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6 Ways to Fail as a Business Manager
You have worked hard during your career, proving yourself to the powers-to-be again and again. Now your hard work has paid off with a promotion to manager. You look forward to taking on your new position.Once you start working as a manager you will find things are harder than when you were just an employee. Customer issues, employee disagreements and schedule problems are just eh tip of the iceberg. It is enough to make you want to hide.You have worked hard to get here. Making sure you handle your new position after achieving it is the one thing you do have control over. So what are some of the things you should avoid doing now that you are the boss?1. Setting a bad exampleNot following company regulations, being rude to employees or customers speaks volumes about what kind of manager you are. Behave how you want your employees to act and you can't go wrong.2. Lack of planningBeing an effective manager means being able to schedule department work so everything gets done. If you cannot keep it together, why would your employees even try?3. Make and break promisesYour word is your bond. Those five little words should be your workplace motto. It will tell more about what kind of person you are than anything else you do. Keeping your promises whenever humanly possible will mean as much to your employees as perks you can give them. Maybe even more.4. Being a know-it-all

support?’

Don’t try to answer all possible questions in the least possible time. Stretch out the process to cover the first weeks or months on the job. This lets new staff understand essential information more gradually – and thus more completely.

An extended orientation program also reassures new employees. Newcomers are under great pressure to perform and adapt. Your extended program shows you understand their situation, you care about their adjustment and you will continue to show interest and support over time.

Involve every

Calculating the Cost of Poor Customer Service
Have you ever thought about how much money has been lost due to poor customer service? Is it happening within the organization you are affiliated? Or perhaps you are the owner and are not aware of the practices of your employees.A few months ago I had decided to purchase a new laptop. Being a business owner and from a small town, I try to frequent the local businesses if they have what meets my needs. This timeframe happened to be the week after Christmas so my thoughts are there a lot of sales going on and I should be able to purchase something at a discounted price. I tried the local store that claimed to have new computers and laptops.I decided to call first so I could talk with someone on the telephone. An answering machine answered the telephone and informed “they were busy with a customer and would return the call.” I did not leave a message. I tried again an hour later and the same scenario. Finally on the third call I left a message stating “I wonder how many customers you have lost due to no response.” I did not leave any contact information. Later that day I decide to drive to the store since it was only a few miles from my home. When I arrived at the store, I find out the store is not open at all. It was closed for the week!To say the least I did not purchase my laptop from this store, nor will I purchase from them in the future. I did send them a letter notifying them of situation that occurred an

Effectively orienting your new employees can pay big dividends in staff retention, employee commitment, company culture and customer satisfaction.

Staff members who are properly trained and welcomed at the beginning of their careers will feel good about their choice of employer, fit in more quickly with peers and colleagues and readily contribute new ideas.

Properly oriented employees will also speak well about your organization to their family and friends. They will represent you more confidently with customers, business partners and suppliers.

But poor orientation of new employees can cost you dearly.

Those who don’t start right don’t tend to stay long, either. High staff turnover means you must recruit, hire, orient and train new staff all over again.

Staff turnover also takes a high toll on the morale of those who remain behind. When people leave your organization, those who remain inevitably wonder if they should seek new employment, too.

While many managers agree that orientation is important, very few invest the time and attention necessary to make sure it’s done right and consistently. Now is a good time to review your staff orientation program to be sure your new staff ‘start right’.

Here are some guidelines to doing it right:

Think long-term.

Effective orientation is a gradual process and does not end after the second day on the job. The initial induction of employees during the first few days is important. But it is even more important to make sure new employees fit in and feel comfortable over the long term. This can mean six weeks for a factory worker, or up to six months for new members of a senior management team.

A time for everything, everything in it’s time.

New employees arrive with basic questions that must be answered quickly: ‘What is the dress code? Where are the tools for my job? How does the telephone system work? When do people eat, meet and get paid?’

After the initial induction period, your employee’s questions will change and mature: ‘How am I being appraised? Why is the system set up this way? How can I (safely) suggest changes? Who can I see for guidance, approval and support?’

Involve every

Project Selection - Ready, Aim, Fire!
If all other things such as project outlining, defining deviations and correction measures using the famed DMAIC, training the personnel, assessment and audit are on one side, then the project selection on the other can outweigh all of them. It doesn’t matter that the improvement project is not more than academic interest; it’s success depends entirely on the selection of the project itself.What Does It Mean To Select a Wrong Project?What does it mean to select a wrong project? Well, this question has arisen not because projects are selected wrongly by design or because the project selection teams are incompetent. This question can’t be misconstrued as something willful when especially it dawns at an advanced stage that the project is out of track and control and as a consequence, doomed to fail.Fail-Proofing the Projection ProcessIn Six Sigma, project selection is based on two foundation cornerstones that are ‘total customer satisfaction’ and ‘maximization of ROI.’ We can use the analogy that a home is only as good as its foundation.Look for projects in your annual strategy documents that have roadmaps with various business objectives defined for the ensuing years.Another place to look will be the budget and HR; HR, for one, is a major component of expenditures. Even though it is not personnel reduction, along with the budget, it accounts for a major chunk of wastage adding to Cost of Poor Quality, COPQ. ROI

suppliers.

But poor orientation of new employees can cost you dearly.

Those who don’t start right don’t tend to stay long, either. High staff turnover means you must recruit, hire, orient and train new staff all over again.

Staff turnover also takes a high toll on the morale of those who remain behind. When people leave your organization, those who remain inevitably wonder if they should seek new employment, too.

Here are some guidelines to doing it right:

Think long-term.

A time for everything, everything in it’s time.

Involve every

Career Education Strategy: Run Your Job Search Like a Business!
Career Education Strategy: Your Job Search Is A Business VentureIf you learn only one career education strategy, it should be this one: the employment market follows the same rules for success as the business market.This is a key insight that supports alternative or non-traditional job search strategies. We’re able to cut through the fog of traditional job searches that can take weeks or months.As a result, we’re able to guarantee customers who practice this insight the possibility of a job offer in as little as 14 days. It’s the career education strategy of a lifetime!I recently read an article that quoted Larry Thompson, a film producer. He says there is a simple four-step plan for success. He uses it with all the Hollywood stars whose careers he manages.While Thompson’s alluding to success in the film-making business, it occurred to me that the same principles apply to job search success . . . especially if you understand it as a business venture.1. Identify and focus on your capabilities and assets. Too often we get hung up on what we can’t do. Do what you dream of doing--not what others want you to do. Build a list of your talents and match them with opportunities. Your talent never limits you. Only a shortsighted vision can do that.2. Failure-is-not-an-option commitment. Write down event or feelings in your life that can deepen your commitment to take advantage of your capabilities and a

ake sure it’s done right and consistently. Now is a good time to review your staff orientation program to be sure your new staff ‘start right’.

Here are some guidelines to doing it right:

Think long-term.

A time for everything, everything in it’s time.

Involve every

Developing Software For Sale – Nice Dream Difficult Task
In an article I recently came across, the author spun a tale of how to conceive and sell good ideas for software based on inspirations for better ways to accomplish tasks. What the article did not include were the real difficulties involved with going from being a hobbyist working with home spun ideas, to achieving a viable commercial software product for sale.One common misconception that most non-developer users have is that someone with a good idea can start by partnering with an existing large software firm to bring their idea to the market. The current giants in the software industry have been known to work together with other companies in a potentially lucrative market, but this potential rarely extends to a viable relationship with individual entrepreneurs or hobbyists to turn a concept into a multi million dollar deal. Even when larger firms negotiate for cooperative development contracts, one party usually figures out a way to legally short change the other by taking the functional concept and developing a code stream to accomplish a similar task without infringing on the copy rights of the company who originated the idea for the process. Since there are no patents issued for software concepts in the United States, the flexibility of programming languages allows anyone to take a crack at writing programs to accomplish tasks. In actuality, the commercial software business is highly competitive and one of the most cut throat tactic

ix months for new members of a senior management team.

A time for everything, everything in it’s time.

Involve every

A Better Strategy for Hiring
There is a valuable lesson managers can learn about recruiting from professional sports. In professional sports, each change in a team's line-up makes headlines. Fans speculate how their team will fare with the loss of one player or the addition of another. And for coaches, every change in the line-up is critical, their jobs frequently hanging in the balance. Each pick, therefore, is based upon a careful, strategic, selection process. Moreover, the selection process often begins long before an actual change. It's the sports world's s approach to succession planning.The same dynamics should hold true for hiring members of the organization's team. Yet too few managers rank themselves high in selection or interviewing skills. Fewer still are trained in the skills needed for adequate succession planning. Many managers, in fact, go to inordinate lengths to retain mediocre employees rather than face making changes. And some readily acknowledge that the person most likely to get a job is not the best person for the job, but the person best skilled in job hunting techniques. What's a manager to do? Learn from the "pros".Every day during the year, a professional coach has to re-assess his team's ability to win. Every game is a performance test. When was the last time you evaluated your team in light or your company's goals. What changes do you face? If you know you are going to lose a key player, or if a key player is not performing, what will y

support?’

Involve everyone in the process.

New employees are not the only ones affected by the design and quality of your orientation program. Other groups are influenced during this important period as well: peers, bosses, junior staff, senior managers, customers, suppliers and even the new hire’s family back home.

Each group has different questions and concerns about the new employee. You can address their concerns by giving these groups an active role in the overall orientation program. Buddy systems, lunch meetings, panel discussions, site visits, family days – these methods and other activities can involve diverse groups of individuals in the overall orientation process.

The reputation of your human resources and training departments are also at stake. If orientation is well planned and conducted, these departments will be seen by new employees as a valuable resource for addressing their future concerns. On the other hand, poor staff orientation sends an early message that these ‘people departments’ are ineffective or out-of-touch.

A well-designed orientation program should accomplish seven major objectives:

1. Create comfort and rapport.

Newcomers want to feel a sense of acceptance and belonging inside their new organization. You can accelerate this process by creating abundant opportunities for new hires to interact with peers, managers, direct reports, colleagues from other departments, customers and suppliers.

Diversify the time and nature of these meetings. Coffee breaks, meal times and after-hours get-togethers are all good choices for informal conversations. Include new hires in formal gatherings as well: customer visits, focus groups and even department or management meetings.

Send your new employees on short assignments to visit other divisions and departments. Spending a week, a day or even an afternoon in a different part of the business will do wonders to build rapport and understanding for the new hires throughout your organization.

2. Introduce the company culture.

New staff usually want to fit in with accepted norms and values. ‘How do things really work around here? What importance do people attach to style, dres

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The Internet is a rapidly expanding phenomenon, with hundreds of websites being put up every day. It seldom knows any physical or political barriers. Due to the presence of the Internet becoming a common feature in most homes, constant efforts are made to improve website access and navigation.

It’s not easy to find a job, especially in these days, and in the situation that the world faces. This market situation demands an active search for jobs, that is, to look for a job in a persistent and organized way. Don’t let your self down; learn to adopt a positive and dynamic attitude.

Most all businesses do customer service surveys to make sure all their customers are happy and sometimes they send them in the mail and sometimes you can fill them out at the counter and drop them in the mail. Customer surveys give important feedback to the business owner or corporation on ways they can improve their services and products.

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