Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently
Optimism, grit, and specificity are just three of the qualities that fuel achievement. Harvard blogger Heidi Grant Halvorson explains that and more

Heidi Grant Halvorson


Posted on Harvard Business Review: Februrary 25, 2011 8:58 AM

Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail. The intuitive answer—that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others—is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. "Lose 5 pounds" is a better goal than "lose some weight," because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you'll "eat less" or "sleep more" is too vague — be clear and precise. "I'll be in bed by 10pm on weeknights" leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you've actually done it.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.

To seize the moment, decide when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g., "If it's Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I'll work out for 30 minutes before work.") Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300%.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go. Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress—if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently—weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.

4. Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don't underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good. Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed — that no matter what we do, we won't improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.

Fortunately, decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong—abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

6. Have grit. Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty. Studies show that gritty people obtain more education in their lifetime, and earn higher college GPAs. Grit predicts which cadets will stick out their first grueling year at West Point. In fact, grit even predicts which round contestants will make it to at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The good news is, if you aren't particularly gritty now, there is something you can do about it. People who lack grit more often than not believe that they just don't have the innate abilities successful people have. If that describes your own thinking…well, there's no way to put this nicely: you are wrong. As I mentioned earlier, effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will not only help you see yourself and your goals more accurately, but also do wonders for your grit.

7. Build your willpower muscle. Your self-control "muscle" is just like the other muscles in your body—when it doesn't get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.

To build willpower, take on a challenge that requires you to do something you'd honestly rather not do. Give up high-fat snacks, do 100 sit-ups a day, stand up straight when you catch yourself slouching, try to learn a new skill. When you find yourself wanting to give in, give up, or just not bother—don't. Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they occur ("If I have a craving for a snack, I will eat one piece of fresh or three pieces of dried fruit.") It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier, and that's the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on more challenges and step-up your self-control workout.

8. Don't tempt fate. No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it's important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it you will temporarily run out of steam. Don't try to take on two challenging tasks at once, if you can help it (like quitting smoking and dieting at the same time). And don't put yourself in harm's way—many people are overly-confident in their ability to resist temptation, and as a result they put themselves in situations where temptations abound. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.

9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won't do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g., "Don't think about white bears!") has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior — by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.

If you want change your ways, ask yourself, What will I do instead? For example, if you are trying to gain control of your temper and stop flying off the handle, you might make a plan like "If I am starting to feel angry, then I will take three deep breaths to calm down." By using deep breathing as a replacement for giving in to your anger, your bad habit will get worn away over time until it disappears completely.

It is my hope that, after reading about the nine things successful people do differently, you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along. Even more important, I hope are able to identify the mistakes that have derailed you, and use that knowledge to your advantage from now on. Remember, you don't need to become a different person to become a more successful one. It's never what you are, but what you do.

Provided by Harvard Business Review—Copyright © 2010 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School.


Harvard Business Review February 25, 2011, 12:09PM EST

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/feb2011/ca20110225_479098.htm

What I Know about Authentic Leadership I’m Learning with My Kindergartener

What I Know about Authentic Leadership I’m Learning with My Kindergartener

Blog: Author: Ethan Yarbrough | Source: HCI | Published: May 27, 2010


My six year old son has a foul mouth. Not most of the time. And not R or X rated; really more PG-13. But he’s six, so I’d still like him to be speaking in G-rated language. Yesterday, though, when his ball bounced into the dog’s water dish he came out with this: “what the h---?” You parents out there can, I’m sure, imagine the shock with which my wife and I reacted to hearing that. And we pounced. Angry, stern language, a tearful time out, a lecture, a warning against doing it again. Never again, he promised.

But then I surprised him with Doritos at dinner. “Oh, what the h---?” Anger, tearful time out, lecture, warning. This time he sat hunched and defeated-looking on the couch while I hammered at him. But even as I did, I knew I wasn’t being honest with him. He hadn’t made up that phrase and they aren’t practicing it as a reading exercise in his kindergarten class. He heard it from me.

And so I changed my message to him. “Let’s have a deal,” I said. “The consequence of that phrase is a time out. If you say it again, time out, no question. But I know you learned it from me, right?” He nodded, tears still in his eyes. “OK, well, that’s bad language and it’s not good if people think our family uses bad language, so I need to learn not to say that too. From now on our deal is that if I say it, I have to go to time out too.” He looked up at me with wide, bright eyes, a smile spreading across his face. Relief and wonder.

I don’t equate employees with children and I don’t think my child is in my employ, but I’m telling you this story now because I believe there’s a lesson in it for anyone who wants to be a more effective leader and it’s a lesson I don’t think I would have learned without my children: you may be tasked with getting certain results out of people; you may be the authority. But the more you are inclined to overtly remind them that you are the authority, the less they’ll be inclined to deliver the results you hope for. You breed more trust and engagement if you make it clear you expect the same from yourself as you do from them and if you empower them to call you on it if you’re falling short.

I was reminded of these ideas by this article in the Harvard Business Review: Discovering Your Authentic Leadership. “Authentic leaders,” the authors write, “realize they have to be willing to listen to feedback – especially the kind they don’t want to hear.” For leaders to know their authentic selves, “requires the courage and honesty to open up and examine their own experiences. As they do so, leaders become more humane and willing to be vulnerable.”

“Vulnerable” is not a word we are usually taught to associate with leaders. But maybe what we’ve always been taught about leaders isn’t as effective as it used to be. Again, from the Harvard Business Review: “Over the past five years, people have developed a deep distrust of leaders. It is increasingly evident that we need a new kind of business leader in the 21st century.” I think it’s helpful to consider the power of surrendering authority sometimes, especially to individuals who don’t typically have any of their own.

With my son, I made the calculated choice that to gain control over the situation, I had to give up control. My intent is not to control the person; it is to encourage the person to control himself. And so I framed the issue not as his failure to measure up to my standard, but as our shared failure to measure up to an organizational standard.

There is a principle I’m sure you’re familiar with that you can identify the leaders in a group by finding the ones willing to speak truth to power. I believe it’s also the case that, as a leader, you have to be willing to give up some power to get the truth. It takes courage for a leader to let go enough to make it a safe environment for employees to speak up. Just as it takes courage for those employees to test that freedom the first time. But as soon as you and the employee both act courageously in pursuit of a shared goal, then you are both leaders. And if success is what you’re after, a community of leaders is what you need.

Now, I know you’re wondering, and the answer is yes, I have been busted since the arrangement. When the Boston Celtics’ Ray Allen dunked around Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic in Saturday’s NBA playoff game I let fly with “the phrase.” And there he was, my son. Hands on his hips, a smile in his firm-set eyes. He raised an arm and pointed to the corner-- “Daddy,” he said. “You know where to go.” And I went. That’s our deal.

As President and Co-Founder of Allyis, Inc., a consultancy focused on the development and adoption of 2.0 technologies and practices within the Enterprise, Ethan Yarbrough is a social computing thought leader and active participant in the Enterprise 2.0 conversation. Via his Emerging Web Memo blog, Tweets, white papers and speaking engagements, Ethan actively drives conversations around how organizations can leverage and prosper from the use of social tools, platforms and cultures inside the firewall to foster knowledge management, collaboration, innovation and contribute to employee morale and retention.

Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks


http://www.hci.org/lib/what-i-know-about-authentic-leadership-i-m-learning-my-kindergartener

Identifying High Potentials

Identifying High Potentials
Community: Talent Development Track: The High Performance Organization
Webcast: Webcast Aired: July 28, 2011

Every high potential in your organization likely began their career like any other entry level employee. So, what turned them down the leadership path? Who saw their potential and acted? Organizations spend thousands, even millions, annually to make sure the best and brightest are benefiting from learning, assessments, and robust development programs. Learn what strategies can be used to accommodate organizations as they identify high potential prospects from their first day on the job to their official initiation as a future leader.
Some key questions:
What behaviors set high potentials apart from other workforce segments?
What methods can managers use to help high potential prospects “test the waters” of leadership?

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1)




What is potential? What are the growth factors that identify potential, and specifically, “potential for what?”

Answering these questions is important to determine if organizations have the talent and capability to develop and implement the strategies that will enable success in today’s highly competitive and changing business world. It’s worth noting that:
The ability of leaders to implement one type of strategy may not be the type needed to implement another
Ensuring the right people are in the right roles at the right time to deliver on strategy now and in the future (the essence of Talent Management)

Predicting potential is a high-stakes game. You are not just dealing in specifics such as previous performance record, you are deciding where to place the organization’s bets in investing time and resources to develop future leaders.


2)




Every high potential in your organization likely began their career like any other entry level employee. So, what turned them down the leadership path? Who saw their potential and acted? Organizations spend thousands, even millions, annually to make sure the best and brightest are benefiting from learning, assessments, and robust development programs. Learn what strategies can be used to accommodate organizations as they identify high potential prospects from their first day on the job to their official initiation as a future leader.

Some key questions to answer are:
What behaviors set high potentials apart from other workforce segments?
What methods can managers use to help high potential prospects “test the waters” of leadership?


3)




Growth Factor is defined as: a characteristic of a person that is related to responsiveness to opportunities for leadership development or commitment to seeking professional development. Growth Factors are signs of readiness to take advantage of development opportunities and to stretch one’s capabilities beyond the current set. These factors are more focused on the long-term development of potential rather than immediate results –in fact, depending on the job accountability, the factors may or may not help the person achieve excellent results right now. At entry levels, achievement, analytical thinking, and taking initiative predict performance success better than the Growth Factors.


4)




The final growth factors from Hay Group’s research were:
Supported by observations in coaching and following the careers of many leaders
Agreed on as making sense by the experienced coaches and consultants
Met the original criteria for what makes a good characteristic of potential
Consistent with external academic research*

* Ruth Malloy from Hay Group shared mainstreams of published research underlying work in this topic:
Work by Eliot Jaques and Gillian Stamps on the timespan of discretion
Work by Kurt Fischer’s on measuring cognitive abilities
Emotional Intelligence research summarized by Dan Goleman
Many measures of cognitive abilities (i.e., Watson Glaser, Raven’s Progressive Matrices, etc.)
Competency measurement and the development scalings of those measurements (McClelland, Boyatzis and Spencer & Spencer)
Work by Carol Dweck on growth mindset and fixed mindset; attitudes towards growth and intelligence and their affect on people’s abilities to learn


5)




Outstanding employees score higher than typical employees on the growth factors.
For senior employees the difference is even greater.

6)




A general interest in learning strongly underpins any personal development. It reflects an underlying belief that one’s talents are fundamentally develop-able (as opposed to fixed) and are worth developing for their own sake. An active pleasure in learning and growing greatly enhances the likelihood that the person will make the efforts necessary to develop new competencies as or before they are needed.


7)




Being able to see issues or concerns from diverse viewpoints, thinking them through deeply and seeing less obvious connections to other issues or to other parts of the organization enables people both to understand and to exploit the value of growth experiences. Breadth of perspective becomes increasingly important as future leaders take on larger roles within the organization, and within those roles must invent and execute ways to coordinate with other parts of the organization (and at high levels, with other organizations).

8)




Recognizing and rewarding this ability early on is crucial as our research shows that senior executives are typically less self aware than lower level managers. The ability to listen and accurately understand other people, especially when their perspectives are different from one’s own, helps individuals to learn from others and to do so rapidly, and supports their ability to take feedback from others constructively. In addition, lack of this characteristic is one of the most common “de-railers” for senior leaders.

9)




Personal growth, including the development of leadership skills, is often painful and it is characterized by setbacks or criticism in the process. Individuals who can maintain an even temper, emotional objectivity, and who have effective coping strategies for emotional strain are better able to learn from (rather than defend against) pain. The ability to maintain emotional balance and to be resilient is a prerequisite for learning from feedback. It also supports persistence when in larger roles which are typically more challenging and emotionally difficult.


10)



A variety of factors can throw a development plan off-track. These “derailers” are often unintentional and their source can be the organization, as well as what the individual brings.

11)




Know what you need from people
Start with strategy to define the behaviors needed from key roles



Identify long-term potential through the growth factors
Not just job-specific abilities or current performance



Potential for what?
Distinguish between long term leadership potential and short term job-specific potential.



Fulfillment of potential
Organizations need to take risks to help people grow, promoting development through stretching career moves, coaching and training. This implies minimizing the organization’s complicity in career derailment.



Create enabling systems to effective talent management
rocesses need to help find and promote hidden diamonds and there needs to be mechanisms that inject objective data into the decision making processes around best deployment of talent. Through good talent systems organizations can ensure their people fulfil their potential and thus contribute to the future success of the organization. These systems also need aligning with other levers such as reward.



============================================================================

Ruth Malloy
Managing Director of Transforming Learning
Hay Group, Inc.

Ruth Malloy is Managing Director of Transforming Learning. Transforming Learning provides organizations with research-proven diagnostics, e-learning tools and on-line solutions to develop leaders throughout the whole organization.Ruth joined the Hay Group in 1991, and specializes in the areas of Leadership Transformation, Talent Management and Capability Assessment. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies in various industries including Technology, Financial Services, Food and Beverage and Consumer Goods.

http://www.hci.org/lib/identifying-high-potentials

Driving Performance and Business Results with Collaborative Executive Development

Driving Performance and Business Results with Collaborative Executive Development
Research: Published: January 16, 2012

This report is the result of an original research study conducted by the Human Capital Institute in partnership with Vistage International Inc. Organizations continue to look for effective ways to make their organizations leaner and more productive, and recent research has suggested that a key ingredient in achieving this kind of success lies in the development of a collaborative and cohesive senior leadership team. In response, this research sought to determine the ways in which C-level executives are developed and understand more about the methods being used today. This research profiles the current state of Executive Development and the impact effective Executive Development has on an organization, including satisfaction with senior leaders.

More than 450 respondents that represent organizations from Fortune 500 companies to small and medium-sized enterprises participated in the 29-item survey. Supplementing that data are several interviews with subject matter experts, who supported the need for collaborative executive development in the C-suite and discussed its effect on business productivity and overall success.
Don't miss these key findings:
Learn what top performing organizations are doing to ensure effective development in the C-suite and discover what benefits they have seen
Read how and why industry leaders and subject matter experts have increased the breadth and depth of Executive Development
Discover what types of executive development methods are most effective at building and sustaining a collaborative leadership model


http://www.hci.org/cfe/library/directories/research

http://www.hci.org/files/field_content_file/2011Vistage_LeadershipV12.pdf

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Ulrich Nettesheim
Lecturer at Haas School of Business
UC Berkeley

Ulrich has a successful track record advising CEOs, Board Chairs, BU leaders and function heads over the past 20 years. He has worked with leaders from organizations of various industries and sizes including start-ups, Fortune 500s in high-tech, financial services, healthcare, CPG and global NGOs. Ulrich is also an entrepreneur having founded two successful businesses in the last 10 years.

Ulrich is currently a lecturer at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business where he focuses on the areas of leadership and high performing teams. He is also working on founding his third start up which will focus on advisory services to senior leaders who have to adapt how they lead to successfully grow businesses. He has Board experience, co-founded Passages Consulting, was a Managing Partner at Mercer Delta Consulting and served as a Head of Strategy at the USC Medical Center in Los Angeles CA.

Ulrich is an Associate of Leaders’ Quest, is a Member of SIOP and the Commonwealth Club and is passionate about transforming education to better prepare emerging leaders in graduate schools in the technical disciplines (business, sciences, engineering, medicine, law, etc.). Ulrich completed his graduate studies at Columbia University, has a wonderful family with two boys, is a huge soccer fan and is an avid student of human nature.

Michael Molina
Chief Human Resource Officer
Vistage

Michael D. Molina has more than 20 years of experience as a HR executive in providing HR and OD strategy to corporate and business groups worldwide. He currently serves as the Chief Human Resource Officer for Vistage International, a worldwide leading CEO organization dedicated to helping executives improve their businesses.

Before that, Michael was the Chief Human Resource Officer for Brahma Technology and the HR Executive Vice President for Advanced Marketing Services, a book distributor, wholesaler and publisher located in San Diego, California. He has also held roles at EquaTerra, Marathon Oil, Mobil Corporation and Gateway, where his experience included functional expertise in HR operations to include call center and shared services, systems implementation, recruitment, training, employee relations, executive compensation, and benefits design and management. Michael was recently named HR Professional of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal and under his direction, Vistage has been named Top 125 Training Organizations and a Best Place to Work winner.

4 key elements of a solid partnership agreement

January 18, 2012 11:48 AM

4 key elements of a solid partnership agreement
By Jeff Haden

MoneyWatch) Setting up a business partnership is a little like starting a romantic relationship, even though the benefits and perks are different. When love -- or a great small business idea -- is in the air, it's easy only to focus on the positives.

A solid partnership agreement also takes into account a number of "what if?" questions, especially negative outcomes you might prefer to ignore in all the excitement. If the worst does happen, your partnership agreement should protect both you and your partner.

Here are the basic questions every good partnership agreement should answer:

"What if one partner wants to leave?" Exit clauses are standard in partnership agreements. For example, if you want out, your partner may be obligated to purchase your ownership share.

That's the easy part. The tricky part is determining the value of the business when that happens. Business valuation is part science, part art, and different approaches often generate very different results. Whether you agree to use liquidation value; book value; or the income, asset or market approaches, stipulate in your partnership agreement how the business will be valued and whether a third party will conduct the valuation. Then the breakup will be a lot cleaner and less emotional.

"What if one partner dies?" Say your partner passes away. Typically her ownership stake passes to her spouse or children. You automatically get new partners -- new partners you may not want. A buy-sell agreement can allow you to purchase your deceased partner's share, but what if you don't have the money or can't get financing?

There's an easy solution: Stipulate that each partner will carry life insurance sufficient to cover the purchase of the other partner's share. Each partner designates the other partner as beneficiary. Then, if your partner passes away you always have the funds to complete the buy-sell agreement. Just make sure you add additional coverage as the value of your business grows.

"What if one partner wants to change the agreement?" Perspectives change as a business evolves, and partnership agreements can be amended as often as you like as long as all partners agree.

Sometimes one of you might not agree to proposed changes, so stipulate how fundamental disagreements will be resolved: Mediation, arbitration, triggering a buy-sell clause and more. Knowing how a problem will eventually be resolved if you aren't able to agree often makes it easier to work through differences.

"What if we don't agree on major issues?" No matter how well you work together now, misunderstandings, hurt feelings and changing priorities can damage the best relationships. When that happens, falling back on the terms of your partnership agreement can help both of you stay objective.

For example, your partnership agreement may stipulate you are responsible for 60% of the work since your partner provided a greater share of initial capital. If he feels you aren't doing your share, the more clearly you defined what "the work" means in your agreement, the easier it is to determine whether you are in fact pulling your weight. Whenever possible, use hours, numbers, dollars -- quantifiable measurements.

"What if we've already started a business with a partnership agreement?" If the agreement you have is insufficient, it's not too late. (And if you have no agreement at all in place, it's definitely not too late.)

Simply amend your current agreement or create a new partnership agreement. If you feel changes are necessary and your partner does not, explain that your only goal is to eliminate as many potential disagreements as you possibly can.



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57361062/4-key-elements-of-a-solid-partnership-agreement/?tag=nl.e808

Online—Can’t Prohibit the Bad, Can’t Allow the Good?

Today's HR Daily Advisor Tip:
Online—Can’t Prohibit the Bad, Can’t Allow the Good?


Topic: HR Policies and ProceduresIs that right? You can’t prohibit employees from saying bad things online, yet you also can’t allow them to say good things? To some extent, that’s true, says attorney Peter Lowe.


Lowe, who is a partner at Brann & Isaacson in Lewiston, Maine, offered his tips at the BLR’s Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, held recently in Las Vegas. Lowe is a member of the Employers Counsel Network and writes the BLR/HRhero Maine Employment Law Letter.
Can’t Prohibit Saying Bad Things

Employers who want to restrict employees’ negative comments about the employer and its management may run afoul of the National Labor Relations Act, notes Lowe.

Employers need to be careful not to violate employee rights under NLRA, which states:

Employees shall have the right to self-organization … And to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.
—29 U.S.C. § 157

Lowe recommends that policies state:

Nothing in this policy is intended in any way to restrict an employee’s right to engage in any concerted activities under the National Labor Relations Act.

The NLRB General Counsel released a report of social media cases in last year, Lowe notes. Of nine cases dealing with employee use of social media, four were found to be protected communications. All three social media policies challenged were struck down as overbroad.

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Representative Cases

Lowe cites three cases that help employers understand the NLRB rules:

American Medical Response of Connecticut, Inc.

Dawnmarie Souza worked for an ambulance company. She posted ugly and inappropriate comments about her supervisor on Facebook and coworkers commented on her “status.”

After she was terminated, the NLRB filed a complaint against the employer for interfering with concerted activity and declared the company’s social media policy overly broad.

The ambulance company settled for an undisclosed amount of money & agreed to change its policies.

JT’s Porch Saloon & Eatery, Inc.

A bartender complained to his coworker about the bar’s policy of waitresses not sharing tips. He posted in a Facebook conversation with his stepsister that pay sucked, he wasn’t getting a cut of the tips, and that the customers were all rednecks.

No coworkers commented on his post. The bartender was fired for his Facebook posting, and the NLRB upheld the decision, because the bartender had made no attempt to initiate group action.

Karl Knauz Motors, Inc.

A BMW car salesman posted pictures of a BMW sales event on Facebook, mocking food given away at event. He also posted pictures of an accident at a commonly-owned Land Rover dealership. The salesman was fired.

The NLRB determined that the posts about food were protected; however, the posts about the accident were not.

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Can’t Allow Employees to Say Good Things

The FTC has recently cracked down on employees who say good things about a company without identifying themselves as employees, says Lowe. The agency has particularly targeted:

“Flogs” –fake blogs
“Astroturfing”—the posting of seemingly objective customer reviews that are biased

The FTC’s revised guidelines, says Lowe, require disclosure of interest in reviews by:

Employees
Relatives
Giveaway recipients

For example, the FTC took enforcement action against the online PR firm, Reverb. Reverb settled, agreeing to:

Prohibit employees from endorsing client products without disclosing their interest
Remove existing employee reviews that didn’t disclose interest
Distribute a copy of settlement to employees

Lowe recommends that employers’ policies include guidelines for online reviews, blogs, product comments, etc. In particular, policies should:

Set parameters for commentary
Require disclosure of employment relationship
Explain the need for limitations
Offer sample posts or review disclosures

Top 5 Mistakes Leaders Make in Tough Times

Today's HR Daily Advisor Tip:
Top 5 Mistakes Leaders Make in Tough Times

Topic: E-pinion


Just My E-pinion
By Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE Things getting a little desperate these days? Be careful that you don't do something you'll regret, says guest columnist Eileen McDargh, a professional speaker and business consultant on change management, life balance, and leadership development. Here are her top five management mistakes (plus a bonus).

Mistake #1: Become reactive and reactionary.

There is truth in the old saying, "Respond in haste. Regret in sorrow." When leaders fail to gather information and critically assess the long-term impact of decisions, severe errors are made. Consider the Big Three auto executives who knee-jerked their way on private planes to ask for a handout without ever having a plan. Now that's a bonehead mistake.

Before acting, stop and breathe. Think long-term strategy. Be cautious. Be proactive. Test your decisions by saying, "If this... then this..."
Mistake #2: Huddle with only the corporate folks.

First, answers are often found at the floor level, not at the ceiling. Involve everyone in the search for efficiencies and innovations. Engage everyone in a common vision and mission. How refreshing to have the Obama team now posting discussions on the Internet and seeking input from a variety of people with differing viewpoints. Building transparency goes a long way toward building trust and making us all feel we are part of the solution.

For plain-English analysis on every key topic in HR, turn to HR.BLR.com. With 24/7 access, this remarkable everything-you-need-for-HR solution is like adding an employee to your staff. Learn More
Mistake #3: Cut. Cut. Cut.

No company has ever downsized its way to greatness. Underserved customers and too much work to be done by too few people are examples of the costs of wholesale terminations. These are cuts that could have been done with a scalpel instead of a hacksaw.

Canceling a meeting? This is the time to gather and candidly talk. Substitute Jell-O for Jamoca fudge and two-buck chuck for filet mignon but bring people together.

As for layoffs—if your organization or department can handle this—bring everybody together and lay out the facts. One very smart leader found that employees were willing to reduce work schedules, work half-time, and job share rather than have members of their team terminated.
Mistake #4: Go after new clients and customers.

Unless your current customers have vanished because of poor quality or service, they can be your best source of new revenue. Ask how you can turn them into champions of what you provide. Make them feel special and valuable. I've noticed that my bank is now making every effort to thank me for my business, to call me by name, to answer any request with a "no problem" attitude. Sure, they should have been doing that all along, but better late than never.
Mistake #5: Do more with less.

In my consulting practice, I have often found that much of the "more" is work that provides no value at the end of the day. Scrutinize every process; get rid of the sacred cows and the egos. Translate every action into a dollar value.

In one organization, we found senior executives tripping over each other to put their two cents into every new PowerPoint® presentation. It was a waste of executive talent, made each project longer than necessary, disempowered the employees creating the presentations, and actually used up some $15,000 worth of senior management time!

See what everyone in HR is talking about! Test drive BLR's remarkable all-inclusive HR web service, HR.BLR.com. Get help with more than 200 HR issues. Learn More
BONUS Mistake: Buy into pessimism.

It's a huge mistake we all make when we let the news of the day drive us to hiding under the covers, chopping up the furniture for kindling, and searching for recipes made with bread and water. What we have is an opportunity to really consider what is most important, to spend time at work that is meaningful, and to nurture relationships that matter. We have an opportunity to reclaim our reputation, our integrity, and our future.

Not to do this would be our biggest mistake.

That's Eileen McDargh's e-pinion. We'd like to hear yours. Share your comments below.

Eileen McDargh's newest book, Gifts from the Mountain, received the 2008 Ben Franklin book award. www.eileenmcdargh.com

40 Metrics—And Nary a One Interesting to Management

Today's HR Daily Advisor Tip:
40 Metrics—And Nary a One Interesting to Management

Topic: HR Management
"Some HR managers keep 40 or more stats, virtually all uninteresting to their company's executives," says Attorney James P. Greene. He shares his meaningful metrics tips in today's Advisor.


There is no single set of metrics that fits all companies, Greene says. HR managers need to step back and find out what management really needs. You're looking for a few strategic, relevant metrics, he says.

Greene is a member of the Ann Arbor, Michigan, office of the law firm Dykema Gossett, and is director of the firm's Employment Law Department. His tips came at BLR's recent Employment Law Update in Las Vegas.
The Three Levels of HR Metrics

Greene identifies three levels of metrics: personnel, human resources, and human capital management. Only the third level is potentially of interest to top management, Greene says.
Level 1-Personnel

At the first level are control and compliance stats that measure the efficiency of the HR department. Examples of this type of metric are:
Time to fill critical positions
Turnover rates
Absenteeism
Training costs per employee
Cost per employee of wages and benefits


What are your competitors offering workers these days? Check your state's edition of BLR's exclusive Employee Compensation in [Your State] program to find out. Try it at no cost or risk.
Level 2-Human Resources

At the next level, things become more qualitative, with stats on service delivery. At this level, HR is measuring the quality of its programs. For example:
Reduction in vacancies
Increased job performance following training
Decreased absenteeism following wellness program

Level 3-Human Capital Management

At the top level, Greene says, you find metrics which measure HR's impact on strategy. These are metrics that are aligned with the organization's strategic goals, and thus are the metrics that will be meaningful for management. For example, such stats might relate to:
Customer base
Revenue/profit
Sales targets
Productivity

Can't Do It Sitting in Your Office

Greene says that the first step is to find out what the company's most important goals and initiatives are. If you can't find out directly from the top, ask to see strategic plans, read reports, and talk to people. "You can't discover what's really important by sitting in your office," Greene says.

Once you know what's important, figure out what you are doing or could be doing to contribute to that goal. And then find a small number of metrics that will help management understand how the things you are doing move their agenda forward.

Don't just look at national data for salary guidance on hundreds of jobs when you can have it specifically for your state and region. It's in BLR's famed Employee Compensation in [Your State] program. Try it on us! Here's how.
Linking HR Practices to Valued Business Outcomes

To demonstrate how a meaningful business outcome relates to an HR deliverable, Greene offers a quick chart.






HR Practice
HR Deliverable
Business Outcome

Recruiting
Vacant positions are filled on a timely basis with quality new people.
Productivity increases achieved by acquiring highly skilled staff.

Improved organizational competitiveness.

Training
A training program is developed for sales personnel.

A training program is delivered on the topic of harassment and discrimination.
Sales increase from the sales personnel who have acquired new skills.

Reduced risk of suits and complaints associated with employment decisions.


In tomorrow's Advisor, we'll see Greene's "gotchas" for HR metrics, and look at a special program for what are probably the most important metrics—compensation comparisons.

'If You Were a Dessert ...' and Other 'Great' Interview Questions

Today's HR Daily Advisor Tip:
'If You Were a Dessert ...' and Other 'Great' Interview Questions

Topic: Hiring and Recruiting
Yesterday's Advisor focused on proper interview questions. Today, attorneys Sandra Rappaport and Mike Moye tackle more interview challenges, and introduce the key role of job descriptions.


Your interview plan should focus on eliciting information about a candidate's performance and experience, says Rappaport. Use open-ended questions rather than those that simply require a yes or no response. And, Moye advises, stay away from inquiries that could take you off topic. For example, "If you were a dessert, what dessert would you be?"

Mike Moye and Sandra Rappaport shared their tips with attendees at the Employer Resource Institute's recent California Employment Law Update conference. Moye and Rappaport are partners at the San Francisco office of law firm Hanson Bridgett LLP.

Rappaport says employers should make sure managers are trained on the interview plan and ask the same questions of all applicants for the job. With multiple interviewers, plan what area each interviewer will cover.
'The Old Guy in the Wheelchair'

Give managers a question template to follow, along with a score sheet to keep track of applicant responses. (Also, train managers to write only job-related notes on those sheets. No little memory joggers like "the heavy-set Hispanic woman" or "the old guy in the wheelchair.")

The good news is that there's an added benefit to having a consistent plan: You'll have an easier time comparing applicants when it comes time to make your selection decision, and your decision will be readily defensible, should the need arise.
Detailed, Updated Job Descriptions

And, finally, says Rappaport, make sure you have detailed job descriptions, and that you keep them updated. Then you can tailor interview questions to gather the information you'll need to determine whether a job candidate meets the qualifications specified in the job description.

Job descriptions can also be an indispensable aid for ensuring that you comply with a variety of federal and state laws and regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But your organization will not reap these benefits if your job descriptions aren't properly drafted.

Set that keyboard aside! Your job descriptions are already written. See why thousands have a permanent place in their offices for BLR's classic Job Descriptions Encyclopedia. Try it at no cost or risk.

What's the state of your organization's job descriptions? Up to date? Accurate? ADA-compatible? Good work! However, if you are not so sure that your job descriptions are as well executed as they should be (or if you've never even written them), you're not alone. Thousands of companies fall short in this area.

It's easy to understand why. Writing job descriptions is not quick or easy—what with updating and management and legal review, and accommodating the ADA's requirement of a split off of essential vs. other functions in the description. Wouldn't it be great if they were available, already written?

Actually, they are. We have over 500, ready to go, covering every common position in any organization, from receptionist right up to president. They are in an extremely popular BLR program called Job Descriptions Encyclopedia.

First created in the 1980s, the JDE has been constantly refined and updated over time, with descriptions revised or added each time the law, technology, or the way we do business, changes.

Prewritten job descriptions in the Job Descriptions Encyclopedia come with pay grades already attached. Try the program at no cost. Find out more.
Revised for the ADA, Pay Grades Added

There was a major revision, for example, following the passage of the ADA. In fact, BLR editors took every one of those 500 descriptions apart and reassembled them to be ADA-compliant.

Another, more recent addition was that of pay grades for each job, based on BLR's extensive annual surveys of exempt and nonexempt compensation and on other data. According to our customers, this is an enormous timesaver, enabling them to make compensation decisions even as they define the position. You can see a sample job description from the program by clicking here. (Yes, it is the one for HR manager. Pay grade: 38.)

The BLR Job Descriptions Encyclopedia also includes an extensive tutorial on setting up a complete job descriptions program, and how to encourage participation from all parts of the organization. That includes top management, the employees, and any union or other collective bargaining entity.
Quarterly Updates, No Additional Cost

Very important these days, quarterly updates are included in the program as a standard feature—key at a time of constantly changing laws and emerging technologies. We'll send you new or revised descriptions every 90 days. And the cost is extremely reasonable, averaging less than 66 cents per job description ... already written, legally reviewed, and ready to adapt or use as is.

Office Romance Hypotheticals ... and The Real World

Today's HR Daily Advisor Tip:
Office Romance Hypotheticals ... and The Real World


Topic: HarassmentOffice romances are one of the biggest legal risks managers can take, says attorney Jonathan Segal. Even when relationships appear to be totally consensual, they're dangerous from a legal standpoint.


Segal, who is one of SHRM's most popular speakers, is a partner in the Philadelphia office of law firm Duane Morris LLP. His remarks came at the SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition, held recently in Las Vegas.

Segal poses a number of situations and shows how they can be problematic, even though they appear to be benign.
Office Romance Hypotheticals

Example 1. A supervisor and subordinate fall in love, and live happily ever after. No harassment there, says Segal. (Although there could be third party concerns if other coworkers believe that the in-love subordinate is getting special treatment.)

Example 2. The supervisor asks the subordinate out, the subordinate says no, and the supervisor says, That's cool, and the two work together synergistically and effectively and stay friends ever after. No harassment there.

"But now let's leave fiction," Segal says.

Yes, you do have the budget and time to train managers and supervisors with BLR's® 10-Minute HR Trainer. Try it at no cost or risk. Get details.

Example 3. In the real world, when a supervisor asks a subordinate out and the subordinate says, "No" the supervisor says, "Oh, come on, the way you look at me, let's go out." Is there a problem now? Segal asks. Yes, because "No means No."

The issue here is authority. The subordinate is concerned about the authority the supervisor has over him or her. The subordinate knows that the supervisor determines his or her economic destiny.

Here's what actually happens, says Segal.

Example 4. The supervisor asks the subordinate out. The subordinate thinks, "You repulse me. I'd rather swing from a meathook with pins in my eyes." But the subordinate says, "I'm busy."

The supervisor hears, "She wants me. She wants to go out, it's just that she has other plans." So the supervisor asks again. The subordinate is still busy.

Eventually (we hope) the supervisor figures it out. But the damage is done. The next time something adverse happens to the subordinate, he or she can claim, "It's retaliation for not going out with my supervisor."

Example #5. The supervisor asks a subordinate out on a date, the subordinate says no, and the supervisor never asks again.

There's no problem, says Segal … until:
The subordinate doesn't get a raise
The subordinate is fired
The subordinate is demoted

Whatever reasoning is advanced for the adverse action, the subordinate may claim that "The real reason was because I said no to the request for a date. It's quid pro quo harassment."

Train your line managers with BLR's 10-Minute HR Trainer. There won't be time for classroom boredom. Try it for free.

Example #6. The supervisor asks a subordinate for a date. The subordinate says yes, they fall in love and they know it will last forever. Any problem?

No, until it falls apart and they hate each other's guts, Segal says. But say they do stay in love. There's still the potential for a hostile environment claim if the behavior creates an uncomfortable environment.

Bottom line, says Segal, when a supervisor asks a subordinate for date, there's a risk. Just by asking, you're giving the subordinate a club that he or she may later use against you.

To avoid legal troubles, says Segal, at a bare mimimum:

Educate managers on risks they take by attempting to date or dating.
Develop some sort of reporting procedure—if you wish to date, talk to HR.
Hope they get married. Once the couple goes down the aisle, the risks are a lot lower. It's hard to claim unwelcome after you're married.
Develop a conflict of interest policy. Officers who have direct or indirect influence can't date or attempt to date someone on their organization chart.

What you don't want to do is do nothing, says Segal. To greenlight workplace dating is to expose your organization to substantial risk.

In tomorrow's Advisor, three women and a man discuss sex, plus an introduction to a unique 10-minutes-at-a-time training system.

5 questions to ask yourself to know if you're on the right track financially

Ask yourself these questions and you’ll know instantly if you’re heading in
the right direction…

• Are you better or worse off than you were five years ago?
• Has your net worth grown or shrunk - or are you saying “what net worth?”
• Have you been able to pay down or pay off your debt … or is it continuing
to climb?
• Do you have more or less fre.e time for yourself or to spend with your family
and friends?
• Did you know that there is a secret to becoming financially fre.e sooner rather
than later?
No matter what you answered here’s your chance to make massive changes and
position yourself for wealth in 2012.

T. Harv Eker is gifting you complimentary tickets to the special edition Millionaire
Mind Intensive - and the MMI is coming to a city near you.
To access your complimentary ticket
go here >> www.millionairemindintensive.com/thanks/#register

Harv designed this Special Edition program to deliver on four key objectives:
• How to earn large amounts of money right now
• How to invest your money right now
• What to do in your business or your job right now
• What kind of mindset you need to succeed right now
If you’re serious about your financial future then grab your complimentary ticket
to the Special Edition Millionaire Mind Intensive now.

Simply click the link below and register now, for an MMI in the city of your choice.
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To your success

Peak Potentials

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THE SEVEN C’s OF SUCCESS by Brian Tracy

THE SEVEN C’s OF SUCCESS by Brian Tracy

After having studied top achievers and peak performers over the past 35 years, I’ve concluded that these unique men and women, have in most cases, mastered what I call the Seven C’s of Success.

Clarity: Eighty percent of success comes from being clear on who you are, what you believe in and what you want.

Competence: You can't climb to the next rung on the ladder until you are excellent at what you do now.

Constraints: Eighty percent of all obstacles to success come from within. Find out what is constraining in you or your company and deal with it.

Concentration: The ability to focus on one thing single-mindedly and see it through until it's done takes more character than anything else.

Creativity: Flood your life with ideas from many sources. Creativity needs to be exercised like a muscle; if you don't use it you'll lose it.

Courage: Most in demand and least in supply, courage is the willingness to do the things you know are right.

Continuous learning: Read, at the very least, one book a week on business to keep you miles ahead of the competition. And just as you eat and bathe, organize your time so you spend 30 minutes a day exploring email, sending messages, going through websites, because like exercise, it's the only way you can keep on top of technology. If you get away from it, you'll lose your edge.


http://www.yoursuccessstore.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=1665&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.yoursuccessstore.com%2findex.php%3fmain_page%3dpage%26id%3d1665&utm_campaign=The+Seven+C's+of+Success

THE SEVEN C’s OF SUCCESS by Brian Tracy

THE SEVEN C’s OF SUCCESS by Brian Tracy

After having studied top achievers and peak performers over the past 35 years, I’ve concluded that these unique men and women, have in most cases, mastered what I call the Seven C’s of Success.

Clarity: Eighty percent of success comes from being clear on who you are, what you believe in and what you want.

Competence: You can't climb to the next rung on the ladder until you are excellent at what you do now.

Constraints: Eighty percent of all obstacles to success come from within. Find out what is constraining in you or your company and deal with it.

Concentration: The ability to focus on one thing single-mindedly and see it through until it's done takes more character than anything else.

Creativity: Flood your life with ideas from many sources. Creativity needs to be exercised like a muscle; if you don't use it you'll lose it.

Courage: Most in demand and least in supply, courage is the willingness to do the things you know are right.

Continuous learning: Read, at the very least, one book a week on business to keep you miles ahead of the competition. And just as you eat and bathe, organize your time so you spend 30 minutes a day exploring email, sending messages, going through websites, because like exercise, it's the only way you can keep on top of technology. If you get away from it, you'll lose your edge.


http://www.yoursuccessstore.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=1665&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=http%3a%2f%2fwww.yoursuccessstore.com%2findex.php%3fmain_page%3dpage%26id%3d1665&utm_campaign=The+Seven+C's+of+Success

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DAY!

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DAY! by Paul J. Meyer

When was the last time you complained that you had too much time on your hands? You probably cannot remember that far back. The truth is that most of us cannot squeeze into a 24-hour period all the items written on our daily planners. A common mistake most people make is to attempt to find time instead of making time!

How do you MAKE time?

FIRST, define your most important goals:

A burning desire to reach a specific goal motivates you to make time to take the required actions.

Write down specifically how you will use extra time. Will you spend it making personal calls, three-way calls, attending training meetings, making new contacts?

SECOND, chart your time:

Note how you spend each hour. Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom becomes just as empty as the one that is deliberately kicked over.

THIRD, organize your time to plug the time leaks:

Assume the attitude that every minute that does not work for you, works against you.

To make the most of your time, try these proven time savers:

► Examine the usual daily interruptions. See how many you can eliminate immediately, screen out, or delegate. Set aside a specific time for phoning people on your prospect list, making presentations, keeping up with the detail part of the job, attending training meetings, reading, sending emails and making phone calls. These designated time blocks do not always work; emergencies occur, demanding flexibility in scheduling. But when you have a plan for organizing and investing your time, that extra hour of time each day will be available.

► Analyze your energy cycle. Determine when you tend to be at your best physically and mentally. Schedule challenging tasks during those times of peak performance and you will accomplish more in less time. I have more energy in the morning hours than I do in the afternoon hours, so I have always made the majority of my phone calls for sales appointments first thing in the morning. For some people it is just the opposite. They are evening people and work better in the evenings.

► Think about time the way you think about money. The more wisely you invest time, the greater the yield. Before you invest time in a given activity, ask yourself, "Is there something more profitable I could be doing?" And remember, making face-to-face contacts and presentations will ALWAYS be the most profitable thing you can do!

Make the most of your life by making the most of every minute, every hour and every day!!

==========================================

Personal Development

“Practice the philosophy of continuous improvement. Get a little bit better every single day.” —Brian Tracy

“No one limits your growth but you. If you want to earn more, learn more. That means you’ll work harder for a while; that means you’ll work longer for a while. But you’ll be paid for your extra effort with enhanced earnings down the road.” —Tom Hopkins

“Read books, listen to tapes, attend seminars—they are decades of wisdom reduced to invaluable hours.” —Mark Victor Hansen

“Income seldom exceeds personal development.” —Jim Rohn

“Make education a continuing, never-ending process.” —Nido Qubein

“Meaningful success needs a very personal definition. It is built from the inside out. The success of others has nothing to do with your own success.” —Denis Waitley

Know Your Innate, Natural Talents

Know Your Innate, Natural Talents by Lisa Jimenez

You have all you need to make your life work. Look to your natural talents to guide you in life. You know those things you do so well that you don’t even have to think about it. It is those abilities that come naturally to you that will help you build your confidence in other areas of your life. Begin with your strengths! Too many times people focus on what they need to work on – their weaknesses. And get burned out. How much better it is to begin with your talent. Your God-given talents can give you the courage to bridge over to the areas you need
work on.

Do you even know your innate talents? Can you name seven of them in less than a minute? Try it. Take a minute right now to list seven innate abilities you have.

I bet if I asked you to name seven things about you that you need to improve, you would come up with all seven in seconds! What’s wrong with this picture?

Rethink how you think! Okay. Now, write down seven one-word positives about you. What are you just naturally good at?


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Are you using those talents every day – in work, at home, in your relationships? If not, why not? You are missing out on a powerful process of building courage, cultivating faith and conquering fear!

Know Your Innate, Natural Talents and Use Them Every Day!

Get started now planning your 2012 with the assistance of one of today's preeminent experts in the field of personal development, goal-setting and success achievement. Take advantage of a 12-week online training program based on the principles in Darren Hardy's best-selling book, The Compound Effect.

The Day Your Life Will Change for Good!

The Day Your Life Will Change for Good! by Chris Widener

Many people long for a better life. In fact, I think it is innate to humans to desire a better life. Wherever we are at, we look beyond and dream of a better place. That is good, and that is not so good. It is good because the dream is alive and we can see, even if it is far off, a better situation for us, our families and our businesses and communities. So why is it not good? It is not good because it is not yet a reality! A dream is no good if it is only a dream. Sure a dream can make you feel good, but long-term, if you don't pursue it and make it a reality, it will cause you frustration more than anything. But there is hope!

I'm talking about the day your life really changes. The day that your dream begins to become a reality, and not some pie in the sky wish. This is the day life turns around for you, the day things begin to get better and you begin to fulfill your purpose, mission and destiny! When is this day?

It is the day you make a decision!

The key to changing your life is to make a decision, and then to act upon it. And once acted upon, to follow-through consistently until your dream becomes a reality.

So the decision is the key? Yes it is. Every dream begins as a thought. "I would love to have my own business, to be free to run my life and earn as much money as I want to and take as much vacation time as I want." Good dream, isn't it? Probably a dream that most of us have. But there it is, a little electrical impulse bouncing around inside our head. Does that do us any good? Only if it becomes action! And it only becomes action if we make a decision.

Let's carry this example out. What are the decisions to be made here? Well, there are a few I can think of. One would be to quit your job. You can't go into business for yourself until you quit your job (or your current boss will be quite upset!). Decide to do it and schedule an appointment with him or her. Walk in and quit! Another decision is to go get your business license. Schedule the time, go get the papers, fill them out, pay the money and register with the state. Bingo, you're in business!

You must decide what you must do to make your dream a reality.
Then you must act upon those decisions. If you do not act, your dream becomes a pipe dream, a non-reality.
When you have acted, you must follow through. Continue to follow your plan, day by day, carrying your dream to completion.

Here is a practical exercise to get you moving:

What is your dream? It could be in any area of life: Work, family, finances, health etc.
What is a decision you have to make to get yourself MOVING in the right direction? This should be action oriented not philosophical in nature. For example it should be "I am going to resign on March 1st," not "I've decided that being in business for myself would be more fulfilling." That is an idea, not a decision.

Next, pick a day you are going to do it. Pick a time. Be specific.
Next, do it!
Next, begin the process of continually following-through.
Next, enjoy yourself; you are pursuing your dream! It may be hard but it will also be the most fulfilling and rewarding time of your life!

"The history of free men is not written by chance, but by choice - their choice." Dwight D. Eisenhower

Decide, Act, Follow-through. The day you do will be the day you change your life - for good!


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The 4S of Business Life

The 4S of Business Life



The 4S of business life is something every business might or might not go through. The 4S of business life are survive, strive, succeed, and superstar. Upon reaching each business life, they must innovate and rise in order to get to the next. If you understand the 4S of business life, you would understand your current business situation.

The first business life is survive, this is where the business needs to make ends meet. Usually, the business would be operated by one person or through partnerships who had prepared to venture in a business. During this phase, the business is at a delicate point where the business would either take off or drop depending on planning, determination, resources and etc….

The second business life is strive, where the business starts to take shape and is struggling to succeed. In this stage, the employees are the company’s best asset and everything they do will affect the business. These employees are the lifeblood of the company.

The third business life point is succeed, this is the point where the business just takes off overnight after years of striving. This is the point where the business starts recruit talents in order to fulfill the heavy demands of the business. The business gets to breathe easier and is making great profits.

The fourth and last business life is superstar, this is where the business had succeeded in its goals and has become one of the top leaders in their respected industry or niche. The business has many employees and the profits are huge. The business is basically in a golden age of prosperity. The business must continue to innovate and expand in order to grow and keep its business life.

It is naïve to think that once a business is at the top that it will continue to stay that way. A business may eventually fall and then rise again depending on the CEO, business, events, trends, conditions, opportunities and etc… The 4S of business life (survive, strive, succeed and superstar) is a life cycle of the business.


http://marketingdeviant.com/the-4s-of-business-life/

New Year’s Evolutions

New Year’s Evolutions
Issue 540 | January 4, 2012
By Lorrie Lykins


So here we are at the start of a new year, slogging through the inevitable (and often tedious) year-in-review retrospectives and forecasts for 2012. But, let’s be honest – how much do those forecasts really affect your life?

We get it – looking ahead requires perspective in terms of where we’ve been and what we’ve learned so far, but too often forecasters merely jump on the most recent bandwagon. We know from experience that sustained high performance is synonymous with, among other things, being ready for change – and having a degree of insight into what’s around the corner doesn’t hurt.

It’s easy to predict that new challenges await all of us – but research and experience clearly shows that organizations best positioned to seize upon and leverage the strategic advantage of the next best practice, and that continue to foster a culture of innovation, are the successful organizations. So what does all that really mean – what should we in HR be thinking about and how can we support innovation and growth that will help kick our organizations into high gear in 2012?

Start by making a commitment to embracing the sometimes complex, but high-value strategic work recent human capital research has demonstrated is critical for success. Here’s a rundown based on i4cp’s 2011 research of just a few of the issues we think are important for organizational success in 2012 and beyond:

EBHR

One of our favorite quotes of 2011 came from the SVP of HR at one of our member companies. To paraphrase, he said “Historically, HR has done a horrible job of leveraging data to its advantage, certainly when compared with sales, marketing or other strategic functions.” This sentiment sums up why the subject of Evidenced Based Human Resources (EBHR) has risen so dramatically in popularity.

John Gibbons, i4cp’s VP of Research, defines EBHR as “Simply, the use of human capital analytics and scientific standards of causation to build a case for how people management practices drive operational and financial performance of the business.” Many seasoned HR professionals are embracing evidenced-based decision-making and resisting the urge to avoid it because it’s perceived to be too complicated, too costly, too critical or just another fad. More organizations are using evidenced-based approaches to measure and manage talent, and this practice is serving as a competitive advantage – not only in terms of how they compete for, engage and retain talent, but as a competitive lever for the organization as a whole. Employees are the most important asset in most organizations, and EBHR increases the financial contributions HR makes to business by effectively leveraging that asset.

Gibbons recommends two initial and simple steps for implementing EBHR: ensure the HR team understands the most important measures used in the enterprise and keep the first project(s) small. Bottom line, you don't need to tackle everything at once, but ignoring EBHR could be a fatal management mistake. If you missed it, check out John’s webinar on EBHR for more information.

Performance management

It became somewhat popular in 2011 to suggest that eradicating the performance appraisal process is what should happen in order to improve the culture. Our research suggests something far different – top organizations more often perfect and leverage the PM process to gain a strategic advantage.

If that’s the case, why does the term performance management evoke so much criticism? Why do so many of us, even the owners of PM, dread it as something to be tolerated at best? If your organization’s approach to PM needs to be re-tooled, familiarize yourself with i4cp’s Performance Management Playbook: Tools and Techniques for Managing Performance. This playbook addresses the fundamental programs and philosophies used by top companies, and expounds on the ideas organizations should consider in building a best-in-class PM program that is strategic, well-understood and expertly executed. It also examines some of the key findings from two i4cp surveys on the topic, and features real world strategies and approaches currently in practice in leading organizations worldwide.

For example, forced ranking and forced distribution has seen a significant decline in high-performing organizations. Why? Mainly because these systems are often “gamed” by managers rather than being applied properly and producing real results. That doesn’t mean it isn’t appropriate for some corporate cultures, but understanding what types of culture are right for these practices is critical to ensuring performance management success.

Contingent workers

The four-year, stomach churning roller coaster that has been the global economy has brought about a great deal of change in approaches to staffing and as a result, the demand for contingent workers has increased. Our research on the use of contingent workers found that now more than ever, there is a demand for agility as well as acumen on several fronts – workers and executives must be equipped with core competencies such as critical thinking, effective communication, creativity and innovation.

Organizations must be able to expand and contract the workforce as needed and knowing how to do that without losing efficiency and effectiveness is critical. This means striking that critical balance of deploying and managing contingent workers strategically while also keeping permanent employees engaged. This is much easier said than done, but our report, The State of the Contingent Workforce, which was featured in the Wall Street Journal, offers insights into road-tested strategies being employed by some of our members.

Embracing technology (when it makes sense)

Like the fallacy that humans use just a small percentage of our brain capacity (so not true!) leaving our full potential untapped, we seem to easily fall into the same line of erroneous thinking regarding new, innovative technology. Take the ubiquitous smartphone for example. In i4cp ’s research in partnership with ASTD we found that just-in-time, always-in-context learning can save a company a tremendous amount of money while improving productivity.

But questions arose too – do content owners need to develop a mobile application for every piece of content they create? If so, does there need to be versions that run on iPhones®, Android®, BlackBerrys® and Windows® phones (among others)? What about tablets? Are there authoring or content creation tools that make this easy? How do we manage all of this – through our existing Learning Management System (LMS)? These and other issues are tackled in our research, and as is often the case, high-performing organizations take a different path than their low-performing counterparts.

Speaking up, even when the news isn’t great

The very basic foundation of an effective HR strategy is a culture that supports all levels of employees in an organization. This is often achieved through effective, coherent internal communication. i4cp’s research on communication, highlighted in our Effective Internal Communications Report, found that high-performing organizations know that internal communications must be strategic in addition to being tactical – they use internal communications to deliver higher level information, including policy changes, company successes, company financials and even pay-for-performance information, while lower performers view it as a vehicle for delivering emergency, crisis and safety information.

There are, of course, myriad issues and concerns beyond these that keep all of us up at night. While the uncertainty of what lies ahead is the one thing we all have in common, the ability to deal with our constantly evolving roles with confidence based on evidence, facts and research will help us sleep a little more soundly.

To all of our i4cp member organizations, thanks for a productive and profitable 2011 – we’re looking forward to even higher performance in 2012.

Lorrie Lykins is i4cp's Managing Editor and Director of Research Services. She has been engaged in the study of human capital management since 2002 and has published widely to include authoring a chapter in the ASTD Leadership Handbook (2010) and publishing feature articles and editorials in various journals and magazines. Her work at i4cp has been featured in both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. She is an adjunct professor at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL.


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10 Things the Top Consultants Do

10 Things the Top Consultants Do

By Michael W. McLaughlin, Contributing Editor


Every now and then, it's good to remind ourselves of the basics. I don't mean the fundamentals of sales and marketing, critical as they are, but the essential behaviors that separate the best consultants from everyone else.

For all that's been said about making a career in professional services, one thing is clear: we all take unique tacks as we navigate our careers. And, like me, you've probably seen the most improbable people thrive in this business, including some who are minimally talented, egotistical, or anti-social. Others who seem perfectly suited for the work flame out.

For those who do well over the long run, I've found that 10 basic behaviors set them apart from the pack. I know there are others, so feel free to tell me your ideas.

1. Keep Your Own Counsel

The most successful consultants are decidedly independent thinkers. I don't have empirical evidence for this, but I'd guess that they reject (or modify) about half of the advice they get from others.Improve Professional Services Sales
What Top Rainmakers Do that You Probably Don't

Top Traits of Successful Salespeople




They're wary of people who tell them how to dress, what pen to use, and how to determine who in an organization can (or can't) make a buying decision. They consider all of the advice they get with a healthy dose of skepticism, and subject everything to a reality check.

2. Generate Ideas When They Matter Most

By now, we've all heard the echoing message that the path to winning in consulting is being a so-called thought leader. That label is so pervasive that it's lost all meaning. And, according to studies, much of the material claimed as thought leadership isn't particularly thoughtful or worth following.

We should all spend time thinking about the "next big thing" and what the future holds. But what clients really want is practical and workable ideas—just when they need them. That's what you should focus on: creating ideas and alternatives that clients can use to address the issues they face right now, even if those ideas don't aspire to the lofty status of thought leadership.

The timing of your ideas, whether big or small, is what makes the difference for your clients.

3. Aim for Share of Mind

It's always unsettling to hear service providers talk about their plans to snag as large a share as possible of a client's consulting budget. Once they create a revenue target to secure a specific "share of wallet," the result is a not-so-subtle, undesirable shift in their mindset.

Instead of concentrating on the client's goals, their revenue goals take center stage. That puts selling first and client service second. If achieving a revenue goal drives your thoughts and actions, clients eventually sense this and the barriers go way up.

You should look for innovative ways to open clients' minds before asking them to open their wallets.

4. Forget the Metaphors

If you've been around this business for long, you've probably heard someone refer to selling as a hunt or use other inane metaphors to describe a sales effort. In that sort of thinking, a sales opportunity is a chase or a game, and clients are the prize.

The language of sales is full of such counter-productive language. I've heard a seller describe his company's sales strategy as "you eat what you kill." Another referred to a prospective client as a "wallet with legs." We have "hunters" and "farmers." The list goes on and on.

Hopefully, few people probably really view clients as prey, but words affect our thoughts and behavior. So if those metaphors get into your head, don't be surprised if clients keep you at arm's length. You'd do the same if someone treated you as if you had a target on your back.

Successful consultants think about serving clients, not hunting them. They facilitate problem solving instead of farming. They think of revenue generation for their businesses as shared value with clients, not as a win-lose game.

5. Commit to the Art of Consulting

Every successful consultant is a subject matter expert in something. The really great ones have also mastered the process of consulting.

Most people can define and manage a project, but that's hardly enough. Consulting is most often about the nuances of creating influence when you don't have authority, leveraging the skills of others who may not support what you're doing, and speaking with total candor when it's not in your self-interest to do so.

Every discipline is part art and science. The leading consultants commit to mastering both.

6. Be Confident without Arrogance

Few clients will hire (or follow the advice of) a consultant who doesn't possess that intangible ability to set people at ease. Your confidence communicates to clients that things are going to work out.

More than a few consultants, though, have found that their confidence can get the better of them. They've taken on work that stretches beyond the boundaries of their capabilities. Usually, the result isn't pretty.

There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance, which the best consultants recognize and respect. They know when to back off. If you're tempted to venture into unfamiliar project territory, check your justification for doing it. Are you being confident or arrogant?

7. Be Transparent Before Clients Ask

The best consultants know that what may seem trivial to them can be a deal-breaker to a client. For instance, you may have partnerships, affiliate agreements, and other financial arrangements that are a small part of your business. But in your client's view, these relationships could be a big problem.

Maybe you get a finder's fee for introducing others to your client. Or you might receive a commission if you recommend a specific product or system.

Be direct with your clients about anything that may influence your opinions. And do it early in the client relationship. You'll find that it's far simpler to prevent misunderstandings by making early disclosures.

8. Reject the "Under-Promise and Over-Deliver" Ploy

You'll hear consultants suggest a strategy of deliberately under-promising what they'll deliver to a client so they can exceed the understated expectations when a project wraps up.

You shouldn't have to stoop to this tactic, which is manipulative, cynical, and self-focused. If you find ways to bring extra value to clients along the way, that's great. But deliberately understating what you'll deliver is worse than foolish.

Be honest with your clients about what you can and will deliver. Collaborate on an expected result and make it happen. If the agreed-on value of the project is high, you'll cement the client relationship by meeting that expectation.

9. Start Strong to Finish Ahead

Lots of people will tell you that what's important is how you finish, not how you start. Of course, the end result of a project matters, but it's a lot less painful to finish a project if you do a good job launching it.

Once you sell a project, everyone is antsy to get going. But before you do, be certain that you and your client are clear about objectives, scope, work plan, and fee arrangements. Then, clarify how you'll work together, who will have responsibility for specific tasks, and how you will define "done."

And don't forget to agree on how you'll disengage and how you'll know if and when you have met the client's expectations.

10. Be Collegial (to Everyone)

Most consultants are good at managing their relationships with client decision makers and influencers. But some fail miserably when they work with support staff and even with colleagues. We've all got a story or two about insensitive consultants running roughshod over anyone they considered to be beneath them.

Ours is a high-touch, human relations business. Every person, regardless of level or status, deserves to be treated with respect. And, as a consultant, you can succeed only if people willingly follow your lead.

>> Did you find this article helpful? Vote for it in RainToday's Readers' Choice Award for January 4.

Michael W. McLaughlin is a Principal with MindShare Consulting, LLC, a firm that creates innovative sales and marketing strategies for professional services companies. He is the author of Winning the Professional Services Sale and coauthor of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants. His newsletters, Management Consulting News and The Guerrilla Consultant, reach a global audience. Before founding MindShare Consulting, LLC, he was a Partner with Deloitte Consulting, where he served clients and mentored consultants for more than two decades.


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UNTIL IT SNOWS By Bob Perks

MY FRIDAY STORY



UNTIL IT SNOWS
By Bob Perks

I love the quiet snow brings. My world is loud and busy.

Until it snows.

I love the pure, white satin finish snow brings. My world is dusty, dirty
and very dull since summer faded leaving me longing for rose
colored days and lilac scented nights. Its stays that way too long.

Until it snows.

I love the peace that snow brings. It makes me stop and think
about peaceful things. My world is not peaceful.

Until it snows.

I love the memories that snow brings. I see the joy of Christmas in
the falling flakes and hear the laughter of children in the piling up of
snow. My world needs joy and laughter more. It lacks so much.

Until it snows.

I love the contrast that snow brings. We get so spoiled with rainbows
and flowers. We are bombarded with images, and flashing, brilliant,
sparkling lights. Black, white, brown and gray limit us and force us to
find the beauty in simple things. My world is overwhelming.

Until it snows.

I love the "slow" that snow brings. Rushing here and going there
never really gets me anywhere. My life is hurried, rushed and moving
too fast through drive thru windows, passing lanes, speed check outs
and express, priority mail.

Until it snows.

Yes, I take so much for granted and lose myself in having too
many choices. In my wanting more of life, I find what I have to
be too much and not enough at the same time.

Until it snows.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob's signature story, "I Wish You Enough," has been released by Thomas Nelson Publishers and features a collection of his stories based on the eight wishes expressed in the original story. His inspiring true stories are based on the people he meets in his travels. Bob's unique perspective on life makes him "the philosopher of everyday moments." For more information visit his website at: http://www.IWishYouEnough.com or email Bob your comments to: perksblog@hotmail.com