Are you frustrated by the lack of growth in your firm, or the effort required to squeeze any up-tick in performance? Are inadequate policies and procedures a root cause? To find out, take this simple self assessment to see if this may be inhibiting real growth at your company.Q. Can you take an extended vacation without the company falling apart? A. If you answered "no" then you have a job and not a business. A business must have a system of...more
A common remedy for improving your time management is to develop the ability of saying, "NO." Since it is easier to recommend than to do, here are some tips on how to do it.1. Start with your own attitude. What is your self perception when you say, "NO?" Do you see yourself as a slacker? What about the perception of others, are you concerned about what others think of you? Are their opinions influenced by your refusal and does it really matter?...more
Introducing new products or services, bringing new people on board, developing a new process or procedure, installing new equipment, change seems to be the one constant in business today and change always seems to drive a need for training. In conducting training needs analysis at any level, we need to understand that training may not be the solution, at least not the whole solution. Training is normally employed with the expectation of changing individual performance. While training can, and does change the ability of individuals to perform, on-the-job performance also depends on other factors that form a complex interconnected human performance system. For any system to produce a desired performance output, there are always a number of factors that must be managed. Six-factors for human performanceThe following is a six-factor system model for human performance. In principle if you manage all six well, you will get the desired performance. If you ignore any of the six, the desired system performance becomes less likely. Training can indeed be an important part of a system solution, but if other parts are not provided, training may not be effective.1. Make expectations clear:The...more
Consumer BorrowingConsumer borrowing in the UK has now crashed through the £1 trillion barrier. 80% of this is due to credit card borrowing, loans and mortgages. How are people managing to handle their debt and what effect is debt having on families today?The National Consumer Council reports that 6 million families in the UK are already...more
What's REALLY potent for a business, non-profit or association manager is public relations' ability to alter individual perception leading to changed behaviors. And then, to persuade those key outside folks to the manager's way of thinking, and help move them to take actions that allow their department, division or subsidiary to succeed. Potent...more
Day after day my in box, and I'm sure yours as well, fills with opportunity propaganda on how to make money. Do this, and poof, you're rich. Become an affiliate and sell my ebook, and poof, you're making lots of money. I don't know about you, but I can't tell what's a good opportunity and what's not any more. Because of this, I created a list of nine criteria, a sort-of checklist, to use when I do find something that I don't think is full of "poof." 1. Is the product any good -- in my opinion, and in my markets? This is especially true for me. I've found that informational fre*e products are nothing more than a tease. I just get tired of wading through 150 pages to find four pages that have anything "real." In addition, if they aren't decently organized or written, less than 2 out of 25 reach this from the hundreds I've read, how different is the information? Why would anyone want to pay $49 or $249 for the same thing offered in a $20 book? E-books aren't books. People don't buy them for the same reason. Even if the product isn't an informational product, what is different, unique, and important enough for me to buy that I can't buy somewhere else for less? Are the solutions clear,...more
We must first emphasize that here we are talking about outsourcing CAD projects, which is significantly easier than outsourcing software development or IT services (earlier articles of mine have explained why).This article also assumes that selection...more
The notion that a business, non-profit or association manager can actually hold a big key to success in his or her own hands IS a thrilling idea! And it becomes more thrilling as the manager actually alters individual perceptions leading to changed...more
Every since serving a hitch in the military, I have been nagged by the question that's been hanging around leadership since time immemorial: How can some leaders persuade people to believe in them and follow them and other leaders can't? But it...more
Business cost for everyone can get out of control very fast. Here's ten simple yet POWERFUL ways to reduce cost that can have a GREAT effect on the health of your business.1. Barter If you have a business you should be bartering goods and services...more
Homeownership, in any form, is a big step for most people. In fact, it's often one of the biggest financial decisions of our lives. Despite that, sometimes a homeowner in one country will want to buy a second home in another country, whether for a...more
Due in part to the popularity of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s home auction program, more potential homebuyers than ever are buying homes at auction. Homes for auction aren't limited to just HUD, however. Many...more