What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation were away for a week? How would it affect the running of your business or department? How would it affect you personally?If you are fortunate to have a personal assistant whom you heavily rely on to assist you, in most instances you would find yourself run ragged if they were absent for longer than a day.This week I spoke with two clients who were in the situation where their...more
Most people have no idea where their money goes. They earn it and they spend it.That's fine if you want to live from week to week and are not concerned about your financial future. However if you want to increase your wealth and have more options, action needs to be taken by you otherwise you could end up like most people further down the track, totally dependant on a pension.Karen's StoryKaren is the Marketing Manager for a well-known...more
Running a business or department can often stretch you to the limit.To be effective at doing what you do best, it's imperative to look at what tasks you can either delegate or outsource.DelegatingThis is an interesting word. For some people it means completely letting go of their responsibilities and getting someone else to do the work. Now that's all well and good providing that you train that person on how you've been handling those tasks. Show them how it's been done first. For many business owners and managers, delegating means completely abdicating all responsibility for a particular task to somebody else without showing them how. They expect that person to know immediately.Well, forget it. No wonder you often hear people say, "I tried to delegate that task but no-one was as good as me at doing it!" Or "I just couldn't find the right person who was capable of taking on those responsibilities". That's an interesting comment. Often people are given responsibilities for which they have had no training in and are then expected to know how to carry out those duties. A great example of this is when a person is promoted to manager/team leader and he/she is automatically expected to...more
Work addiction is very common in our society today, yet it is not one that is not highly recognised.An interesting article in the March edition of The Success Report published by Success Technologies stated:"Of all the addictions receiving attention today (including alcohol, drugs, gambling and food) work addiction is perhaps the least recognised...more
Do you realise that if you're green you're growing and if you're ripe you're rotten? So says Winston Marsh, Business Marketing Guru in his recent newsletter.Here's and excerpt from it ..."Over the last week or so I have been presenting a series of seminars for MYOB throughout New Zealand and I have made an amazing discovery.Most people would rather...more
Working from home can be a most effective way to be more productive! Today's open plan offices stop many people from getting their work done. The constant noise, phones ringing and colleagues interrupting can drive anyone to distraction!Many people would dramatically boost their productivity if they could spend some or all of their working week out of the main office and join the thousands of small business owners who work from home.However there are a few rules you need to follow to do this successfully:Establish a RoutineDecide on a starting and finishing time. Include breaks. Plan Your DayPrepare a 'to do list' each day and action it.Clean out the ClutterKeep your work area clean and tidy. You'll work far more effectively and reduce the stress levels.Organise Your Work AreaHave the right tools and systems to work with - an appropriate chair, desk, computer, filing system.Group Tasks TogetherDivide your day into similar activities. Make all phone calls in the morning and work on important tasks. Do errands later in the afternoon after the lunch-time rush or when you go to pick up the kids.Learn How to Say NO!Inform your family and friends of your working hours and that because...more
Running a successful business takes a lot of energy and there are so many areas that as a business owner you need to pay attention too.It's not enough to spend heaps of time, money and resources into getting buyers for your goods and services and...more
I've just finished reading a great book by Allan and Barbara Pease entitled "Why Men Lie and Women Cry". A true and humorous account of the differences between the sexes and full of practical ways to communicate effectively.I've enjoyed the book so...more
Last year I attended a presentation from Parenting Expert and well-known author, Stephen Biddulph on "Raising Boys". As I have an 11 year old son, I was interested to hear what Stephen had to say. In fact, so were the other 800 other parents in the...more
When is the best time to prepare for your success in life? What's that you say? " I have to actually have to prepare for it? Doesn't success just happen?"No. It doesn't. If you want to improve your life you have to take the action.An article by Jim...more
Why are people changing jobs so quickly these days?Here are a few reasons why: They have a boring job therefore they feel they are not achieving anything. They have no leader to follow. They feel unappreciated. They work long hours and want a...more
Why are you in business? Hopefully you enjoy what you do, however is it because you want to make money so that you can have, be and do more in your life?Who pays you? Your clients do and never forget that. Unfortunately many people do. They take your...more