people are willing to do to get the work done. They help out, provide advice, stay late – do whatever it takes – to go the extra mile for you and provide stellar service.

How will you love today?

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

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most.

How ONE Person Makes a Difference…
www.projectgratOtude.com