2007 June « HR & Stuff

5 Tips to Help Keep Your Day Less Stressful

June 22, 2007 at 4:19 am (Advise, Attitude, Self-Development)

Cynthia Morse

Let’s face it – our days are busy, full, and often stressful. How can we possibly find order in this craziness on a daily basis? Here are some (hopefully) helpful tips:

1) Have your day planned ahead of time.
Either the day before, or right before the weekend, take five minutes to organize and plan for your next work day. Clean off your desk, and make a list of tasks that need to get done the following day, preferably in the order of priority.

2) Assign time blocks to each task.
I assign each task its own approximate time block. For example, “Write blog post, 30 minutes.” This helps me to keep track of how I’m spending my time, as well as to organize the multiple tasks on my plate each day.

3) Limit the number of times you read and answer e-mail.
The temptation is always there to read each e-mail that arrives when it arrives – especially if you have an alarm set that lets you know each time you get a new one. Try turning off this alarm, and then stick to checking e-mail just three times a day – morning, noon, and late afternoon.

4) Take an occasional break.
This is difficult for me, because I tend to get so wrapped up in what I’m doing that I don’t want to stop. I do, however, know the importance of taking breaks, and am training myself to get better at it. Stretch breaks are my favorite since I sit in front of my computer for most of the day. Even just five minutes a few times each day can help both physically and mentally. Set an alarm on your computer for this one.it’s definitely a good thing!

5) Have something to look forward to when your work is done for the day.
Maybe you really enjoy reading, and are eager to start that great novel. Maybe you want to simply sit down and read the paper, or play with your children or pets. How about cooking a simple but great meal? Having something that helps to transition you from work mode to relaxation mode is the important thing to remember here.

Taking care of ourselves during these extremely busy times is so important. Keep these tips in mind as you go about your busy day. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

Article Source :
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://time-management.bestmanagementarticles.com

About the Author :
Cynthia Morse CAP is a Virtual Assistant, and the owner of Virtually At Your Service, http://www.virtuallyatyourservice.biz. She offers top-notch administrative support to small business owners and other busy professionals from her home office, allowing them the time to focus on what they love and do best. Sign up at http://virtuallyatyourservice.typepad.com/virtualbizconnection/ to receive weekly tips and resources benefitting small and micro business owners.

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Motivating with Humor : Managing with a Smile

June 19, 2007 at 2:33 am (Advise, Humor, Motivation, Staff, Subordinate)

Barry Maher

In The Light Touch, Malcolm L. Kushner tells the story of Adelle Roberts, a police Officer called to the scene of a domestic disturbance. As she approached the house, a TV came flying out a window. She knocked loudly to be heard over the yelling.

“Who is it?” an angry male voice snarled.
“TV repairman,” Roberts replied.

The man burst into laughter, and opened the door. She probably wouldn’t have gotten quite that response if she’d said, “Police.”

Humor’s effectiveness in diffusing anger and breaking down resistance can be particularly important in today’s work environment. In one study, 49 percent of the respondents said they’re usually at least a little angry on the job. Forty- nine percent say they are usually angry.

I’ve known salespeople who have walked into businesses and been threatened with guns. Some of them deserved it. Though that’s carrying sales resistance to an extreme. The
hostility managers face is usually more veiled. Usually.

Tip: Nobody is going to shoot you while they’re laughing.

Tip: Long after people have forgotten what was said, they’ll remember how they felt about the person who said it.

Self deprecating humor is also a great way for executives and managers to put themselves on the same level as their subordinates. It shows they can take a joke, that they too put their pants or their pantyhose on one leg at a time.

When Jack Kennedy wanted to defuse the issue of hisfamily’s wealth, he told everyone he’d just gotten a telegram from his father. “Dear Jack,” he read, “Don’t buy one more vote than necessary. I’ll be damned if I’ll pay for a landslide.”

A new manager was obligated to post a lengthy list of rules right after being promoted to the position: hardly the best rapport builder. He posted the list all right, but he signed it at the bottom, “A. Hitler, Gruppenfuehrer.” His superior snatched it off the wall as, “inappropriate.” Perhaps. But by then everyone had already seen it.

“We’d read the rules,” one worker reports. “We figured the ‘Gruppenfuehrer’ was going to enforce them. We knew the iron fist was there, and we appreciated that he’d stuck it in a velvet glove and used it to poke a little fun at himself. Otherwise we’d have seen it as a new guy coming in and throwing his weight around.”

Another mid-level manager had a grumpy looking doll with a tape recorder inside that he’d programmed to say, “Get your mangy butts back on the job and stop wasting the company’s time.” The doll would deliver the message whenever the manager decided it was needed. People took the hint, and nobody was offended.

Walk the Elephant

If you’re trying to make the job fun for your people, watch out for simply foisting your own concept of fun on them. One supervisor created dissention by scattering candy dishes around an office where most of the employees were trying to diet. She had Muzak pumped in, and everyone hated the music she selected. Then she decided to fill the office with motivational banners, and insisted that everyone contribute a saying. This, at least, was fun for one person. The last time I was there, his inspiration message still hung proudly by the main entrance: “Walk the elephant and pitch to the giraffe.”

You may not find that inspirational. You may even find it confusing, if you don’t recognize it as the answer to the ancient philosophical question: “What do you do with an elephant with three balls?”

You walk the elephant and pitch to the giraffe. Let that be an inspiration to us all.

Article Source :
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://business-management.bestmanagementarticles.com

About the Author :
Barry Maher speaks & writes on management, leadership, communications, motivation and sales. Featured on the Today Show, NBC Nights, in USA Today and the New York Times. Contact him and/or sign up for his newsletter at http://www.barrymaher.com.

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5 Ways To Motivate Your Staff

June 18, 2007 at 9:12 am (Advise, Motivation, Staff, Subordinate)

by Melanie McIntosh

1. Relate positive stories
Don’t be tempted to let negatives get everyone down. We all know how an aggressive customer, or a shoplifting incident can become the talk of the day, passed on from one staff member to the next. Make sure that the positive stories are being circulated just as much, or even more. Make a point of having a daily story about a great customer, a terrific sale or one of your excellent employees to tell as each staff member starts their shift. You can even turn the negative stories into positive ones by relating how well a difficult situation was handled by your staff.

2. Run a small contest
During a stressful week, or even one where sales are slow, motivate your team with a daily fun contest. Pick a slow selling item, write up a list (or delegate a staff member to do it) of features and benefits for it, and run a contest to sell the most of that item for the day. Another option is to create bingo cards with a variety of fast and slow selling items. Give each employee a bingo card and see who can come closest to filling the cards. For prizes you might be able get small gift certificates from complementary retailers, collect points for a larger prize at the end of the month, or get the staff to brainstorm fun, no cost ways to recognize each other’s achievements. Make sure your salespeople remember to always focus on the customer first – the contest is just for fun! Don’t let it interfere with your customer service.

3. Treat your staff
Occasionally surprise your team with a litte treat. A bag of popcorn or a few chocolates in the staff room for breaks, are always a welcome perk for a special occasion. An even bigger surprise is when you do it for no occasion at all!

4. Set achievable daily goals
Do you set goals each day? Goals help everyone challenge themselves, and measure their own success.Are you sharing your store’s daily goal with your team? Is it realistic based on the day’s weather and recent traffic patterns? Once you have the daily goal set, divide that amount by the total number of hours you have scheduled that day. For each employee, multiply that hourly amount, by the number of hours the person is working on the selling floor for the day. That is their share of the daily goal. You may need to adjust that amount slighty to account for daily traffic patterns.Congratulate anyone who meets or exceeds their goals. When some staff are having difficulty reaching their goals, use it as an opportunity to coach them on their technique or product knowledge.

5. Reward achievements each day
Reward your employees achievements on a daily basis. This may be giving each person a private compliment on something they did well. The recognition could also be shared with peers, such as writing a couple of lines about a team member’s achievement and posting it for staff to read as they start their shift. Just a few small changes can help create a more positive environment in your store!

Contributed by (from Skopun) : Lucy Doss Manager – Training Coordination (Singapore)Oscar Murphy Life Strategists P Ltd 772, 10th Cross, 10th Main, Indira Nagar 2nd Stage Bangalore – 560038, India Phone: 91 80 5116 1534 / 35 Email: omls@oscarmurphy. com WEB: www.oscarmurphy. com

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Do You Know your HR Stuff?

June 18, 2007 at 12:33 am (Advise, HR, Human Resource, Personal Growth, Self-Development)

Cathy Fyock © 2006

How well-versed are you in the functional areas of HR management? The Body of Knowledge Content Outline, published by the Human Resource Certification Institute, includes HR competencies in the following areas:

¨ Strategic management

¨ Workforce planning and employment

¨ Human resource development

¨ Compensation and benefits

¨ Employee and labor relations

¨ Occupational health, safety and security

¨ HR professional core knowledge

How would you assess your level of knowledge and experience in each of these functional areas? Do you have broad enough knowledge to be a strong HR Generalist? Do you know enough in each of the functional areas in order to be an effective specialist?

Increasingly, HR professionals who are well-grounded in each of the functional areas of HR are better able to understand the interrelationships in HR, and to develop policies and programs that are effective in reaching organizational goals at a strategic level.

¨ Conduct a self-assessment in order to analyze where your background is strong and where you may need additional development and study. You may be able to broaden your knowledge by investing in one or more of the following development activities:

¨ Participate in cross-functional work teams and projects

¨ Develop a mentoring relationship with a strong professional in your organization or community

¨ Attend classes and programs, and read texts with an in-depth perspective in your deficient areas

¨ Attend a workshop that addresses all the functional areas, such as a class like the SHRM HR Generalist Certificate program, taught across the country in a two and one-half day format

¨ Enroll in a college-level course in HR management

¨ Get active in your local HR association

Cathy Fyock, CSP, SPHR, is an employment strategist, helping organizations recruit and retain employees in an aging and changing labor market. She can be reached at cathy@cathyfyock.com, or toll-free at 1 (800) 277-0384.

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9 Daily Habits

June 15, 2007 at 12:22 am (Advise, Attitude, Communication, Discipline, Knowledge, Motivation, Personal Growth, Self-Development)

by MadhviSai@aol.com (See Bio below)

Although there may be many people who may be ‘born’ leaders, the ability to lead is actually an art and an amazing collection of skills; which can all be learned and sharpened. The following top 9 daily habits will help us grow as a leader personally, professionally and spiritually.

1. Develop a positive attitude
It is very possible to alter your attitude by altering your mind. Saturate yourself daily with motivational literature, positive people, and inspiring music/art. By conditioning your mind to be more positive on a daily basis, you will find that winning will be a daily reward of your life.

2. Increase your Knowledge base
Great leaders are highly competent, because they are dedicated to a high level of learning, growth, and improvement. Devote at least 20 minutes each day to learning something new. Do not settle for knowing ‘how’ to do something. Dig deeper by asking the question ‘why’, ‘when’, ‘what’,’ where’ and then, go get the answers. Search the internet, speak to the experts, or take a
day trip to find the answer to a question that is on your mind or the minds of those who follow you.

3. Accept responsibility
Great leaders never play the role of a victim. They recognise that part of being a great leader is being ultimately responsible for all successes and failures of the team. On a daily basis, analyse your current projects, and ask yourself ‘Have I done all that needs to be done? What more could I have done?’Once you have analysed each project, if you find a weakness, go the extra mile by working extra hours, hiring an outside expert, or getting really creative to repair the weakness or to turn it into a success!

4. Surround yourself with great people
One of the secrets of a great leader is great people. Hire the right staff, surround yourself with a strong inner circle, and spend time daily with people who have a variety of ‘gifts’. With the support of a strong circle of people around you, you will be ready for anything that comes your way.

5. Self-discipline
What do you need to develop self-discipline? Following a better diet or exercise routine? Getting up one hour earlier? Being rigorous with your spending? Learning something new every day? Eliminate excuse-making from your life, and begin to develop habits that will invite self-discipline to become the foundation of your life. Hire a coach to support you during the development of a routine of self-discipline, and remove rewards until the job is done!

6. Feel the fear & do it anyway!
By a show of courage, you will inspire others to follow and to walk in your footsteps. Spend 20 minutes each day doing something simply for the sake of developing courage; speak to an audience, make a difficult phone call, write an article or visit someone you have always been trying to avoid. As Eleanor Roosevelt acknowledged: ‘You gain strength, courage and confidence every time you really stop to look at fear in the face.’

7. Value Time
Great leaders show up for every appointment, and they are always on time. Each day, practice not only showing up but being ten minutes early for each and every appointment. ‘The early bird gets the worm’ has never been so true than when it applies to becoming a great leader that others are inspired to follow.

8. Communicate effectively
As a leader, your communication should be simple, clean, and clear as a bell. Examine both written and verbal communication for simplicity and clarity. Use as few words as possible, and eliminate jargon and ‘big words’ from your vocabulary. Express yourself in a way that your listeners can understand. Also, watch your body language!

9. Self Audit & Grow
Your depth of character is the key to determining your success as a leader. It is easy for us to say that we are ‘in integrity,’ but our actions are the real indicators of strength of our character. Spend 30 minutes every night looking at the major areas of your life; career, marriage, family, community as well as spirituality. Make a note of any ‘cracks’ & do everything in your power to make amends & never to repeat them again.

Remain Blessed!

Duty is God, Work is Worship

———————————————————-
About the Author:

Ms. Madhvi, a Gujarati, was born in Tanzania, East Africa and has lived in England for the last 32 years. She is married to a Punjabi and is blessed with a 21 year old son.

Ms. Madhvi is an accountant by profession but was forced into early retirement 10 years ago due to the accelerated degeneration of the eyes. Part of her job too was to take new graduates through various leadership and personal effectiveness programmes. She too was a semi-professional singer and had to retire for the same reason as stated earlier.

She found Swami when she was ill and not only did our beloved Lord saved her eyes, but more recently, with His divine intervention, had miraculously cancelled a cancerous tumour of her right kidney.

She now spends her days singing and sharing the glories of God with all. She too tries to learn and imbibe his teachings into her life and humbly describes herself basically as a desperately struggling Sai aspirant.

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5 Tips for Finding Your Core Competencies

June 13, 2007 at 4:44 am (Competencies, Human Resource, Performance, Personal Growth, Profession, Self-Development)

Jeff Hardesty

1) Is it an essential component to your sales mission or just an ingredient in the recipe?

List 10 actions, routines or tasks that are part of your sales day and considered essential components of your sales process.

Now, ask yourself. How many of these are essential components to my sales mission are just ingredients in the recipe?

Think about a professional golfer’s essential competencies from tee-off to last putt. Is the ball and club a core competency, or is it the golf swing and putting stroke? What about a basketball player with the essential competency of passing, dribbling, and shooting?

2) Can it be measured routinely and accurately?

A Core Competency is a definable entity that is related to performance and results.

Ask yourself. Can I measure this with a napkin, pencil, and calculator? Can I put it on one piece of paper and be able to evaluate the status of my business? Do this first. You can always transfer it later to the million-dollar sales automation system.

Can you apply a universal performance benchmark that is realistic and assures revenue goals individually and collectively?

3) You know you have achieved this when you can tell a sales recruit during the interview process the (3) simple numbers that will assure them success.

Have you identified the ‘Key Performance Indicators’ in your sales process?

A good KPI example in the sales process might be how many times you advance the first sales appointment to the next phase, whether that’s a demonstration, a site visit, a survey or a proposal. Another KPI is how many times you gain a new customer once the first gateway is passed. And when you do gain a new customer, what’s the average revenue you achieve? That’s certainly an important KPI. Because if your average revenue per sale is 40% less than the average peer KPI, you might want to find out why and take focused action to improve it, as you’re leaving money on the table.

And what about the length of a sales cycle in days? Is that conditional or do you have a degree of control over it? If you have a team member that has an average sales cycle 30% shorter than the peer group, uncover and assimilate those best practices out to the rest of the sales team. Less time, more results. That makes ‘Sales Cycle’ a valuable KPI.

Once you have your KPI averages you will be able to communicate to a sales recruit exactly how much sales activity (new appointments per week) is required on their part to successfully ramp to Quota is a pre-determined amount of time. That’s right, a ‘Pre-determined amount of time in days’. And that will shorten the time to Quota and reduce the Hard-dollar cost of Turnover from low appointment activity.

But don’t assume they can do it on their own. Provide them with a training ‘System’ to help them achieve the activity routinely and effectively.

4) Can it be determined operationally that you’re performing similar business activities better than your competitors?

Strategy is the ‘what’ and tactics are the ‘how.’ If you are superior in operational effectiveness, you will tactically perform better than your peers and competitors. This works a lot like the outcome of a football game. The winning team almost always outperforms their opponent in fundamentals like “Blocking and Tackling.”

5) Can you apply “Timely Training” and “Powerful Routines” around each core competency?

We know what training is, but do we understand why training fails? Timely Training is having appropriate structures for learning and application, defining useful short-term objectives, measuring results, and working closely with qualified trainers for follow-up and support. Most importantly, there must be organizational commitment. Focus on one core competency at a time until a pre-determined benchmark result is realized. Don’t move on or over until you do. Powerful Routines are linked to selling scenarios and allow you to dust off all the bases and then cover all of them to have the highest ratio of success aligned with each situation.

Article Source :
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://business-intelligence.bestmanagementarticles.com

About the Author :
Jeff Hardesty is President of JDH Group, Inc. and the Developer of the X2 Sales System®, a blended training system that teaches sales professionals the competency of setting C-level business appointments. Jeff can be reached at jeff@convertmoresales.com.

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HR & Stuff

5 Tips to Help Keep Your Day Less Stressful

Motivating with Humor : Managing with a Smile

5 Ways To Motivate Your Staff

Do You Know your HR Stuff?

9 Daily Habits

5 Tips for Finding Your Core Competencies

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HR & Stuff

5 Tips to Help Keep Your Day Less Stressful

Motivating with Humor : Managing with a Smile

5 Ways To Motivate Your Staff

Do You Know your HR Stuff?

9 Daily Habits

5 Tips for Finding Your Core Competencies

Top Posts

Recent Posts

Archives

HR Govt Resources

My Links

HR Philippines Link

Top Clicks

Subscribe to HR & Stuff

Recent Readers

a

Blog Stats

Free E-newsletter

Proudly Pinoy!

Recent Comments

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