Actual for You - Business

Do You Have a Generation Gap at Your Cleaning Company?
In today's workforce there is a new phenomenon happening - there are four distinct generations that are out there working together. What does this mean for your cleaning company? Each generation is unique, which means they bring different attitudes and opinions to their job. This affects you in everything from recruiting to solving conflicts to motivating your cleaning company employees.To understand what motivates each group, it is important to take a step back and look at their values in general:The Traditionalists or veterans group were born before 1946 and are now 60 years or older. This is a postwar generation and their nature is to be loyal to a single employer and they expect the same loyalty in return. This generation typically did not grow up with material wealth and they tend to be frugal. As far as the workplace, they show up on time and they take orders well. The Traditionalists show respect to their employers as well as their elders.Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. They are the biggest group out in the workforce today. These are the children of the Traditionalists. This group grew up with little in the way of toys or nice clothes, and because of that vowed to make sure their children grew up with everything they didn't have. This group grew up earning an allowance and understand the principle of working hard to earn a living.Generation X - Gen Xers were born between 1965 and 1980. They are the children of the Baby Boomers. Many individuals in this group grew up with both parents working. This gene

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I have a method for measuring and keeping track of my goal achievement
I ensure that the members of my team know on a regular basis the status of the Company’s goal achievement

My goals for myself as a Foreman and for my team tie into the Company’s goals
I set goals that stretch and challenge me
I achieve a high proportion of the goals I set
I enjoy challenges, and see them as opportunities for growth

Personal Productivity
I clearly understand my priorities
I spend only a small portion of my time in crisis management
I delegate work to others in an effective manner

My area of responsibility runs smoothly when I am not there
I accept personal responsibility when I make a mistake
I ensure that meetings I run have a clear agenda and start and finish on time
I plan my work in advance and work the plan
I rarely procrastinate or leave things to the last minute
I keep others informed, in advance, when I cannot meet their deadlines

Motivating Others

I give feedback on a timely basis
I know the people on my team well enough to understand what is important to them
I believe in the abilities of people on my team and communicate my confidence in them

I provide (or am instrumental in obtaining) training for the people on my team that they need to develop the skills necessary to do their job well
I ensure clear goals and expectations are set with those people who report to me

Morale in my department (team) is high
I

Opportunity Does Not Knock
Q: I’m graduating this year with a degree in business and would like to start my own business rather than get a corporate job. I have a few business ideas, but none of them really gets me excited. Should I just put my business plans on hold and get a job until the right opportunity comes along? -- Carlton M.A: Congratulations on the impending degree, Carlton. Never having attended a higher institution of learning myself, I have great respect for anyone who can withstand four years of non-mandatory schooling and emerge with sheepskin in hand. I drove by a college once. It looked hard, so I kept going. I do have a pair of sheepskin boots, but I don’t think they ever helped me get a job. They do make me taller, but that’s another story.Seriously, I envy your position and applaud your efforts. You’re young, you’re educated, you’re ambitious, you’re probably much better looking than me, and soon you’ll leave the comfort and warmth of your tiny dorm room to go out into the big, cold, cruel world to seek your fortune and make your mark. The fun is just about to begin, my friend. I hope you’re ready for the ride. If you think college was tough, just wait until real life sets in.Now on to your question: should you put your business plans on hold and get a job until the right opportunity comes along. I really can’t make that call for you. That’s a decision you’ll have to make for yourself, based on your situation, your goals, your finances, your responsibilities, your commitments, and all the other factors that make Carlton’s world go aro

Introduction

Supervising is like parenting. These are two of the most important jobs any one can do, but few people are adequately prepared or trained to do them. Most people learn by trial and error with varying degrees of success. But both jobs are far too important to be left to chance and the good news is that you can learn with some help and guidance how to be successful in them. This article will help you to be a more effective and efficient supervisor.

Supervisor’s Role

In one sentence, write down what you think your main role as a supervisor is. A role is a main activity or two that you are charged with undertaking

The answers could be: · Provide leadership and collaborative direction to my staff;
· To be a team leader
· To ensure my staff have the human and physical resources to undertake their work in an efficient manner Supervisor's Responsibilities

Learning Activity

What are your main supervisory responsibilities in your present job? List them on a separate piece of paper (you should have 8 to 12). It is sometimes easier to think of these under two main headings: (a) job related and (b) people related. Once you have a list, then rank them in order of importance. When you have completed this activity, look at the examples other examples of supervisory responsibilities provided by the author.

Job Related
· Cost Control
· Equipment
· Goals
· Materials
· Plans
· Procedures
· Productivity
· Quality
· Standards
· Training

People Related
· Coaching
· Communicating
· Delegating
· Disciplining
· Leadership
· Managing yourself
· Motivating
· Supervising others

Learning Activity:

Current Obstacles & Challenges What obstacles do you personally face now that makes it difficult for you to fulfil some of these responsibilities? They may stem (1) from you, (2) from your unit or (3) the organization as a whole. List then and then rank them in order of importance:

New Ways of Supervising

Over the years, the role of a supervisor has changed significantly from being a top down, autocratic order-giver to a team leader, coach and motivator.
· from ordering to asking; and consulting.
· from telling to listening and asking questions.
· from policing to coaching.
· from each person for himself to teamwork.
· from fear to mutual respect.

This change has come about, not because people are becoming “soft-hearted,” but because it is now very clear that people are more productive if they are happy, motivated and upbeat. This takes place in an employee-friendly environment. The change is one of enlightened self-interest on the part of managers who decide what training is appropriate for their supervisors. They know that happy employees are productive employees. Review and discuss about briefly the following chart “Leadership Styles”

Guidelines for Supervisory Behaviour

Without having a clear idea of what is acceptable behaviour for a supervisory, you are likely to model your behaviour after some role model in your life: a parent, a teacher, a boss. This could be good; but it could be disastrous if any of these people is dictatorial and demanding, or weak and indecisive.

A major benefit of this supervisory training program is that it provides you with guidelines about what is acceptable supervisory behaviour, and what is not. It also provides you with the skills to bring about this behavioural change. Once you know this, you will be more confident in what you do, as you won’t be wondering whether you are taking the right action. Also, if you train with other people, you will all learn the same skill set and you will be able to help each other in the future when challenges arise.

Supervisor's Self-Assessment Survey

The Self-Assessment of Supervisory Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes survey below may look formidable but it effectively outlines the areas that you need to eventually master in order to become an outstanding supervisor. Don’t be dismayed, you don’t have to master all these areas in a month or two. It will take time and you will need to systematically work away at one or two areas at a time.

Most supervisors get promoted because they are “good on the job.” They are hard working, productive. Hopefully, they are also loyal to the company and a good team player. While this is a good start to being a good supervisor, there are other skills they need to develop in terms of leadership: how to inspire, motivate, coach, delegate, discipline, plan, team-build etc. This is what this program is about.

Self-Assessment Survey Directions

Read through the list below without marking it up, then the second time around, Put a YES, NO or MAYBE to record what you think your skill or knowledge level is. This will give you a good idea where your strengths and weaknesses are

Supervisor's Self-Assessment Survey

Leadership

I have a clear understanding of the Company’s goals and objectives
I understand how my role fits into the goals of the Company
I have a clear vision of the objectives of my area
I communicate the Company and area goals to the people under my supervision (my team) on a regular basis
I give frequent feedback to the people in my team to encourage their development and the achievement of their goals and objectives
I recognize and celebrate the successes of those in my team
I feel that the people in the Company are our most important assets
I believe that I treat others as I would like to be treated myself
I consciously work at setting an example of effective leadership
I am actively working on developing a positive self-image
My own enthusiasm is increasing the desire of my team to do better

Goal-setting

I have a written annual plan and personal performance goals which have been agreed upon by me and the person to whom I report
I work with my team regularly to help them set SMART goals that support their workplace development
I break down my annual goals into shorter-term goals
I review the progress of my goals regularly
I have a method for measuring and keeping track of my goal achievement
I ensure that the members of my team know on a regular basis the status of the Company’s goal achievement

Personal Productivity
I clearly understand my priorities
I spend only a small portion of my time in crisis management
I delegate work to others in an effective manner

Motivating Others

Morale in my department (team) is high
I

Housing Starts - Why Business Won't Be Usual
Some will blame current economic pressure on a subprime market that was more enthusiastic than realistic. Housing starts are down with consumer confidence following suit. According to The Conference Board its “March [2007] consumer confidence index fell to 107.2, the lowest level since November and a decline that was larger than Wall Street expected.”The good news is the Dow has performed well in the midst of this news while labor statistics remain strong.Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony before Congress on March 28th, 2007 found him concerned about the impact of defaults on subprime loans. Bernanke indicated that, “Although the turmoil in the subprime mortgage market has created severe financial problems for many individuals and families, the implications of these developments for the housing market as a whole are less clear. The ongoing tightening of lending standards, although an appropriate market response, will reduce somewhat the effective demand for housing, and foreclosed properties will add to the inventories of unsold homes.”Interestingly, news of the ‘bubble pop’ in subprime lending is rippling around the world. The European Union as well as Australia have been monitoring this leading economic indicator.Chairman Bernanke indicated subprime loans account for about 10% of all mortgages. If banks have lost their ability to derive a profit from these loans it may signal a slow down in this sector of lending adding additional pressure to housing starts along with the potential for loan default. This n

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People Related
· Coaching
· Communicating
· Delegating
· Disciplining
· Leadership
· Managing yourself
· Motivating
· Supervising others

Learning Activity:

New Ways of Supervising

Guidelines for Supervisory Behaviour

Supervisor's Self-Assessment Survey

Self-Assessment Survey Directions

Supervisor's Self-Assessment Survey

Leadership

Goal-setting

Personal Productivity
I clearly understand my priorities
I spend only a small portion of my time in crisis management
I delegate work to others in an effective manner

Motivating Others

Morale in my department (team) is high
I

Dynamic Sorority Fund Raising Idea Revealed
If you are in college and need to raise money for an upcoming event you may find that a little creativity can go a long ways to raising big dollars for your sorority. When you have the advantage of several sorority members you can plan some great fundraising events. This article will help you discover a creative sorority fund raising idea that is sure to be a winner.The best way to get your sorority fund raising ideas of the ground is to think of a theme. Once you have created a theme then you can plan many types of sorority fund raising events around the same theme. The reason that you want a theme is to convey your message better and raise more money.Now It Is Time to Be CreativeThe first thing you need to realize with any fund raiser is that the idea behind most donors is -- they want to help your cause. They like helping you because it makes them feel they are doing something worth while. The most successful sorority fund raising idea will come from sororities that realize how they can capitalize on their members.If you have a large sorority you should be able to spread the word about many businesses that support your cause. The best sorority fund raising idea you can have would be one that will utilize advertising for local businesses in your community.One fantastic sorority fund raising idea is to use advertising and print small signs up. Next have the sorority members wear theses ads on their shirts and other cloth

your behaviour after some role model in your life: a parent, a teacher, a boss. This could be good; but it could be disastrous if any of these people is dictatorial and demanding, or weak and indecisive.

Supervisor's Self-Assessment Survey

Self-Assessment Survey Directions

Supervisor's Self-Assessment Survey

Leadership

Goal-setting

Personal Productivity
I clearly understand my priorities
I spend only a small portion of my time in crisis management
I delegate work to others in an effective manner

Motivating Others

Morale in my department (team) is high
I

Translation - The Key to Excellent Customer Service
How Translation Services Help You with Customer ServiceThere's a German saying that I love to quote: If I'm selling, I'll speak English, but if I'm buying, Sie mussen deutsch sprecken (you have to speak German). I like that sentence because it points out the one thing that American companies seem to get right domestically, but not internationally: customer service comes first.Here in the land of "the customer is always right," we tend to think that the customer always speaks English. And, a lot of the time, we're right. In Denmark, for example, English is taught from elementary school up. English is the most popular foreign language taught to grade schoolers in the EU and has quickly become a powerful language of commerce throughout all of Asia. But just because someone speaks a language doesn't mean that they speak it well or that you should expect them to. Your customers may speak English, but when it comes to strengthening your sales, is English the language of customer service?Papa Johns International, CNN, Wells Fargo, the American Lung Association, Lowe's, even the IRS--across multiple industries, through online and print advertising, American business are starting to tap into the 52 million people in this country who speak a language other than English at home. These people just aren't immigrants; they're a target market. That's why companies like Bank of America, DISH Network, and AT&T are offering their websites in Spanish--because they want to reach out to this market. Because if they don't reach out to them, s

gram is about.

Self-Assessment Survey Directions

Supervisor's Self-Assessment Survey

Leadership

Goal-setting

Personal Productivity
I clearly understand my priorities
I spend only a small portion of my time in crisis management
I delegate work to others in an effective manner

Motivating Others

Morale in my department (team) is high
I

The Use of the Internet for Finding Good Jobs
You are looking for a job and you don’t know where to start. Don’t panic, this is a frequent problem job seekers come across every day. The best place to start is Internet. Things aren’t as they use to be a few years ago when everyone would have looked for a new job in a newspaper or trade magazine. Companies used head hunting and search firms in order to find good workers. Nowadays employers look for new workers over the Internet and employees use it to look for jobs.It may look as finding a job over Internet would be a simple thing to do. Well, the reality is that things are never simple. The problem is that there are too many online job listings. In other words, there are hundreds of career sites who are listing available jobs from all over the world.This huge number of career sites looks like a good thing, nonetheless like a problem. How does this become a problem? Well, job seekers surf the Internet every day, looking for a new job. Every day, thousands of available jobs are being posted over hundreds of career web sites. This means that any regular job seeker has plenty of options for finding a good job. But sometimes this means too many options, and too many options could be confusing. You may want to use the career sites for finding a new job, but you have no idea where to start.The first thing you should know is that popular career web sites are a good place to start with. But what will you do after visiting these sites? You should go to sites where job seekers post their resumes. Here is an important tip for you: never

gularly
I have a method for measuring and keeping track of my goal achievement
I ensure that the members of my team know on a regular basis the status of the Company’s goal achievement

Personal Productivity
I clearly understand my priorities
I spend only a small portion of my time in crisis management
I delegate work to others in an effective manner

Motivating Others

Morale in my department (team) is high
I always share credit for success
I ensure that people on my team are clear about what their responsibilities are
I ask questions and encourage people to find out answers to their concerns
I listen to the ideas of others
I am flexible in how things get done, providing the results are satisfactory

When things go wrong, I question what I could have done differently. I share responsibility.

Coaching for Success
I coach my people to help them achieve success in what they do
I provide one-on-one sessions with each person who reports to me
I ensure that during coaching sessions the other person(s) talk more than I do
I really listen to understand the concerns of others
I help others to be self-aware of the areas in which they deed to improve or develop
I support the goals set by individuals on my team
I help members of my team to be accountable for their goals and performance
I deal openly, constructively and promptly with any negative performance issues
I encourage and ask for feedback on my own performance from my team

Communications and Building Relationships

I listen to understand the other person’s perspective before I give mine
I always wait until others have finished talking before I speak; I don’t interrupt
I spend time planning important communications, written or oral
I develop strong business relationships with the people on my team as well as with suppliers and customers

When people bring to my attention my own negative performance issues, I respond in a non-defensive manner
I speak calmly to people, not raising my voice, regardless of the issue at hand

If I have an issue with someone, I always deal directly with them, I do not talk behind their back
I observe others’ non-verbal communication to assess how they are really feeling
I maintain an open mind in most discussions
I seek and consider other people’s opinions

Dealing with Performance Issues
I deal with performance issues on a timely basis
I allow others to explain their viewpoint before coming to a conclusion
I see dealing with negative issues as an opportunity to train and develop people
I make sure that clear expectations are set and agreed upon with the individual after a performance issue discussion
I am willing to accept that my perception of an issue may not always be right
I avoid argument, accusation and sarcasm
I encourage others on my team to be open about their mistakes so that we can make corrections and learn

Team Building and Synergy

I see my position as Foreman as being a team leader and that those I supervise are all members of my team
I ensure that my team and it's members have clear goals and expectations
I am willing to delegate responsibility to team members
I give regular feedback to the members of my team; not just about negative issues but I also regularly tell members of my team when them have performed well

Others see me as a team player
I follow through on commitments I make to team members
The results of team efforts are shared with members of the team (e.g. I do not take all the credit for my team’s successes)
I actively promote team spirit and positive interpersonal relationships amongst the members of my team
As team leader, I move promptly to discourage behaviour by individual(s) in my team when such behaviour has a negative impact on team-building (e.g. “turf wars,” “inner circles,” “behind-back gossip” etc.

Managing Stress

I am aware of what causes me stress on the job and I manage those situations
I notice when team members are under stress and help them to deal with the situation
I discuss my concerns and problems with the person to whom I report
I do not take my work problems home, nor do I bring my home problems to work
I use small amounts of stress as a motivator
I enjoy most of the work I do
I strive to maintain a good balance between my workplace life and my home life
I eat a balanced diet
I exercise regularly

Enhancing Future Results
I am continually upgrading my skills
I am aware of areas I need to improve
I ask advice from people with more experience
I admit when I do not know something
I invest time in training or coaching others
I spend time weekly to study or read
I ask others regularly how they think I could improve

That is the conclusion of this article which I hope you have found helpful and informative.

Do check out my website too although it is not directly related to this subject, you may also find it interesting http://www.ehomebiz.org

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The job search world is plagued with a significant amount of conflicting advice. Here are some of the biggest myths clarified, by a professional recruiter.

In a world where bad service is almost expected, you can create an edge by giving superb service with these success strategies.

Recently a few scholars have been talking about franchising the world and luckily I am the one who is brought to their attention. They ask the obvious question, which has been asked before of major projects; if we franchise the nations of the world then who will build the franchise system and who will help the franchisees of the Third World countries who sign-up

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