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Aug30
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The ever-changing work environment, especially the speed of that change, has caught many managers by surprise. Even in a world where the speed of change is always talked about, there aren't always easy answers on how to manage it.
We recently talked about the understanding between what constitutes a foundation of a business and the difference between understanding that and our interaction with technology.
This post we'll take it a step further and talk about how to look for connecting points when technology begins to disrupt things quickly.
 There is really only one question that must be answered: Who is the technology disrupting? Why do we have to answer that question? We need to answer it because relationships with employees or other managers might be changing without you even knowing it happened. This can cause paralysis and leave you with the feeling of being clueless as to how to proceed in this fast-changing environment.
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Aug30
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With Starbucks (SBUX) about to release their August sales figures on Thursday, investors and other businesses are looking at the results to get an indication of where consumer behavior is headed. With July 2006 being their slowest month since December...
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Aug29
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When you may seem at the end of all that you know how to do, and you don't seem to be making anymore progress in your management skills, it may be time to seriously consider searching for a mentor that...
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Aug28
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What do immigrants, an aging population, downsizing of employees and some college students all have in common? The answer: there are a lot of them that are going to be starting a business in the not-too-distant future. This reveals a...
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Promoting is another one of those things that so many managers get wrong. Many times it is done for any reason but the right one. We could go over a list of all the bad reasons, but it's so long...
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Aug27
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A lot of business owners and managers fail to comprehend the difference between the foundations that make a business successful, and the technology used to streamline its processes. While technology is important, it's not the deciding factor in which business...
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Aug26
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Businessweek wrote about the way that marketers have missed what the great majority of the male population is really like and how they buy. They talk about how they've been targeting the so-called metrosexual or retrosexual males and have totally...
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Aug25
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A new report confirms the continuing retail trend that customers are looking for businesses that add value to them and give them satisfying experiences. One strategy mentioned by National Jeweler, citing the G.A Wright marketing study, was that loyalty programs...
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Customer service is one of those endless topics and experiences that the majority of companies, managers and employees have a difficult time getting a handle on. Molly Gordon wrote about serving customers without getting burnt out. She has a number...
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Reading an article by Chris Musselwhite writing for Inc.com, concerning How to Fire an Employee, he gives some great examples of how it really should be the last thing a manager should be thinking of when an an employee is...
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Aug24
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Rick Lepsinger, president of OnPoint Consulting recently conducted a survey of over 400 executives and found that almost 50% of the respondents felt there was a big gap between vision and implementing that vision. Here's how he puts it: "We...
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When we always hear about the word "innovation," it begins to dawn on us that it is almost becoming as ubiquitous as the term "information." We not only suffer from information overload, we now suffer from innovation overload. We simply...
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Aug23
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In an excellent article by Chet Holmes, he discusses the reason behind why so many CEOs and entrepreneurs fail. The major reason he cites is that they fail to "tap into the incredible treasure trove of knowledge, harness the energies...
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Aug22
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Instant messaging is becoming an increasingly big tool for computer users all over the world. One writer mentions that when a company implements a policy that blocks IM usage, "they feel left out of their circle of friends." Another thing...
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Aug21
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In management, one of the most underrated characteristics a person can have is patience. No matter what type of deal you're trying to make or who you may want to influence, the one with the most patience will win. When...
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I remember watching a company recruiting employees at a job fair, and telling them some aspects of what it would mean to work for them. One of the things that stood out was how they dealt with those that came...
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Aug20
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Do you ever ask yourself the question of who are the ones that really get people interested in hearing them? Interested in buying their products or services? Do you know the answer? It's those who speak at or conduct seminars....
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There is one thing that you can't do enough of when starting a new business or new project in a company. That one thing is "overplan." I'm not talking about the business plan you write here. Rather, it's the marketing...
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Aug19
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The SBA released a report concerning the increasing role of women in business. Over the most recent period studied (1997-2002), women who owned businesses grew by almost 20 percent, while the overall growth of business increased by 7 percent. Overall,...
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With elections and politics on the hear horizon, Wal-Mart has finally decided to take a more proactive role in the process this time around. Hopefully they have learned from the past that demagogues don't care about reality or facts, but...
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Aug18
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There are so many people writing about innovation that just throw out the usual catch phrases that really are meaningless to the great majority of managers and business owners looking for answers. While most understand that we need to look...
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With the proliferation of corporate fraud cases and billions of dollars in penalties, along with jail time, it is not only important, but imperative that corporations and businesses conduct business ethically. When it comes down to it, the actions of...
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Aug17
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When your business has been run from a more hierarchical structure, and you begin to see that you want to change to empowering your employees, there are several things that you must do to make sure your workers embrace the...
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Aug16
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For a lot of our workers, job stress remains one of the top concerns they face. Rob Moodie of The Age says that some of the causes of stress in the workplace are "poor communication, role ambiguity, little participation in...
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Aug15
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After being in management for a period of time, the question inevitably arises from within us on whether it is time to hang it up, or whether we should keep on going. One way that we can measure whether it...
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Aug14
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No matter what type of company culture we develop, even the very best will eventually have to deal with conflict. The biggest mistake any of us can make is to ignore them. It's better to get into things right away...
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In the continuing challenge of customer service management, two things always service that are necessary to be successful: training and rate of business growth. The most overlooked of the two is the rate of business growth. If you don't manage...
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When we are constantly barraged by the seemingly endless offerings that claim if we embrace them it will give us the edge over our competition, Joe Torre comments on the only differential, in the end, that really matters: people. He...
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Aug13
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A recent article by Joe Torre, manager of the New York Yankees baseball team, talks about some of the important attributes of competing at the highest level. His opening statement encapsulates an extraordinary insight into what all those who manage...
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Aug12
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Whenever you hear somone trying to hype you, there are a couple of things to keep in mind while you're listening. First of all, if you're hearing about it in a meeting with other people, through presentations, or in any...
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Aug11
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Around the web there's been a lot of chatter concerning communication lately. The emphasis, instead of being top-down, has rather been talking about bottom-up communications. This is crucial and needs to be cultivated to a much higher degree. One article...
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Aug10
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One of the defining factors between great and average businesses is how management handles the business during the more financially successful times. I remember when Peter Lynch wrote about what he looked for in a company when he would travel...
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Aug 9
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We talk a lot on managersrealm about what it means if you're working too much "in" your business instead of "on" your business. A recent study confirms that individual business owners are "wearing too many hats" to be able to...
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Aug 8
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James Heskett commented on an ongoing debate concerning the most important traits that leaders possess. He talks about studies on personality and management style of effective leaders and those that say "executive intelligence" is more important. Concerning a study by...
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Aug 7
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One big problem that business owners have is to learn the difference between working "in" your business and working "on" your business. A way to help measure that and understand the difference is to learning how to distinguish between being...
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A recent survey by Accenture (ACN) revealed that around half of U.S. consumers will do business somewhere else as a result of poor customer service. All industries suffered loss. Retailers lost the most amount of customers with 18 percent leaving...
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Aug 6
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One of the desires wanted most by employees is that they have a great challenge set before them. Most employees love to have a challenge, as long as they feel they have the ability and tools to be able to accomplish...
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Aug 5
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I came across an encouraging article by Denise Resnik; President, Denise Resnik & Associates and also Co-founder and board chairwoman, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center. She was asked five questions concerning being a manager, challenges, and success. When asked...
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Rjon Robins had a good article on his How to Make it Rain site concerning a telephone policy called the "Sun Down Rule," that was promoted as the way a lawyers office should return client phone calls. In his words,...
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Aug 4
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A recent article really opened my eyes to thoughts concerning 'shy people in the workplace,' that hadn't really crossed my mind before. While in my own management experience I have found that I intuitively responded to shy people in a...
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Making use of mystery shoppers can be a great tool for managers to evaluate how their training program is working for their employees and business. One of the things we all have to be aware of when considering mystery shoppers,...
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Aug 3
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About 30 years ago when I first started learning about management and business, it came as a surprise to me to hear local managers of places like Target, K-mart among many others, tell how much it helped to have businesses...
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Aug 2
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Marico, an Indian beauty and wellness company, had found that a number of their employees were bored with their jobs and didn't seem to be enjoying their assigned jobs. In response they initiated a questionnaire that would measure what the...
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One of the big questions managers or business owners always ask is how to handle employees that have all the technical skill yet contribute to an atmosphere of dissension and stress. When you land a talented employee, you have high...
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Aug 1
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U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao a Philip J. Siegel, an attorney with the Atlanta-based law firm Hendrick, Phillips, Salzman & Flatt, has written about the importance of ensuring that your independent contractors aren't classified as employees if tested through...
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The U.S. Small Business Administration released information that says that small businesses are more successful today than they were five years ago. In 2001, there 544,800 new business that began and 553, 291 that closed. Whereas in 2005, 671,800 small...
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