Handling Confrontation

Confrontation gives us a picture of two people with their foreheads pressed against each other.  In fact, the word confrontation comes from the Latin com (together) and frons (forehead).  However, not all confrontation is bad and as business managers we need to know how to handle confrontation.  The following addresses how to collapse the barriers that prevent confrontation and then use some techniques on how to confront positively.

Confrontation is perceived as a threat, so we need to start by recognising the internal tensions arising from the threat.  We overcome the avoidance of confrontation by looking at the consequences arising from the threat.  By doing this we have taken control and are now in a position to build confidence in confronting.

6 Step Process – NO FEAR

Now – Don’t wait, DO IT NOW (Unless anger is at boiling point, in which case wait until you have cooled down).

Open – Be open about why you are confronting and be clear about what outcome you want.  Be honest.  Listen to the other party and use “I” statements, such as “I would like to know why you told my manager about this problem”.  Don’t use phrases like “What did you go and do that for?”

Feelings – Express your feelings in a way that is not aggressive.

Effect – Describe the effect on you or on others, but don’t quote what others have said.  This will only create further problems.

Alignment – Stay in alignment with the other party.  Respond with respect to what they say and do it honestly.  Use “and” instead of “but”.

Return to common ground to show commonality rather than differences.

Request – make a request, clearly stating what you want.  Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bounded).

Using NO FEAR will enable you to confront more effectively.

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – Handling Confrontation.

Creating A Positive Work Environment

Creating a positive work environment is crucial to the success of any organization. In the current challenging times, less people need to do more or the same amount of work for the organization to stay ahead. What are the strategies that an organization can apply to create a positive work environment?

1. Plan Effectively

While it is important to do a lot of research and study reports for planning purposes, effective planning should include the people involved in implementing the plan.

There are things that these people are aware of that can make a difference to the plan. Aside from that, there will be a better understanding of the plan and a sense of ownership when it is time to act on the plan.

2. Change Where Change Is Needed

Change is something that cannot be avoided. Either you change with the times or you get left behind.

It is necessary to be aware of customer needs, changes in the economy and trends in the industry to be aware of the changes. However, make changes where it is needed and not just for the sake of changing.

3. Groom Your People

Your people are crucial to the success of your business.

Groom your people to develop skills as well as attitudes and behavior required to take your business from where it is to where you want it to be.

4. Encourage Dissent

Do not be afraid of dissent. If all your employees agreed with everything, you may not become aware of changes that are happening to your customer base or in the industry. Focus will be narrow and based on conventional ideas.

Allow dissent that will generate new ideas and actions that will enhance your business.

5. Foster Leadership

You need more than management personnel to run the business. Thinking like a leader is a mindset that needs to be developed in every employee.

Every single person be it from sales, support or administration can also contribute creativity and responsibility to the roles they play.

6. Move Quickly

Change is happening so fast that it is necessary to make your move quickly. While it is important to think through your decisions, there are changes to which response has to be fast to stay ahead of competition.

7. Be Customer Oriented

Ultimately, it is your customers who keep you in business.

Be aware of your customers’ needs and wants. When they provide feedback on your products and services or require support, listen and take appropriate action.

If there are complaints, handle them. Be glad that they remain your customers despite the complaint. A complaint well-handled will get you a happier customer.

8. Take Action

While having ideas and strategies are great, a difference is made only when action is taken.

It is necessary to study and research whatever decisions you make. However, remember that often you may not get all the information you would like to have to make the decision.

Make your best judgment call and take the required action to make the decisions work out well.

Creating a positive work environment may be about environment and comfort. More importantly, it is the passion that you create within the organization by bringing people together to deliver a vision.

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – Creating A Positive Work Environment.

Achieving Results Through Processes

Everybody in an organization follows processes.  Unfortunately, many of these processes are not designed from the outset and are almost invariably not documented.

Q: So what is meant by a process?

A: Processes can be defined in many ways, such as the following:

•    ‘Directives to communicate established methods for performing and administering work’

•    ‘Mode of Conducting Business’

•    A specific way to perform an activity

•    The flow of work that links people together to produce a defined output

•    Implementation of Policies

•    A document describing a specified sequence of actions within a process (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW, WHY)

Q: So, how does a process differ from a procedure or a work instruction?

A process involves more than 1 person and can be understood at different levels of complexity, so a “High Level” process might be “Operate the business”, one of its sub-processes might be the “Procurement process ” and a sub-sub-process (often called a procedure) might be “Purchase Stationary”.

Work instructions are essentially procedures that:

•    Are specific in nature.

•    Detail a task (HOW to).

•    Are directed to one job function.

•    Support one part of a procedure.

•    Reference standards.

•    Invariably have a specific output.

•    Are necessary where the method is critical to the result.

•    May be combined into Manuals (e.g. for an operational activity).

Q: Why will documenting your processes help your company?

A: If process are not documented, there is a lack of clarity about “WHO does WHAT, WHERE, WHY, WHEN and HOW”.

Q: So what are the benefits of documenting your processes?

A: The following are some of the key benefits:

•    You define Who does WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW and WHY.

•    You can identify where processes are breaking down.

•    You can assess the value of each activity in the process.

•    Accountability, Authority and Responsibilities are defined for the people involved.

•    The boundaries between processes are defined.

•    Critical process flows are defined.

•    The process can be measured.

•    Dependencies between processes are identified.

•    Processes can be changed in a controlled way.

•    Resource requirements can be identified.

•    Processes can be replicated.

•    It becomes easier to establish whether processes are capable of doing what they were designed for.

•    Cycle times are reduced

•    Process costs are known

•    Quality of the deliverables improves

Q: So how should you go about documenting your processes?

The best way to go document your processes is to use the following 6 step process:

•    Step 1: Define the high level Business Process map (Contains the level 1 Processes)

•    Step 2: Decompose each Process into Sub-Processes (NB: Some sub-processes will be based on Life-Cycles, such as Development, Maintenance etc and will need further breakdown to lower Level sub-sub-processes)

•    Step 3: Select a Sub-Process to document

•    Step 4: Map the Sub-process (Capture the information needed to draft the initial Process Definition).

•    Step 5: Review the draft and update as required until approved

•    Step 6: Implement the process, train the users and support while in the early stages

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – Achieving Results Through Processes.

How to Succeed at Public Speaking

If you are afraid to speak in public, don’t feel bad you are not alone. Over 40% of the adult population is. In fact, fear of speaking in public is the highest ranked fear that all people have. Mostly this is due to a feeling that you won’t succeed but rather fail and be ridiculed or laughed at and no one wants that. Some people avoid it at all cost, including the potential to succeed or excel in their field. It doesn’t have to be this way for you. We’ve got some tips for you here which, if implemented should help you tremendously.

For most people, the most common place where they need to speak in public is in the workplace. Usually, you either need to inform your coworkers of the project you are working on or you need to sell an idea across to people higher up in the company. Don’t panic yet. If you take some time to plan it out you’ll do ok. Preparation is key.

One of the most important things before speaking in front of others is to know your material thoroughly. Make sure you’ve covered all areas of what you will be discussing. If you know what you are talking about, you won’t feel as nervous or flustered. Try to anticipate what questions others may have and be ready with an answer. If it’s at all complicated, try to think of different ways to say it, so everyone will understand. Diagrams may help you here to illustrate your point. Once you’ve done this, practice out loud somewhere by yourself if possible at first then in front of a friend or coworker later if it’s important.

If it’s appropriate you may want to hand out either an outline or a few illustrations. It may help to have some eyes looking at these occasionally and not all of them looking at you all the time.

As much as it’s humanly possible, try to relax. Breathe deeply. Since most people fear public speaking, others know it’s not easy and will be rooting for you not against you. If you are the type that can make small jokes, you can try one if appropriate. It helps your audience to relax as well.

If someone asks you a questions you don’t know or aren’t sure about, you can say something like “that’s a good question” and think for a few seconds, then if you know the answer great, answer it, and if you don’t you can say something like “I’m not sure about that, I think Bill might be able to answer that for you”. Make sure you name someone who you think would definitely know the answer. Other wise, you can tell them you will check into it and get back to them.

Arrive early to your meeting or presentation to make sure everything is there that you need and working properly.

Don’t say anything about being nervous to your audience, some people may not notice and you don’t want to bring it to their attention if they don’t. You may do better than you expect.

Try not to speak to fast, semi slow and clear is the way to go. Try not to speak in a monotone voice either. Add some inflection to your speech.

Keep things simple and to the point. Try not to drag on if at all possible. You don’t want to bore your audience.

A lot of people in sports use visualization to imagine themselves accomplishing their goal. This can work for you too. Visualize yourself succeeding with your public speaking.

Public speaking is a valuable tool you can learn and use throughout your life. The more you practice it and gain confidence the better you will get.

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – How to Succeed at Public Speaking.

Keeping Your Employees Motivated

Keeping your employees motivated with high morale is the most important function of a manager. This article provides a list of actions that can be taken to keep employees producing for the success of the organisation.

The first three suggestions are related to the physical characteristics of the work place:

1. Make sure that the work place is clean and well-lighted.

2. Give employees the proper equipment (furniture, computers, machinery) to perform their jobs efficiently and comfortably.

3. Design the work flow such that there are few bottle-necks and downtime.

The following are suggestions for keeping employees’ morale high:

1. Reward employees with the highest rank and status justified by their aptitude, performance, and contribution to the success of the organisation.

2. Provide salary and wages based on the employees’ performance and value to your organisation.

3. Provide a meaningful annual review which includes recognition for work accomplishments and an honest assessment of areas where the employee could improve.

4. Give employees effective feedback on their work, including giving reasons for work assignments, the assignments contribution to the organisation, and how the assignment contributes to the success of the organisation.

5. Delegate as much authority to employees as they can handle effectively.

6. Provide positive incentives rather than negative incentives.

Consider the following actions related to communicating effectively with your employees:

1. Listen to employees–really listen.

2. Allow employees to air their grievances–even if they reflect on your perceptions of your own performance.

3. Give credit for actions, ideas, and suggestions for improvement to operations. (Never take credit for actions or ideas of your employees.)

4. organise your operations so that everyone can make a contribution by offering suggestions for improvement. Consider all suggestions seriously. If you find that the suggestion can’t be implemented, give a full reason for not adopting it.

5. Show a genuine interest in each employee without becoming a bore.

Now that you’ve been presented with a series of actions that you can take to improve the morale and motivation of your employees, here’s one more important point to remember:

Each manager comes into the job with a set of attitudes and behaviors that have developed over a period of years. In most cases a new manager needs to take stock of his or her attitudes and behaviors that might not be effective as a manager.

Most new manager don’t take the time (or even realise that they need) to assess their skills related to being an effective manager.

Let the list above serve as a checklist of areas where you need to make improvements to be successful as a manager.

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – Keeping Your Employees Motivated.

The Importance of Performance Reviews

If you employ people in your business, you’re going to be faced with a number of tricky management issues – dealing with tardiness, sick leave, and keeping your staff motivated.

Performance reviews can be useful for motivating employees, but only if they are accurate. An inaccurate review, which fails to recognize the employee’s value to the organization, can be worse than no review at all.

If a performance review fails to take note of an employee’s shortcomings, it won’t be taken seriously.

If an employee consistently performs poorly, it’s vital to document this, as well as any corrective action that is taken.

Your staff may be genuinely unaware that their performance in some areas is poor (or exceptional!), unless you tell them.

Most employers conduct performance reviews annually, in order to decide on salary increases and bonuses. Since performance reviews should build on previous reviews, it’s better to conduct them more regularly – every 4 months is a good frequency.

Employees thrive on feedback, and regular performance reviews provide a consistent framework for providing positive reinforcement.

Under-performing employees can also benefit. Regular reviews can identify weak performance areas, and allow you to set clear goals and expectations, and to coach and mentor the employee to improve their performance.

Objectivity is vital. You need to  concentrate on measuring performance, and not on quirks of personality.

The performance review should relate directly to the employee’s job profile – your employees do have job profiles, or job descriptions, don’t they? The job profile should identify the Key Performance Areas for the job.

For instance, some Key Performance Areas for a receptionist might be:

answer incoming calls within 3 rings

take messages accurately and pass them on quickly

type at a rate of 25 words a minute

The more measurable a Key Performance Area, the better. Some other measurable Key Performance Areas include:

number of sick days

number of absent days

number of instances of tardiness

number of customer complaints

number of customer compliments

number of co-worker complaints

Of course, you would have to keep accurate records of all of these, in the employee’s personal file.

You should prepare a performance review form for each employee, which lists the Key Performance Areas for the job, and provides a matrix for you to record the performance in each area.

For example, you might rate the employee’s performance in each Key Performance Area against a scale of ‘Poor, Satisfactory, Good, Very Good, Excellent’

Performance reviews should be a collaborative process – as far as possible, the employee should agree with your assessment .

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – Articles: Operations & Resources – The Importance of Performance Reviews.

Dealing With Communication Overload

They come via e-mail…voice mail…fax…instant messages…pager…Blackberry…cell phone…Skype. You receive even more during meetings, be they teleconference, video conference, Web conference, or the good old fashioned face to face kind. Even before we get to the office in the morning and, for many of us, well into the evening, we are inundated with incoming communications from these sources and more. It seems as though during every moment someone is trying to inform, teach, solicit to, solicit from, question, update, delegate to, warn, disagree with and sometimes even entertain us.

This tidal wave of incoming communication can be overwhelming, leaving us feeling fatigued, irritable and/or distracted. It can negatively impact everything from our work performance to how we interact with our families and friends. It can result in something as minor as forgetting to buy milk on the way home to as major as being involved in an automobile accident. In other words, communication overload can be harmful to our health.

While for the most part we are unable to control or lessen the amount of incoming messages we receive each day, we can develop strategies for dealing with them more effectively rather than letting them engulf us. Incorporating the following tips can enable you to nip communications overload in the bud:

1. Schedule your time better in advance. Are you checking your e-mail between every other task you perform? Break that habit by trying to limit your trips to the inbox to specific time periods during the day, such as an hour at the beginning and end of the day, or 10 minutes at the top or bottom of each hour. You’ll be amazed by how much more time you’ll have to accomplish things that matter more to you.

2. Cloak your instant messaging screen name or, if that’s not possible, put up the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your instant messenger once in a while to carve out some uninterrupted time. During this span, also let your phone calls go to voice mail and text messages go temporarily unanswered. These actions are particularly important during times when you’re interacting with people face to face; except in rare circumstances, live interaction should always take precedence over technological devices. Watch how your interpersonal relationships both at work and and home soar when you begin to give people more undivided attention.

3. Learn to determine and rank the urgency of each message you receive, regardless of means. Delete, file or ignore unimportant ones, and devote as much time as possible to only those that pertain to pressing or essential issues. When you look back on your day, you’ll discover that you’ll experience a greater sense of accomplishment when you do this.

Taking a few proactive measures to confront communication overload is so much healthier than multitasking your way into a state of exhaustion or allowing incoming communications to control your life. Not only that, but you’ll also see immediate improvements in your work, home life and overall sense of satisfaction as well.

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – Dealing With Communication Overload.

The Bottom Line On Satisfied Employees

The success of an organization does not solely depend on management but on the work of its employees as well. An employee that enjoys his or her position and feels rewarded by their efforts will ultimately be the most successful in their careers and the most beneficial to the company.

There is nothing like being around happy, satisfied employees who bring their optimism and productivity to the organization. These are the employees who are the most attentive to the needs of the customer and strive to go that extra mile to be the most helpful.

A positive attitude is contagious and can change the attitude of every staff member around. However, just as a positive mindset is easily spread, so is a negative one. If a member of the team is unhappy, watch out! His or her negative attitude can become infectious – contaminating fellow co-worker and customers alike.

Pessimistic employees can breed an atmosphere of low morale which equals decreased productivity, employee turnover, and unproductive time spent gossiping and complaining among co-workers.

In order to combat negativity in the  work place, it is essential that employees receive ongoing motivation from management to perform their work to the best of their abilities. Regular contact with employees is necessary to show that you care about their contributions.

5 Ways Great Managers Improve Employee Performance

It may appear that all great managers know the secret to improving an employees performance. But what these managers know is no secret at all: everything you ever needed to know about enhancing the productivity of your employees is actually contained in a few simple techniques that are guaranteed to increase the efficiency of your business.

5 Things That Every Great Manager Knows

These five things are not profit margin, gains, losses, tax deductions, or assets – but instead are the human factors of management.

You cannot put a price or value on the factors that drive an employees performance. This is because most people remain with an employer because of the quality and satisfaction derived from a rewarding and balanced workplace.

Great managers recognize and respect this “x factor” of the business world and work to improve it with these simple tips.

1. Motivation

Every employee is unique; therefore the motivation to perform better will be different for each person. Identify the motivator for each employee and provide opportunities that encourage their interest and performance.

2. Setting Goals

Make sure you have a vision for how you want your business to operate now and in the future. Communicate your vision to your employees so that they are directing their energies toward a common goal. They will feel like they are a part of the business and this will enhance performance.

3. Praise

Take advantage of big and small opportunities to praise your employees for work well done. Your recognition of their performance means a lot and it is important that you acknowledge their efforts.

4. Feedback

Be lavish with praise but selfish with criticisms -but do offer kind words of constructive feedback that makes your employees feel respected and valued.

5. Management

Be available as a resource to your employees. They should feel comfortable to approach you with questions and concerns and not feel as if they are imposing on your time. They should be able to depend upon you for guidance and as a model of what excellent performance is all about.

A Last Word…

As you can see, there is no one secret to improving the performance level of employees. You can start today with these simple tips that are easy to implement into the everyday workings of your business. After all, your employees and business deserve anything and everything that will help them flourish and continue to grow.

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – Articles: Operations & Resources – 5 Ways Great Managers Improve Employee Performance.

Outsourcing Can Be Your Ticket To Success

Outsourcing is when you hire someone from outside of your business to perform certain necessary tasks.

Different marketers have different reasons for outsourcing their business tasks. It all depends on what they want or need to accomplish, how much time they can personally devote to particular tasks, and how they value their time.

One mistake that many small business owners make is thinking they have to do everything themselves, either for reasons of creative control, or because they think outsourcing is not a justifiable expense.

The truth is, if you can outsource part of your business workload, you will be able to devote more of your time to tasks that hold more value and importance for your business.

In some cases, businesspeople outsource some of their work because they do not have the equipment or resources, or they do not have the expertise to do it themselves. Or they may simply need help through a busy period.

Whatever the reason for outsourcing, if planned with purpose, it can contribute to the productivity and ultimate success of a business.

One advantage of outsourcing is the fact that it is much more efficient than hiring, training and supervising new employees. Simply hire a professional, tell them what needs to be done and let them go to it. A side benefit is you won’t need more office space to accommodate more people. Not only does outsourcing leverage your time, it can also help to leverage your resources.

Additionally, when you outsource some of your workload, you won’t need to worry about additional paperwork involved with hiring an employee, such as tax forms and scheduling. And you won’t have employee costs like taxes, vacation time, workers compensation and so on.

Another advantage is that you won’t need to purchase or lease new equipment or go through the ever-challenging process of learning new software or new skills.

The key benefit to outsourcing is the time it frees up for you to concentrate on more important business-building tasks.

You can focus on your marketing efforts; work on improving your customer service; devote some time to new product development; speed up your delivery system; develop new markets; land some bigger customers and larger orders; expand your services to take on any overflow your competitors can’t handle.

Some small business marketers may look at outsourcing as a burden of expense rather than a benefit. “How can you justify the expense,” they ask, “when sales and income are low?”

The thing is, if sales are low, that is exactly why you need to outsource some of your tasks – so you can devote more time and attention to your marketing and advertising in order to generate more sales, faster.

The key is to have a solid marketing plan. Know what you need to do to achieve your sales and income goals; identify the tasks that are critical for you to pay personal attention to, and determine which tasks can be delegated to an outside service.

Outsourcing is just one of many resources at your disposal. When used wisely, outsourcing can definitely contribute to your business and marketing success.

via UK Business Advisors Ltd | UKBA – Outsourcing Can Be Your Ticket To Success.