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Developing A Contract
As a service provider, the most important type of “boundary” you can set as a business owner involves those policies and procedures that govern how you interact with your clients. The more precise you can be about the services you provide, your fee structure, and what you expect from your clients, the smoother your work relationships will be. And the most effective way to make sure that each party involved understands these policies -- and that there is no confusion -- is to have each client read and sign a written contract.WHY HAVE A CONTRACTSome entrepreneurs will enter into working relationships without the benefit of a contract. Certainly, as an business owner, you are welcome to do whatever you wish. However, I would caution you against this practice for a couple of reasons. First, you are setti

teeism!), and possibly staff retention is also a problem? If these things are happening, there as a potential for a vicious spiral – the manager feels under more pressure and passes this on with even more inappropriate use of their “position power”.

The flip-side is to consider what can happen when the leader is able to use their power in a constructive manner. Why are they able to do this? Partly it is because they are comfortable with their “personal power” and adjust to the additional “position power”. Maybe they have the right role models, or suitable training. They do recognise that they can get more from their people by supporting and encouraging rather than coercing!

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power. John Steinbeck

For me, this quotation says a great deal about the two types of leader – the ab

Finding The Right Franchise Opportunity
There are thousands of people looking for a way to stop working for someone else and become the owners of their own businesses. But the odds of succeeding, quite frankly, are not good.There’s a commonly held “theory of thirds” among business experts; it states that of all new businesses one-third never get out of the red; one-third just break even; and one-third actually make money. For those which do make money, there does not seem to be a theory regarding how many of them make enough money to support their owners. Statistics from the US Small Business Associations indicate that fewer than fifty percent of all small businesses survive four years.One Way To Beat The Odds So how do you improve your odds? Instead of pending months of time and thousands of dollars doing market research to find a bus

The dictionary defines power as “control and influence exercised over others”. With positions of management, and leadership, comes power and it seems to sit more comfortably with some than others. It is increasingly recognised that organisations need good leaders if they are to go forward successfully. Their people will feel motivated, empowered and want to contribute. Leaders who are not using their power positively and abusing will act in a way which will be coercive and, in extremes, could be bullying. This latter situation is one which appears to be on the increase and is creating further problems in the workplace such as stress. This article will look at what is “power” and how it can be used productively. We want to consider how leaders can become more confident in their positions and with their power and explore the benefits for all parties when they do.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Acton

There are two elements of power in an organisational context – “position power” and “personal power”. The leader has “position power” given from the organisation. This comes from the authority which the job role has to do things or make things happen. The “personal power” is about the degree of influence the individual has and is given by the followers. The two are interlinked to an extent. People will look to the leader’s “position power” and give them a degree of “personal power” based on how they perceive the leader might influence them. Equally, when organisations are looking to promote someone, the more aware ones will look to see how well individuals can seem to influence others around them – and give them some “position power”.

Problems arise when people are put into roles where they have considerable “position power” but feel out of their depth and under-confident. What starts to happen is that they feel a need to cover their discomfort and they begin to do this by abusing the power they hold. Over my years of working with organisations, I have heard and seen so many examples of poor or inappropriate behaviour from various levels of management and leadership. This is despite the amount of training which many of these people have participated in! I wonder how many times you have been on the receiving end of such behaviour? More to the point, how many of you have been guilty of using them? Sometimes, these abuses of power are obvious:

shouting, screaming even, at staff;

threats being used;

unreasonable demands;

intimidating body language;

being a time-stealer to staff;

setting unreasonable levels of expectation, etc.

The list can go on beyond this – and could expand to include some less obvious behaviours. Why is it that so many previously reasonable people can start to behave so unreasonably? Experience suggests that one factor is that they are often merely carrying on a trend from their bosses! If there are not good role models, it can be difficult to behave correctly. However, this is something of an excuse. What is really going to be achieved with abuse of power? The daily reports of problems with bullying in the workplace, increasing stress-related problems in the workplace are clear indicators of that this is an on-going issue.

The consequences for the organisation, and the leaders, can be significant. There are probably issues with productivity and effectiveness, absenteeism (or just presenteeism!), and possibly staff retention is also a problem? If these things are happening, there as a potential for a vicious spiral – the manager feels under more pressure and passes this on with even more inappropriate use of their “position power”.

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power. John Steinbeck

For me, this quotation says a great deal about the two types of leader – the ab

Niche Marketing: The Golden Goose?
Definition: Niche Marketing, A marketing segmentation strategy in which the firm focuses on serving one segment of the market. This type of marketing is very much like segmented marketing, only the segments are smaller -- a niche is a small, distinguishable segment that can be uniquely served.Today the internet is so vast that one of the most critical requirements, for success is to find your niche market. Another way of saying it is to pin point your target market. By occupying a niche you do not have to compete with others solely on a price basis. Your product, service or message will be a customized for the specific needs and wants of the people you have selected as your target market. By so doing you can often charge more for your item. Ideally your target/niche market may not be able to easily find exactl

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Acton

shouting, screaming even, at staff;

threats being used;

unreasonable demands;

intimidating body language;

being a time-stealer to staff;

setting unreasonable levels of expectation, etc.

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power. John Steinbeck

For me, this quotation says a great deal about the two types of leader – the ab

Starting a Business - The One Mistake many Owners make when Starting a Business
You've decided to go into business for yourself. You've done your research into your industry, overhead, equipment, advertising, etc. You're all set to go, right? Wrong!If you have NOT had comprehensive research conducted on your business name, then you do not know if it's truly available.A common mistake many new business owners make is assuming that their business name is available simply because:the domain name was available the fictitious name was available the corporate name was available internet research showed the name was available yellow page research showed the name was availableThe above are merely preliminary indications of what business names, service names, and product names ar

ut into roles where they have considerable “position power” but feel out of their depth and under-confident. What starts to happen is that they feel a need to cover their discomfort and they begin to do this by abusing the power they hold. Over my years of working with organisations, I have heard and seen so many examples of poor or inappropriate behaviour from various levels of management and leadership. This is despite the amount of training which many of these people have participated in! I wonder how many times you have been on the receiving end of such behaviour? More to the point, how many of you have been guilty of using them? Sometimes, these abuses of power are obvious:

shouting, screaming even, at staff;

threats being used;

unreasonable demands;

intimidating body language;

being a time-stealer to staff;

setting unreasonable levels of expectation, etc.

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power. John Steinbeck

For me, this quotation says a great deal about the two types of leader – the ab

Always on the Grow
"In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists." — Eric Hoffer, American philosopher, Reflections on the Human ConditionHank had all the answers. He was a legend in his own mind. A very experienced and knowledgeable senior technician, people were constantly drawing on his analytical abilities. There didn't seem to be a technical or system problem he couldn't solve. Although you often got more "war stories" and background than you wanted, Hank could connect many current problems to similar ones that were faced in the past. He used his technical know-how like a sword to "cut down the fools" who didn't follow his flawless logic. If he wanted any of your bright ideas, he'd give them to you.Since cha

setting unreasonable levels of expectation, etc.

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power. John Steinbeck

For me, this quotation says a great deal about the two types of leader – the ab

Fundraising Ideas for Your Church
Christian churches serve by helping to strengthen people’s faith. This comes at a cost for most churches. There are building expenses, salaries, missions and supporting other local charities. For most churches there is a need to raise money through fundraisers. This can become a challenge year after year, trying to come up with new and innovative ideas. Here is a list of church fundraising ideas that are perfect for many congregations.1. Inspirational products are always a possibility for church fundraising. These products can be everything from t-shirts to Bibles and inspirational books. These fundraisers can bring in a steady flow of income when the congregation is large enough.2. Fundraising through order forms and order takers. This type of fundraising allows individual committees at the chur

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power. John Steinbeck

For me, this quotation says a great deal about the two types of leader – the abusers of power are frequently out of their depth in their role. They fear losing their position and the likely loss of face, status and money. They do not feel that they can ask for help or support to improve the way they operate. Possibly, they believe it will be seen as a sign of weakness and so they aim to compensate with what they think is a show of strength.

Leaders have a right to ask things of their followers. There are many different ways they can go about this and there is no, one right way. At times a leader may need to be more directive and authoritative – at others more inclusive and supportive. Whatever the situation, the leader still operates from “position power” – and the good one, remains aware of their own “personal power”.

When you are in a position of leadership, stop and think about how you behave with those you are leading. You will gain far more “personal power” by treating people with respect – and earn it in return. Accept that with your position comes responsibility. Regardless of how your bosses may treat you, or colleagues treat their people, it is no excuse for you to abuse your power. Remember, the most effective way to engage people and to get them to work with and for you is to treat them as they want to be treated!! Pay attention to your behaviours and notice if you have any tendencies to make unreasonable demands or revert to authority to get things done. How difficult is it to think about the other person first and then ask for what you want in the most appropriate way?

As a leader, you have a choice about whether you abuse or use the power you are given. Many who are abusing their power do not always realise that they are doing it, or why. The reason is usually that they are struggling in their role. If you find yourself slipping towards this, do something about it! Think about what is making you feel like this and identify what areas you want to improve or develop. Now go and find out how you can get the support or training you want and go and ask for it. Learn to be comfortable with your power, both “position” and “personal” and you will be pleasantly surprised what you can achieve as a leader!

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Invoice factoring is also known as accounts receivable factoring. The financial strategy of selling invoices to immediately boost cash flow to an existing business. By effectively eliminating debt and freeing up assets to meet all financial obligations.

Have you been the victim of a work from home scam? Don't get mad; get even! Here's a guide on what steps you need to take to ensure that the people who ripped you off are stopped.

Hate your job? Maybe it's your inner brat (or someone else's!) that's making your miserable. Here are some tips to help you feel more in control of what happens at work.

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