When I saw the January issue of Entrepreneur Magazine I was thrilled. Cover copy had a teaser on it towards the effect that entrepreneurs had been surveyed and inside were definitely their answers. I was specific that, finally, an individual was paying attention to business men who had been striving for a effective business. It was time to hear from us small guys!

I can’t tell you how surprised I was as I began to understand the content. Their idea of an “entrepreneur” and mine ended up as different as night and day. I generally classified an entrepreneur as someone like the “Mom and Pop” coffee shop around the corner, the family run produce market in town, or the 18 to 24 yr old who had come up having a great “gizmo” and was scooped up into a corporation as their newest genius. Let me give you a quote from the article that may clue you into its idea of an “entrepreneur”.

To explain the technique applied for the survey they state, “Entrepreneur magazine and PricewaterhouseCoopers “Entrepreneurial Problems Survey” is an yearly telephone survey of more than 300 CEOs of privately held, U.S.-based corporations recognized for their sustained, rapid development. They common $31.five million in annual revenue with an common of 185 employees, and have an ongoing annual development rate of over 23 percent……”

That absolutely was not my picture of an entrepreneur. I don’t know too many business owners who common $31.5 million annually, or employ 185 folks. To me, which is a rather prosperous business on its strategy to becoming a corporation. We really should all be such business owners!

At any rate, I continued reading and I need to say the details was worth the read, and also the organization of performing business enterprise can apply to individuals of us who aren’t pretty producing that $31.five million per yr yet. Here’s what the survey discovered.

What have been regarded their biggest challenges for 2006?
· 73% – Retention of key workers
· 38% – Developing new products/services
· 36% – Expansion to domestic markets
· 35% – Improved productivity
· 28% – Upgrading technology
· 23% – Creating business enterprise alliances
· 21% – Superior management of cash flow
· 14% – Expansion outside the U.S.
· 13% – Improving danger management
· 11% – Discovering new financing
· 11% – Buying another organization or launching a spinoff
· 7% – Preparing company for sale
· 2% – Going public

Now when you stop and give thought to it, that is rather a lot what most internet marketers think about each and every year. Possibly not for the extent of expanding to foreign markets or launching a spinoff, but to maintain your enterprise perking along the road of improvement – all of the rest are regarded as.

The next component with the survey was fascinating simply because business owners were definitely given a list of several “wild-card” elements that could impact business enterprise in 2006. When asked which three would be most dangerous to their organization, here’s what they said:
· 47% – Unstable U.S. economy
· 43% – Rising health-care fees
· 41% – Shortage of qualified workers
· 40% – Weak marketplace demand
· 24% – Rising oil/energy costs
· 24% – Rising interest rates
· 22% – New government regulations
· 18% – Weaker capital spending
· 14% – Weakening globe economy
· 12% – Increased global competition
· 11% – Decreased access to capital
· 10% – Sudden drop in U.S. actual estate marketplace
· 10% – Tax increases
· 9% – Inflation

So perhaps my business owners and individuals surveyed usually are not seriously that a great deal different in considering. The outlook of most business people is probably optimistic, or will likely be unless additional unforeseen disasters strike.

Even right after the huge devastation of 9/11, within two quarters we have been back to the same level of optimism as we had before. Folks get applied to dealing with tough circumstances and factor them in, but aren’t swayed by them. After you genuinely give thought to it; isn’t that what most internet marketers are like?  

If they’re not, then they aren’t internet marketers by my way of considering.

Other Subjects That You Might Find Interesting:Designer Checks, Cheap Magazine, Runner Rugs

The country’s brightest female students are rejecting careers in the City as they see the Square Mile seen as unethical and rife with discrimination, a survey has shown.

Source: Recruitment and talent management: News from People Management 22 March 2010

          Managers are those groups of employees who are at the first level of line management.   As the rank and file employees answer directly to them, the managers have the greatest influence on how the employees behave and how positive their attitudes are toward the company they are working for.    The employees’ perception of the company and how important they perceive their own roles in the company are vital to the success of the business.

          This is the exact reason why managers should have the right “ people skills ” to be able to effectively motivate the staff and deal with difficult problems.    The managers must serve as the guide of the staff  so every employee would have a someone to look up to and turn to  for coaching and support and for questions that they might have for their career development and work efficiency.    Thus, a manager must be a good leader and also a follower of company rules to serve as a model for his subordinates.

          The culture in the business and good staff management  are powerful forces that affect staff retention.    It is to be remembered that employees who feel good about themselves and are satisfied of their roles  and their contribution to the business are going to reflect this in the way they help push the company forward.    In much the same way that improper people management  can also force the workers to resign.    Thus, it is of utmost importance that managers have the knowledge on how to motivate, guide and oversee his staff.

          Since managers are in the frontlines dealing directly with the staff and faced with various issues,  for example, poor work ethics, various customer complaints, bad performance, low work productivity, etc., they must know exactly how to handle these problems, take appropriate action, and cope with stress at the end of the day.

          Statistics show that almost two out of three employees who do not show up for work is not physically ill.   Unscheduled absences are one of the major causes of low productivity.   This is most often due to lack of firm staff policies and want of  good staff discipline.  

          For most companies,  dealing with staff absenteeism is upon the frontline managers.   This is because it is the immediate supervisors or frontline managers who are most aware of the circumstances surrounding the absence of their subordinates.    Also, the managers are in the best position to be aware of the problem as soon as it starts and also in the position to very well identify its causes.   Therefore, their active involvement in the company’s absence policy and disciplinary procedures  is vital to the effectiveness and success of these policies.

           It is, however, unfortunate that most managers are not very well trained in managing absenteeism in the workplace.   They have been left on their own and without any means to carry out the often unpopular task of identifying, confronting and resolving frequent absence abuse.

          To ensure that supervisors and frontline managers are comfortable and competent in their role of managing absenteeism, they need to have the full support of senior management.    Everybody must be aware of the different objectives of the absence policy.    If there are misunderstandings between departments, the policy is bound to lose its effectiveness.

          To provide more consistency, supervisors should be trained in their responsibilities about managing absenteeism, advised how to conduct effective return-to-work interviews,  and educated in the imposition of disciplinary sanctions if the need arises.

          Managing absenteeism requires a firm company policy.    But, above everything else, it must have a “Plan B” is ever the problem persists.   It must ensure that the work is appropriately covered during the term of the employee’s absence.    A reliever should be assigned in order to cover the work so as not to hinder productivity.

          Importantly, critical actions must be taken to instill to the employees that absence abuse will not be tolerated and there are appropriate sanctions for these unjustified absences.  Some of the usual policies and absenteeism deterrents can be:

•  Having an absence policy in written form which provisions are made known to all the employees;
•  Confirming from the employee’s household when  the employee phones in sick for the day.  This will require a visit to the employee’s domicile.
•  Having a detailed record of absences which specifies the cause of the absence, medical record form the physician, days of absence, date of return and the like;
•  Identifying the diverse patterns of absences and the possible causes of these;
•  Conducting a thorough interview when the employee gets back; and
•  Imposing disciplinary sanctions if there is a need to do so.

Although advance planning for resource allocation is the ideal scenario, many organizations found themselves caught short by the severe constraints imposed by the economic downturn. What are the alternatives when organizations are operating in crisis mode and there is no “Plan A?”

Given the need to make decisions about how to curtail their operations immediately, leaders have two options that can help them in the short-run: (1) increase inputs or (2) decrease outputs. Within each of these options, there are several alternatives, some of which will be more viable than others depending on the given situation. Let’s look at each set of options in turn, and examine their feasibility.

Increase Inputs
Here are four ways to increase inputs:
1. Delegate
2. Outsource
3. Work more hours
4. Increase efficiency

Alternatives #1-3 presume the availability of resources such as people (i.e., those to whom you can delegate things) and money (e.g., paying others to do the work, paying overtime). Organizations that are short of those resources are unlikely to be in a position to select those choices. Although some employers may argue that they could avoid paying overtime simply by having salaried staff work more hours, such a view is short-sighted: people will burn out quickly, and they will be very likely to leave the organization at the first opportunity. Thus for most organizations in crisis mode, increasing efficiency seems to be the most sustainable way to increase inputs in the face of scarce resources.

Decrease Outputs
Here are four ways to decrease outputs:
1. Delay the promised goods or services
2. Provide partial delivery of products or services
3. Reduce service or performance standards
4. Decrease the number of products or services

Although none of these alternatives may seem very palatable, in a crisis situation they may be preferable to not being able to achieve the organization’s mission at all. For example, some customers may be open to a delay or partial delivery due to their own financial situations. Others may be unhappy with a delay but will accept it as an alternative to non-delivery.
Reducing service or performance standards may be a viable option for some organizations. For example, one organization I worked with recently is justifiably proud of its tradition of providing “excellent” service across the board. Given severe budget constraints, however, its leaders now are considering the possibility that customers will find “very good” or “good” service levels acceptable, at least in the short-term. This will allow the organization to re-allocate some resources or to continue to operate in the absence of others. However, for an organization whose mission focuses on providing exceptional service, this option is not feasible – unless it revises its mission statement.

Decreasing the number of products or services actually may serve the organization well in the long-term as well as in the short-term. Most likely some customers will be disappointed to find fewer choices. Considering the alternative is the inability to achieve the organization’s mission at all, however, the decrease may seem like a reasonable “price” to pay. And over time, if those products and services in fact are very important to the organization’s mission, they may be reinstated.

Recommendations for Successful Implementation
Here are four recommendations to help ensure that decisions about how to operate most effectively within existing constraints have the greatest positive impact:
1. Ensure the above decisions are the result of conscious, strategic choices based on the mission.
2. Once set, communicate the decisions clearly and in a variety of ways to employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
3. In most cases, radical changes will require the adjustment of stakeholders’ mindsets. For example, people who have worked for years under the notion that providing anything other than excellent service are likely to find it difficult to provide anything less. Leaders must address this issue in order to ensure successful change.
4. Recognize that the organization’s mission may have to change to reflect existing circumstances. This change may be short-term or long-term.

© 2010 Pat Lynch. All rights reserved.  Article Source: http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com

About the Author:
Pat Lynch, Ph.D., is President of Business Alignment Strategies, Inc., a consulting firm that helps clients optimize business results by aligning people, programs, and processes with organizational goals. For additional articles please visit our web site at www.BusinessAlignmentStrategies.com. You may contact Pat at Pat@BusinessAlignmentStrategies.com or at (562) 985-0333. Copyright 2010 Pat Lynch. All rights reserved.

In the College Student Career Confidence Survey, 61% of college students said they expected to be with their first employer for less than 3 years. 16% expect to change jobs as quickly throughout their career, 34% will switch every 4 years, while 50% expect to change jobs every 5 years or longer.

In a different survey conducted by Citrix, 61% of workers would like to be able to web commute on a frequent basis. In fact, workers preferred this benefit over stock options and on-site childcare.

What’s this mean? It means organizational leaders need to begin connecting their people more intimately with the values that drive their companies, and learn to connect with the values of their employees.

The Citrix survey underscores how the workforce has changed over the years, reflecting a society that is more mobile, versatile and focused on personal freedom than at any other time in American labor history. Never before have we been more connected. But, connected to what?

Unless leaders connect their people to something bigger than themselves (or bigger than a paycheck), they can expect to see turnover rates, and the subsequent costs of recruiting and training, continue to rise. Based on the survey, every 3-4 years 50% of their workforce will have turned-over.

Organizational storytelling – capturing the stories that drive the values of the organization and connect people to a vision or a noble cause – can go a long way toward reducing turnover. More to the point, connecting people to a larger vision propels the entire organization forward at an exponentially faster rate…allowing everyone in the organization to experience the benefits of accomplishing company goals much more quickly.

So, where do you find these stories? And, how do you make them believable? Here are five tips on establishing effective organizational stories.

1. Look around, be aware. Andrew Grove, former Intel CEO, espouses "management by walking around". There are a number of benefits to this. You remain connected to your business from the floor-up. You connect with your people. It’s also a great way to collect stories. As you engage your people, ask them about challenges they’ve encountered and how they overcame barriers. Collect these stories. Connect them to the values of the organization.

2. Structure the story for the listener. If you use stories, then you are a storyteller. This means focusing on the need of the listener. In walking around you’ll have discovered the personal values that drive your people. Infuse your stories with these themes and you’ll capture their attention.

3. Be real. Many people have a disdain and mistrust for those in authority. To overcome this barrier you need to be authentic and real. If you tell a personal story, do include situations in which you failed…and what you learned from that experience. Be able to laugh about it. Also tell stories about how you succeeded before you were a leader. In each case you’re meeting your people where they’re at.

4. Be consistent. If you undertake the storytelling strategy, you need to stay with it. Over time people will connect with you through the stories. They’ll come to expect them. If your stories are effective, they’ll look forward to your stories.

5. Be strategic. Use your intuition. Know when to deliver a story and when not to. Telling a good story can become addictive…so use your stories at strategic moments and don’t over-do it.

6. Get help. Storytelling is intrinsic to the human experience. We all learn through stories. However, because of education, training and life experience, not everyone is comfortable scripting, structuring and telling an effective story. If you’re in this group, don’t be afraid to get help. Remember, organizational stories are strategic. They’re meant to deliver a specific result. To ensure the best results possible you should strongly consider seeking a little extra help.

So, in the Age of the Hopper (people hopping from job to job), leaders must focus on internal branding as much as they focus on outward branding efforts. Stories accomplish this internal branding. You’ll be infusing the values of the organization you’re your stories. You’ll support the mission. You’ll give the vision flesh and blood. So, in a time when people are truly seeking connection, organizational narrative can be a powerful tool in accomplishing the goal of keeping the hoppers at home.

(c) 2008 James Phelps Creative

Coach, consultant and copywriter, James Phelps, is the creator of "Practical Creativity: The Complete System for Powering-Up Your Creativity for Unrecognizable Results". To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for his FREE how-to articles and other resources, visit http://refer.debrawhite.co.uk/0K

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