Actual for You - Business

Business Systems - Not Just For Big Business
When I mention business systems to you, what comes to mind? Do you think of an IBM mainframe computer sitting in a big room in the middle of your building? Do you think of expensive, highly specialized software? That’s what many small business owners imagine. And they think it’s not for them. If that’s what you think, you’re only half right.Half right because expensive, highly specialized software is probably not for you. Half wrong because good business systems most definitely are. A business system isn’t hardware or software. It’s the way that you do any part of your business. It’s how you do things. You are using systems all the time, you just may not be using them efficiently.I regularly urge business owners to get everything they know about their business out of their head and onto paper. I’m urging you now to do the same with your systems. Start writing out how you do things in your business. At a minimum, write out how you treat your customers or clients, how your paperwork for each sale flows, how your production systems work, how you market to clients, and how you do your bookkeeping.Do this in detail. For each area, make a very detailed description of every step in the process. Include what you do and why you do

r own way of doing things and they do deliver results, but the means and methods are counter to the organization’s priorities and goals. This situation is one of the toughest a leader faces. Left alone, this conflict between values and procedures damages the credibility of the organization.

ROAD CLOSED
This is different from a stop sign. In the case of the stop sign, they are ready to move forward once you educate, clarify, or explain your intent. The road closed sign is more akin to outright insubordination and refusal to cooperate. This problem may evolve from the detour situation when an employee fails to heed your advice, exhortations, and counseling. In other cases, people may refuse to change because they do not feel you are committed to your path and will give up in a few months anyway, and then they can get back to mediocrity as usual. Unfortunately, this may happen with a small number of people.

EXIT RAMP SIGNS
These are the big green signs with the white arrows. They tell you the next move you have t

Franchise Information
Are looking to start a new business adventure? What type of business opportunity are looking for? A home based business? Buying an existing business that’s for sale from a private individual? Starting your own business? Or are you interested in purchasing a franchise? These are all viable options and there are advantages to each, it just depends on what you’re interested in. If you are more drawn to having your own business, but want to get a piece of a large established market, then possibly a franchise could be just what you’re looking for. Franchise information is abundant on the internet, which is a good place to start if you are seriously looking at this type of business option.There are many different types of franchise opportunities to choose from, which are discussed in detail on many sites that feature franchise information. There are home-based franchises for health and beauty products along with real estate investment, vending or ATM machines, and internet franchises. There is also quite a bit of franchise information available on businesses that sell food, such as Subway, Blimpies, Caliche’s Frozen Custard, Papa Murphy’s Take n Bake Pizza, and a number of other franchise opportunities. Another important consideration when browsing franchi

Wouldn’t it be great if your employees displayed easy to read and easy to understand signs? These signs would indicate how they are reacting to your new program or what they are thinking about your actions as a leader.

Just like traffic signs give us information, employees provide signs that give us information too. But employees are often subtle and hard to interpret, or we are not tuned in to looking for the signals, so we miss them. Let’s look at some of the signs your employees might be displaying. Your ability to tune in to these messages and adjust your activity will lead to success as you reach toward your objectives.

SPEED LIMIT 70
This is a good sign to see. Your employees are fully on board with your program or plan and actively support it. They understand the mission and are aligned with it. When asked to explain what the leader is trying to accomplish, they respond in the proper fashion, almost as if it were their own plan. At 70 mph there is still time to react to sudden dangers, to make mid-course corrections, and to interact with other stakeholders. This sign is characterized by a unity of purpose, a dedication to the mission, a sense of urgency, and a willingness to be creative.

Don’t confuse this sign with a situation in which there is no speed limit at all. While we want our employees to be productive, moving full speed ahead, they must know what they are working toward and, when possible, have a hand in crafting the vision.

STOP When your employees give you the stop sign, you have simply gone too far too fast and they are unable to follow you for now. They need something to be able to continue. You need to determine what that something is. They cannot or will not continue until you adjust what you are doing. This adjustment is difficult. First, you have to recognize that they are showing the stop sign, then you have to figure out why. Often that means you must take time to ask questions, a skill in itself, to get their input. In some cases, they may need a simple clarification, but in other cases, they may not agree with your course of action and you will need to persuade them to adopt what you want to do. In some cases, they may require training, while in others, they may need simple reassurance. The best way to get them moving depends on the reason they indicated for you to stop in the first place. A big mistake leaders make is not even seeing the stop sign. A bigger mistake is ignoring it, if seen, since the leader thinks the current course is best and that the employees will follow soon enough. To ignore the stop sign invites danger.

YIELD
Slow down; you are moving too fast. Your employees are not at a standstill here, but they are unable to fully support you. This sign means it’s time for active listening on your part. Again, you need to question people and react accordingly to get them up to speed. There can be several reasons for this sign. It is often seen in the downsized, fast-track world of today. “Yield” on the road means there are things coming together and you need to give way to the others to avoid a collision. In organizations, this potential collision can come from multiple agendas and multiple priorities.

DETOUR
This sign says the employees are working their own plan and — although they support the ultimate goal you have articulated (a successful project) — they are not using the means and methods you want to use to get there. As organizations adapt to changing market demands and implement new procedures, this situation is increasingly problematic. A glaring example is the senior employee who delivers profitable work but leaves a wrecked relationship with the other stakeholders – internal and external. The company professes to value integrity and caring, long-term relationships, but it does nothing when this person “does what it takes” to make money and trashes relationships.

Another manager may be great at producing work. However, he is stifling growth and initiative by his “my way or the highway” style. Yet the company says it values creativity and development of subordinates. In both cases, each employee has their own way of doing things and they do deliver results, but the means and methods are counter to the organization’s priorities and goals. This situation is one of the toughest a leader faces. Left alone, this conflict between values and procedures damages the credibility of the organization.

EXIT RAMP SIGNS
These are the big green signs with the white arrows. They tell you the next move you have to

Psychology Private Practice: Should You Be Free Of Managed Care?
As you will soon find in the following paragraphs, I believe it is possible as a therapist to help people and make a good living while enjoying an enviable lifestyle. Today a mental health practitioner in private practice faces this choice: Either work under contract for a profit-driven managed-care company and accept whatever fees and conditions they decree, or find clients who are willing to pay out of pocket for high-quality services.Yes, you can decide to operate primarily outside of managed care.I have, and so have hundreds, maybe thousands, of therapists. To do this, you need more than a bunch of tips and techniques. You need a systematized approach that works and some necessary skill sets.Why Are You Reading This? Maybe you are tired of working in the managed-care system and are thinking about starting a managed-care free practice. Maybe you have started a private practice, but are struggling to get private-pay clients. Maybe you have a good private practice, but feel you have not realized your full potential. You want a full practice of well-paying clients. Maybe you just want a few great ideas to take your practice to the next level. One good idea can sometimes make a big difference.Private practice has changed drastical

rections, and to interact with other stakeholders. This sign is characterized by a unity of purpose, a dedication to the mission, a sense of urgency, and a willingness to be creative.

EXIT RAMP SIGNS
These are the big green signs with the white arrows. They tell you the next move you have t

Is Volunteering Valuable for Furthering Your Career?
Because one of the free agent’s biggest challenges is finding enough work, I decided to write about the incredible value of volunteering. I thought back, and can confirm that close to 90% of the work I do and have done in the past has come my way because of a volunteer connection. Start by joining a group or organization in the field of your interest and then volunteer your talents. Yes, it does take time and effort, but I submit to you that you will get more business this way than ever doing the dreaded cold calling, direct mailing, and/or advertising. First of all, people like to do business with those they know and like. Secondly, if you have proved your credibility by doing what you commit to, you will stand out from all of the rest. I became a newspaper editor after writing as a volunteer for the paper for less than two years. Volunteer work is never a waste of time, and it is also a great way to meet potential clients and/or those who will recommend you to potential clients. If you are going to volunteer, make sure that you will be dependable and will always go “the extra mile.” Never, never say you will do something and then not follow through. When you do follow through, make sure that what you are doing is topnotc

agree with your course of action and you will need to persuade them to adopt what you want to do. In some cases, they may require training, while in others, they may need simple reassurance. The best way to get them moving depends on the reason they indicated for you to stop in the first place. A big mistake leaders make is not even seeing the stop sign. A bigger mistake is ignoring it, if seen, since the leader thinks the current course is best and that the employees will follow soon enough. To ignore the stop sign invites danger.

EXIT RAMP SIGNS
These are the big green signs with the white arrows. They tell you the next move you have t

Will Your Brand Take Root This Spring? - Part 1
Just as it takes a combination of all the right elements to make a beautiful garden grow, it takes more than a great logo, or a great ad to grow a successful business. How do the best businesses do it? They use an integrated approach to their marketing, combining a great visual identity with a compelling message that gets delivered through a variety of channels. People are bombarded with hundreds to thousands of messages a day. It’s just not reasonable to expect an ad that runs one time in one newspaper will be enough to get your prospects’ attention and rally them to action.Over the next few issues of our newsletter, we’ll be sharing thoughts with you on various channels of marketing and advertising in order to clarify the pros and cons of each one and to demonstrate why a layered, or integrated, approach is worth every dollar you’ll invest. We’ll start with the obvious -- your visual identity.Your visual identity -- it’s more than a logo Strong brands use every opportunity to mark their world and their customers’ world with the organization’s visual identity. Do you? Sure individuality is important, but how often have we gone into a store or office and not been sure who’s a customer and who’s an employee? Rewarding your staff with high

In organizations, this potential collision can come from multiple agendas and multiple priorities.

EXIT RAMP SIGNS
These are the big green signs with the white arrows. They tell you the next move you have t

Promotional Pens: Writing Your Edge in Business
Pens are used by almost everybody, from students, professionals, housewives, company executives and virtually any type of job. Therefore making a promotional pen that contains the company logo, a product name, a company design and any marketing idea that a company wants the public to see is definitely effective. It reminds your customer of your company each time the pen is used. Promotional pens could be used as low-cost promo pens at the point of sale or better-quality promo pens a consumer will keep and use everyday. Promotional pens are perfect giveaways for corporate events, launchings, tradeshows, exhibits and other marketing activities.The business of making promotional pens is very challenging. It should answer the very question a prospective client will ask you. “Why would we choose your company to make promotional pens for us?” or “What makes you different from others who are also into promotional pen business?” Likewise, if you are part of a company that is looking for potential suppliers of promotional pens, you should be very careful in choosing one.The goal should always be to develop a promotional pen that will meet or even exceed the client’s expectations. Here are some tips that draw a line between a promotional pen that bring

EXIT RAMP SIGNS
These are the big green signs with the white arrows. They tell you the next move you have to make to stay on course. In business, these signs come from people who support you and what you are trying to accomplish and want to make it better. They are on board with the means and methods and even the general direction you are taking. However, they have ideas, suggestions, and contributions to make that will ease the trip and make it better for you and your organization.

For example, three months after implementing a new system to make the handoff between sales and operations better, a line supervisor comes to you and offers some thoughts on how to improve what you have already done. The exit ramp sign is a great signal because it sends a message of commitment, interest, and understanding of the mission. However, some leaders ignore this sign because they view a modification to their plan as an admission that it was lacking in the first place. This misguided and shortsighted behavior by leaders often leads to the detour and road closed sign from the people being led.

RAILROAD CROSSING
Danger ahead; you are doing something that is about to lead to a train wreck. Like the exit sign, the employees have information, but in this case, they are not sharing it with you and they will allow you to head right onto the tracks and crash. This sign is shown most often when the leader has previously diminished his or her credibility or refused to listen. Failure to heed this sign results in fairly large consequences. The least consequence is that somebody quits or is fired. Larger consequences include damaged reputation, unsuccessful projects, liquidated damages, claims, and litigation.

HISTORICAL MARKER
These are the signs tucked on the side of the road that you notice in the corner of your eye. Sometimes we stop to read one because we have time, and there it is. Other times, we stop because we are looking for a special one. Although they are not official traffic signs, they do serve a useful purpose for the traveler. These signs tell us the history of the area we are traveling in. They give us context and a sense of perspective. In business, this sign is displayed in two basic ways. First, it is displayed by the people being led — it just appears. In the second way, we ask for it.

For example, the new executive is overseeing a fairly large and complex project that is similar to other projects he has done. However, it is in a location he has never worked. As initial planning is completed and implementation begins, a manager who has recent experience with a similar project in the same city recognizes a situation that looks and smells a lot like one on the last project — a potential “rock in the road” that may cause lost time. He doesn’t tell the new executive simply because he doesn’t think it is important because the executive didn’t ask about it — if the executive did think it was important, surely he would have mentioned it. This is a case of a historical marker just waiting to be read.

DRIVING ON THE TRIP
If you are new to a leadership position, there is a good chance you are missing a lot of these signs because you are overloaded with your daily tasks. However, this may be your best opportunity to look for the signs. Think back to when you first learned to drive. Initially, you were too busy operating the car to focus on the other stuff around you, but shortly after that, you were getting the hang of it. You were more aware but weren’t getting complacent yet. Teach yourself now to look for the signs as part of your daily interactions with those you lead.

If you have been in leadership positions for some time, you too may be missing the signs. Think about your own driving now that you have been doing it for years. It comes quite naturally — you relax, you even do other things while you are driving. But, do you ever miss a turn? The answer is probably “yes,” and that means you were complacent or preoccupied with something else. You missed the sign. This happens at work too. For example, suppose you were recently promoted and are busy getting ready for the strategic planning retreat for which you have some great ideas. You don’t see the railroad sign from your assistan

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There are more and more top executives in Corporations calling it quits. Indeed this gives rise to the next generations to move up the ladder, unfortunately when we look at the cause of all these departures we see some huge problems. Namely all this change management is being caused by over regulation such as Sarbanes Oxley and CEOs realize that they will be hung out to dry if a mistake is made and find themselves in litigation or worse in Prison.

Your greatest challenge as an email fundraiser is your list. If your organization is typical, only 10% of the people in your donor file have given you their email address. And that list isn’t growing any larger all on its own.

It’s often said that you can’t manage what you don’t measure – one of the most important parts about business is monitoring your organisation’s performance. Traditionally this is done via a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). These usually support the organisations strategy or targets – for example if your business has a target of customer satisfaction you may have a KPI to have less than 1% customer returns made.

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