A Wonderful Opportunity - Be Published in the Democrat & Chronicle!
Have you noticed the Sunday Business Section feature of the Democrat and Chronicle, Women at Work, authored by Rochester Women's Network members? We invite all RWN members to submit articles about work life and advancement. Click the title for the column you'd like to read. If you are a member and would like to submit an article please review the criteria for the articles:
- Educational and informative - cannot be self-promoting or sales focused
Submit articles to Mimi Bacilek, Women at Work Column Lead Editor, at WomenAtWork@rwn.org . Articles will be forwarded to a RWN review committee and then on to the Democrat and Chronicle (They will edit as well.)
The column is a wonderful opportunity to showcase your talents and the caliber of RWN members in the business world!
If you are enjoying these articles, please let the Democrat & Chronicle
know by sending an email to ssink@democratandchronicle.com.
Measure of a person is not in the job title
By: Lynette M. Loomis
(February 1, 2009) Job loss. We all read about it. Many of us experience it first-hand or in our family. We go through the stages from denial to reticent acceptance. There are many strategies to cope with job loss, including re-training, networking, relocation, stress management and support groups.
By: Lynette M. Loomis
(February 1, 2009) Job loss. We all read about it. Many of us experience it first-hand or in our family. We go through the stages from denial to reticent acceptance. There are many strategies to cope with job loss, including re-training, networking, relocation, stress management and support groups.
Whether it's called a merger, downsizing, right-sizing or company relocation, the loss of a job can be devastating, particularly when coupled with an economic downturn across the country. Prices are increasing and retirement or emergency savings have dwindled. The traditional folk wisdom of "if you work hard, you will always have a job" has become more folklore than fact.
The loss of a job presents irrefutable financial challenges. There are the practical issues that face us all regarding house and car payments, rising medical costs, college tuition, property taxes and the expenses of daily living. It makes sense to assess your financial situation, develop a search plan and update your resume to help reduce your initial panic. But the anxiety we feel has to do with more than the money. It has a great deal to do with our sense of self, self-confidence, sense of worth and belonging. We may grieve or vacillate between doubt and fierce determination.
We Americans identify ourselves closely with our jobs. At any event, we quickly move past the exchange of names to "Where do you work?" Deadly silence sometimes ensues as we try to find a positive way to say we are looking, searching, revising our resume for every possible scenario and buying endless cups of coffee followed by handwritten thank-you notes while networking.
At a social gathering, I spoke with a delightful woman from England who may eventually move to the United States to be with her adult daughter and family. "But not too soon," she said. "You Americans work too hard. I value my six or seven weeks of holiday. My job is what I do to pay my bills. It is not who I am."
The logic of this would appear to be straightforward. We are people, not job titles and job descriptions. Our competitiveness and the seeming status of who can work the hardest, stay at the office the longest and return e-mail messages at 3 a.m. suggests that we have carried the Puritan work ethic a bit too far. And perhaps we hide behind our work rather than develop our skills as true friends, good neighbors or contributors to the well-being of others. In other words, perhaps we have lost sight of the fuller meaning of who we are.
When we reflect on our lives, we rarely measure ourselves against the accomplishments we put on a resume with documented measures of successes against benchmarks and goals. More typically, we reflect upon who we are as people and the various roles we held as parents or family members, good friends or volunteers. In our eulogy, we hope that speakers will reminisce about our sense of humor, courage, unfailing integrity or commitment to a spiritual life. Perhaps we were the ones who could always be counted on in a crisis or to share in a celebration. Or helped someone find his true calling in life or supported him in a time of self-doubt with boundless encouragement.
As Rochesterians seek new ways to support themselves financially, perhaps we could be kinder to ourselves and our unemployed friends. We could embrace our humanity, celebrate our uniqueness and develop a sense of self and confidence that survives our employment status.
Lynette M. Loomis is president of Your Best Life Coaching LLC. Contact her at www.yourbestlifecoaching.com or (585) 624-1300.
By: Amy White
(January 4, 2009) Are there days when you feel like you are faced with nothing but one conflict after another? Have you ever felt that it is easier to avoid these conflicts, thinking, "If I ignore them, they will go away"?
You are not alone.
Research has indicated that even professionals schooled in dealing with conflict will at times choose to avoid it, ignore it or deal with it in an aggressive or unprofessional manner. Conflict resolution skills are a necessary and positive tool to have in your proverbial toolbox. At times, they are a matter of survival.
Think about it: We can be faced with conflict situations from when we get out of bed in the morning to when we go to bed each night.
"Conflict can be a good thing, and facing up to it can lead to fantastic results," according to Timothy Ursiny, certified business coach and author of Coward's Guide to Conflict: Empowering Solutions for Those Who Would Rather Run than Fight.
Among the benefits, Ursiny says, are more self-confidence, less anger, greater self-respect and more intimacy.
In order to resolve your conflict challenges, it is important to understand why people avoid conflict, determine what communication methods work best to resolve the situation and be aware of what mistakes people make in dealing with conflict.
Then, find the importance and value in developing a better understanding and tool set to deal with sticky situations.
"Depending on circumstance, the best thing to do when there is conflict situation is wait," according to Joan Davis, office manager for Pitney Bowes Management Services in Rochester. "Don't let emotions blur good judgment. Calm down, think the situation out. Try to think about both points of view before taking any action, verbal or otherwise."
Davis suggests that it is important to engage active listening skills while dealing with conflict: "When conflict conversation is taking place, really listen. Don't think about what you are going to say next or what you would like to say next. Listen to what is being said, then answer accordingly."
It's hard. It's uncomfortable. For some, it's paralyzing.
But ignoring conflict can be physically and emotionally draining, as well as uncomfortable for a much longer time than if it were dealt with directly and quickly.
By not acknowledging a conflict situation and not dealing with it as directly as possible, long-term relationship issues, work-related dissatisfaction and even health-related issues can and usually will arise.
Dealing with conflict directly also demonstrates a great deal of respect and caring for oneself, as well as kindness and compassion for the others involved in the conflict. When conflict is quickly acknowledged and resolved, less tension and drama will be felt in our homes, places of employment or social situations.
When there is an urge to avoid a conflict situation, it is best to ask yourself, "What is the worst that can happen if I deal with this directly?" Most times the "worst" is not as bad as our emotional selves will allow us to acknowledge and generally far much better than if we go the avoidance route.
While dealing with conflict or confrontational situations can feel daunting and uncomfortable, dealing directly with situations when they arise will generate the best results for us personally, as well as for our personal and professional relationships.
Amy White is a director with Pitney Bowes Management Services, an executive coach and a member of the Rochester Women's Network.White can be reached at Amy.White@pb.com.
Positive feedback leads to peak performance, results
By: Sally Ward
(December 28, 2008) How good are you at giving feedback?
(December 28, 2008) How good are you at giving feedback?
Providing effective feedback is a powerful motivator that boosts engagement and results. Yet feedback is often delivered ineptly, too infrequently or not at all.
To be useful, feedback must open a pathway to learning and awareness while leaving the recipient with a sense of possibility and personal worth.
These six key ideas will help you hold feedback conversations that are motivating and constructive:
Always start with what's going right: Initiate your feedback conversation with a sincere, positive statement about the person or his/her actions. This softens the emotional field and establishes a respectful climate. Beginning with negative feedback puts others on the defensive, and can quickly lead to resentment and shutdown.
Use the feedback sandwich technique: After stating a positive quality or contribution, present the issue that needs to be addressed using the words, "And the challenge is ... " Then follow with another positive statement. Here's an example: "Jean, your attention to customer service on the Chadwick account has resulted in increased billings. We're very pleased. And the challenge is to provide a similar level of service to your other accounts. Let's talk about how you will do that. Again, your thorough approach on the Chadwick account has really paid off!"
Ask for permission: This tool opens the door to potentially sensitive areas of focus and enables other people to grant access. Having granted permission, they are now more open to your feedback. Consider the case of the professional who is insulted and confused when her supervisor tells her she needs to improve her client interactions. A far more motivating approach would be, "May I offer you a suggestion to improve your client interactions?"
Tie feedback to goals: To motivate, you must first develop challenging goals and be sure there is clarity and agreement on them. Whether you're communicating with an employee, a client or a customer, a framework based on goals will enable an impartial, objective discussion about what's going well and what could be going better.
Provide feedback regularly: Don't wait for a problem or a performance appraisal. People need to be recognized. Make a point to notice and tell them specifically how they're contributing. As you let them know that they're progressing toward goals, you'll encourage them to push on and reach higher, even in challenging environments. When they're off-course, straightforward feedback can help them see how they're contributing to unintended results.
Let people see themselves in a bigger light: Praise is a high-octane motivator, and acknowledgement is the most elevated form of praise. A meaningful acknowledgement celebrates inner strength and character and helps people see greater possibilities in themselves. Often, it touches on a person's values or on the positive impact they have on others: "Karen, your spirit of adventure and risk-taking has opened the doors to innovation and helped us stay competitive in the marketplace."
As you develop your capacity to deliver motivating feedback, you'll encourage peak performance and strengthen business relationships and results.
Sally Ward is president of Ward Leadership, an executive coaching and leadership development company. Contact her at www.WardLeadership.com.
Investing in fun shows employees that you care
By: Pattie Taylor Brown
(December 21, 2008) Showing your staff how much you appreciate their hard work is not just a bit of fluff. It's vital to the lifeblood of your company and should not be neglected during hard economic times.
(December 21, 2008) Showing your staff how much you appreciate their hard work is not just a bit of fluff. It's vital to the lifeblood of your company and should not be neglected during hard economic times.
Although it is only one of many factors affecting employee retention, the value of staff appreciation should never be underestimated. According to the Employee Management Association, hiring a new employee can cost upward of $10,000. Studies have shown that the costs of replacing an employee — including coverage for the vacant position, loss of revenue, loss of company knowledge, recruiting, training, testing and screening a new hire — can be at least 150 percent of the original employee's annual compensation.
Finding tangible ways to let your staff know their value doesn't need to be extravagant or expensive. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
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Activities focused on making food are not only fun but can be great team-builders. Are your employees a bit too competitive with each other? Have cooking classes where the objective is to learn something new together. Do you need to "light a fire" under your team? Sponsor a chili cook-off or a hilarious "chef" competition
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Would you like to build stronger relationships with your staff? Have a month of "Monday Morning Madness." Greet your staff on Monday morning with hot doughnuts you've just made. Watch your workers smile as uniformed chefs make omelets while you shake their hands and tell them how much their hard work means to you
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Start off the week right by appreciating your staff, and it will proliferate throughout the rest of the week.
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Increase your staff's loyalty by showing you care about them and their families. Rochester has three great months for snow: January, February and March. Reserve a park lodge, preferably one with a fireplace, for a winter warm-up party. Plan for casual dress, comfort foods, hot chocolate and fun team events. Activities such as "Big Foot" three-person skis can be a great way to get your employees feeling warm and secure about their workplace
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Go local. Go green. Be unique. Cost- and environmental consciousness can go hand-in-hand. How about a party at Lamberton Conservatory in Highland Park? The lush tropical flora is a welcome relief to the all-white weather of the winter months. In addition, you'll be supporting a fascinating local treasure
For instance, macro fun can be emphasized by having a theme party in your corporate offices, transforming them into the Wild West or Las Vegas.
Micro fun can be individually wrapped bundles of snacks given to each employee by a roving troubadour. A personalized note from you inside an office care package and the troubadour's song tell your staff in a unique manner that you appreciate them.
Investing in your employees' morale has many positive returns. "Public relations isn't all about outside relations," writes Jenni Hilton in her blog "Eternal Thoughts From a Sunshine Mind" (gurnage.blogspot.com). "Make sure your employees are motivated and happy."
Your thoughtful gesture today will be reflected with increased staff loyalty and productivity tomorrow.
Pattie Taylor Brown is the co-owner and events planner of All Occasions Catering. She's been an active member of Rochester Women's Network for more than 18 years. Contact her at pattie@rochestercaterer.com.
Workers, employers make adjustments for ADHD
By: Lynette M. Loomis
(December 14, 2008) The general public, including employers, is recognizing that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder isn't limited to children wriggling in their seats. Estimates suggest between 30 percent and 70 percent of children show some symptoms into adulthood.
(December 14, 2008) The general public, including employers, is recognizing that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder isn't limited to children wriggling in their seats. Estimates suggest between 30 percent and 70 percent of children show some symptoms into adulthood.
Clearly, part of your workforce is affected by this neurobehavioral condition that affects problem-solving, planning and impulse control. To varying degrees, some of your employees may be poorly organized with weak time management skills, have difficulty "getting started" and procrastinate so that meeting timelines and goals is compromised.
In her article "Women with ADHD in the Workplace: Juggling the Dual Responsibilities of Home and Work," Kathleen Nadeau suggests that women with ADHD "have a much more daunting struggle in the workplace than the majority of men struggling with attentional issues." This stems from two factors. First, women in the workforce are likely to be the support system for other people — a spouse, children or aging parents — rather than having a support system for themselves. Second, they are expected to work a second shift at home. Even for working women with "normal" brain function, juggling is challenging.
The question becomes, who is responsible for working all of this out? Workers with ADHD are often the most creative problem-solvers and thinkers, are respected for their energy and enthusiasm, have the most inventive minds, and are often the visionaries of the company. The responsibility for taking the blessings of the ADHD worker and putting them to best use for the company falls to both the employee and the employer.
As an employee
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Get tested if you regularly forget things, are easily distracted, lose your train of thought, are impulsive and can recall your parents saying "What were you thinking?" often while growing up. If medication is prescribed, take it regularly. Self-care and balance are critical. Get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet and get regular exercise.
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When given an assignment, write it down and e-mail it to your manager to be sure you "heard" it. Similarly, if your manager has ADHD, this assures that you have both agreed on the scope of the work
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Use technology to help you stay organized, such as linking your Palm Pilot to your computer's calendar. When assigned a project, break it into the steps you need to accomplish each day and week to meet the longer-term deadline
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Keep your workspace organized. Hire a professional space planner if the initial task seems overwhelming.
As an employer
- Many of the skills needed by your workers with ADHD will benefit your entire workforce including time, project and stress management
- Keep background noise and distractions to a minimum. Assign people to teams whose members have complementary skills and styles, and play to their strengths
- Circulate meeting minutes. Put expectations in writing and relay them verbally. Ask for progress reports to avoid surprises close to deadline
- Encourage your HR staff to be current on how to help your ADHD personnel maximize their strengths. For adults who have reached working age without being diagnosed and treated, encourage them to seek assistance so they can reach their full potential as your employees.
Lynette M. Loomis is president of Your Best Life Coaching, LLC. Contact her at www.yourbestlifecoaching.com or (585) 624-1300.
Five ways caregivers can find time for themselves
By: Susan Evans
(December 7, 2008) As our population ages, more and more Americans find themselves pushed into a caretaker role. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, more than 50 million people every year become caretakers for chronically ill, disabled or aged family members and friends. What's more, that responsibility increasingly rests on female shoulders; approximately 60 percent of caregivers are women.
(December 7, 2008) As our population ages, more and more Americans find themselves pushed into a caretaker role. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, more than 50 million people every year become caretakers for chronically ill, disabled or aged family members and friends. What's more, that responsibility increasingly rests on female shoulders; approximately 60 percent of caregivers are women.
Most experts agree that if you want to give good care, you must take good care of yourself first. That means taking a little time for yourself every day.
But it's easier said than done. Caregivers tend to overlook or deny their own needs and may even feel guilty for wanting time to themselves. The emotional turmoil is even worse for women; as wives and mothers, we often feel we need to take care of the world.
But over time, neglecting your own needs leads to very real physical effects: sickness, burn-out and even clinical depression. That's why it's so critical for you to take time for yourself. Remember: If you help yourself, you're also helping your loved one.
Here are five tips to help you find your "me time":
Plan ahead: Get organized. Buy a day planner or even an electronic calendar program, and plan all your days in advance. Schedule doctor's appointments, family visits, even just going to the grocery store as early as you can. Having a plan not only helps you keep track of your to-do list, but also gives you a better sense of how much time you have available in the day, which prevents you from feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
Don't wait: If you push off "me time" until all the chores are done and your caregiving responsibilities are fulfilled, you'll never have the time. Instead, figure out exactly how much time you want for yourself each day and schedule it in. Make it mandatory, as mandatory as driving the kids to school or going to the doctor, then schedule your chores around it.
Learn to accept help and ask for it: You can't do everything by yourself. So if someone offers to step in and help, let them. Even if they don't offer, seek their help. Silence doesn't always mean a lack of desire. Indeed, your loved ones probably want to help, but they don't know how, or they think you don't want their assistance.
So ask your friends and family to help with specific tasks, such as grocery shopping, yard work or cooking dinner. The more specific you can be, the better the chances they'll say yes — giving you a much-needed break.
When you have the time, use it well: Don't fill your precious "me time" with more have-tos and must-dos. Schedule only genuinely relaxing activities, like taking a walk, reading a book or having lunch with a friend. You can even take a nice, warm bath or just stare into space and daydream. As long as you feel refreshed afterward, it was time well-spent.
Wake up earlier: It sounds simple, but waking up just a few minutes earlier each day can be the secret to getting your "me time" into the day. If you take time for yourself first thing in the morning, before your hectic schedule begins, you won't have to worry about finding the time later in the day.
As a caregiver, taking time out for yourself is not an easy task. But it's a necessary one. These five tips should set you well on your way to your "me time" — so relax!
Susan Evans, a sales rep with USA Payroll, was recently named chairperson of the NY Builders Association Sales and Marketing Council. She has been a member of RWN for several years and actively participates in the Chocolate and Sales and Marketing SIGs.
Vendor shows give your business exposure
By: Terri Lynn Hasman
(November 30, 2008) So, your business needs a boost. But with the news of the economy and the stock market performance, many have put their wallets in a time vault marked "Impending Doom! Do Not Open!"
In the current circumstances, your once-lucrative advertising budget is now an unaffordable luxury. What do you do?
Vendor shows are usually happening year-round in different locations and can be a fast way to get high exposure for your business.
However, if you've never participated in a vendor show, it can be confusing.
With some planning, you can minimize the confusion.
How do you know which event to participate in?
The best thing to do is go as an attendee. This will familiarize you with the layout of the building, as well as available space for your potential table.
Scope out the attendance and talk to other vendors about their experiences with the show.
Feedback from vendors as well as the attendees is important.
During the show, ask yourself:
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Is this a recurring event?
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How much advertising was done?
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Are you allowed to sell product, or is this strictly for generating leads?
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What is the cost? Participating in several shows can be costly. Will you be able to recoup your cost from just one new customer
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How long is the event?
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On what day of the week does it usually occur?
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Does this event attract the same people every time, or are there new faces for both the attendees and the vendors
Once you find a show that suits your needs, you may encounter other vendors representing products and services similar to what you offer. This is where you need to stand out.
To help you get noticed:
- Stand in front of your table at all times. Angella Luyk, owner of Midnight Janitorial, has built her half-million dollar business from networking alone.
"The table can be a barrier between you and the customer," she says.
"Standing in front of it gives a more personal feel and begins to establish a relationship faster."
- Make the table attractive, but don't overcrowd it.
Using attractive displays and arranging the information or product in a rising and falling fashion captures and keeps the viewer's attention.
Add subtle lighting and colors. Offer a free token or a raffle. Everyone wants something for free.
Once you capture the senses and the mind, the customer will be more open to what you have to say.
- During conversation, make sure you listen first.
Try to determine what customers are looking for. Tailor your presentation to their needs.
At the same time, do not drag on while speaking. Say what you need to quickly, clearly and with the most excitement you can muster.
Remember, you have what customers need, now you need to tell them why and how you are going to be different than every other business owner that they meet.
- A name tag is vital. Make it fun and different. You want people to remember who you are.
By having a name tag that shows your personality, others will be able to bring you to mind more quickly.
- Finally, wear your most important accessory: your smile
Terri Lynn Hasman is the owner of the Givers Gain Foundation featuring the products of Butterfly Worldwide and, as a member of RWN, is the co-chair of the Young Professionals SIG.
Building confidence, presence helps improve your influence
By: Donna Rawady
(November 23, 2008) Whether you're running for political office, leading an organization, presenting to a large group, or simply hoping to influence a decision in a one-on-one conversation, confidence and presence play a crucial role in success. For some, high levels of confidence and presence are innate attributes. For others, they may present a development opportunity.
Building confidence, presence helps improve your influence
By: Donna Rawady
(November 23, 2008) Whether you're running for political office, leading an organization, presenting to a large group, or simply hoping to influence a decision in a one-on-one conversation, confidence and presence play a crucial role in success. For some, high levels of confidence and presence are innate attributes. For others, they may present a development opportunity.
Although we probably all agree on the definition of confidence — belief in our own abilities and freedom from doubt — our interpretation of presence may vary. So let's consider this definition: Presence is the interaction between credibility and connection that increases our ability to command the attention of others.
Terry Pearce, in his book Leading Out Loud, shares this: "The images that we most vividly recall are not those from Clip Art, or from the reflection of complex material on a screen. Rather, the images we remember are those we can see in the greater context of life, those created by human communication."
Here are a few key strategies that may help you increase your confidence and presence. Although the following strategies assume a larger presentation, all can be applied to one-on-one and small group meetings as well.
Know your stuff: Be prepared. Once you've prepared your notes and segues, put them aside and jot down the flow of the presentation by memory. Check your notes against the presentation. Repeat this exercise until the presentation is anchored in your memory. The more familiar you are with the content of your message, the more energy you can offer your audience. And energy begets energy.
Connect with your audience: When you arrive, shake hands, have a brief exchange and offer a warm welcome with as many people as possible. This will not only make them more comfortable, it will make you more comfortable. Once you begin your presentation, make eye contact throughout the room and be conscious of voice inflection. Don't be afraid to pause, especially if it helps the audience connect to the idea you're hoping to convey. Audiences will appreciate your effort to understand, connect with and benefit them.
Be authentic: Your influence and ability to engage your audience increases when your message comes from a genuine place of truth and your own belief systems. If you have to deliver a message you don't fully believe in (such as an organizational strategy), be sure to include something that reflects your genuine perspective (i.e., this can be a challenge for some of us, but we'll be more successful if we pull together through this transition).
Do your best to relax: Demonstrate composure. If you feel stressed, simply focus on relaxing your hands and fingers. This will help to relax your whole body and you'll feel the difference immediately. If you feel breathless, take a moment to take a cleansing belly breath (in through your nose, out through your mouth). Then continue. Prepare responses to minimize your reactions to questions or issues that you anticipate may challenge you during a Q&A. Project a confident, open posture and demeanor. If you're standing, anchor your weight on both feet to help strengthen your posture and minimize unnecessary movement, which can be distracting. Composure generates respect and builds trust in your ability to handle difficult situations.
There are many resources available to help build confidence, presence and top-notch presentation skills. In the meantime, apply these four ideas to help strengthen the impact of your next presentation.
Donna Rawady is an executive coach and can be reached at www.donnarawady.com.
Bringing your firm through chaos a real measure of leader's success
Bringing your firm through chaos a real measure of leader's success
By: Mimi Bacilek
(November 16, 2008) Change is assaulting leaders from all angles, driven externally and internally. The environment is uncertain. Budgets are being slashed, orders put on hold, positions placed in jeopardy. While your competitors are circling the wagons and slashing their way to greatness, you can ready your organization for the predictable turnaround.
(November 16, 2008) Change is assaulting leaders from all angles, driven externally and internally. The environment is uncertain. Budgets are being slashed, orders put on hold, positions placed in jeopardy. While your competitors are circling the wagons and slashing their way to greatness, you can ready your organization for the predictable turnaround.
Now is the time to invest in your business by deeply engaging your people to create the future. The cost to the leader is time and energy; the benefit is tapping into the amazing talents people bring to the workplace.
Eyes to the future: Creating solutions that bring great value to your customers requires a steady focus on the future. Focus is difficult to maintain when the environment reinforces daily review of yesterday's decisions and attention to budget variance reports. Leaders who spend too much time looking in the rearview mirror miss turns in the road that lead to success and risk running headlong into the obstacles that abound.
Set the vision: Leadership is all about creating change. Be very clear about what you want to accomplish. For example, bring three new innovations to your best-selling product, or reduce time to market by 25 percent. Speak about your vision frequently, ensuring the language is clear, direct and simple. Make it easy for people to see the value of your vision, as well as their role in creating success. Create a natural advocacy for your vision.
Rally the troops: Staff is unsettled and worried. Address their concerns head-on with empathy and honesty. Bring staff together. Speak to the realities. Communicate your vision. Get the organization focused on the future. Seek staff opinions on the possibilities. Become curious about their opinions and listen. In doing so, create a shared vision. Look for leaders to emerge and find ways to engage their leadership in bringing the vision to life.
Empower teams: Ray Schafer, former president of Rochester-based Morgood Tools Inc. says, "Leaders miss the boat when they don't connect the people to the problem. Building the team is the answer."
The word empowerment carries the implicit assumption that only the leader gives power to the people. The reality is that your people are powerful on their own. Your role is to enlist their power to achieve the vision. Empowerment requires the leader to provide the team with a focus and resources for success. Resources include information, decision-making parameters, clear accountabilities, access to senior leaders, work tools and space.
Consider chartering short-term project teams, working in parallel, fleshing out the most powerful changes to bring to market. As work progresses, engage the teams in assessing the success of all ideas. The goal is to generate broad agreement on opportunities.
Monitor progress: Stay close to each team, addressing difficulties they encounter and managing scope creep. Exercise caution against micromanaging; staying close does not mean directing work. It means make sure that the team's eye and energy are on success.
Reward success: Look for every opportunity to celebrate the gains teams are making. Nothing is more motivating for teams than to have their work championed and known to add value for the customer.
Leaders have opportunities to shine in tough times by enabling staff to shine. Ultimately, bringing your organization through the chaos with minimal pain and greatest gain is the real measure of a leader's success.
Mimi Bacilek is an executive coach and president of SuccessBuilders LLC in Rochester. She can be reached at (585) 227-0308 or by e-mail at mimi@successbuildersllc.com.
Boost retirement savings by taking advantage of employer's 401(k) plan
By: Mary Spurrier
(November 9, 2008) Are you stressed about the current stock market, putting gas in your car, buying food and news about current economic conditions?
Boost retirement savings by taking advantage of employer's 401(k) plan
By: Mary Spurrier
(November 9, 2008) Are you stressed about the current stock market, putting gas in your car, buying food and news about current economic conditions?
What will the economy be like in 20 years?
How will you manage your finances?
Let's look at one simple solution, your employer's 401(k).
A 401(k) is an employee-funded savings plan. It has many advantages: It is tax deferred and reduces taxable income. Your employer may match part or all of your contributions, which are taken out of your pay so you don't have to think about them. Current contribution limits are $15,500, or $20,500 if you are older than 50. What you will be able to contribute will be based on your income.
One of the attractions of a 401(k) is employer matching. Your employer may match part or all of your contributions to the plan — for example, 50 percent of your first 6 percent contributed. With this rate of return, it is foolish not to participate. This employer's share may or may not be subject to vesting.
Tax deferral is another big benefit. Your contributions grow without paying taxes until you take the money out. This means you have more money invested. Over a number of years, this can make a significant difference in what you will have at retirement.
Your employer will have a menu of investments from which you can select. It will contain stock and bond funds and perhaps a money market fund. Your selection from the investment choices will depend on your age and risk tolerance.
If you work with a financial adviser, ask for help in the selection. Don't become too conservative. A person who is already 65 years old has a life expectancy beyond 80 years. Half of those older than 65 will live even longer. This means that people in good health need growth in their retirement assets to make their money last for their lifetime.
Don't stop investing in a bad market. A 401(k) is, in effect, a form of "dollar-cost-averaging." This means that as you make regular contributions, you buy more shares when the market is down, fewer when it is up. The extra shares bought at a time like this will yield bigger gains when the market comes back.
"Remember, markets go up and markets go down, but history has proven that over the long term, they go up," says Clare Bergquist, director of 401(k) strategies at Charles Schwab. "There was the 23 percent drop in October 1978, a 47 percent plunge during the 2000-02 bear market and a 684-point plummet the day the stock market reopened after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."
Don't borrow from your 401(k). You lose a lot of money by doing that. You are losing tax-deferred earnings on the money you have taken out and you are paying the loan back with money that has had taxes already paid on it. In addition, if you take the money out before you are 59 ½, you will be subject to a 10 percent penalty and ordinary income tax.
If you leave your job, make sure you transfer your 401(k) into an IRA or your new employer's plan. By doing this, you avoid paying penalties or taxes while the money continues to work for you and your retirement.
A 401(k) plan can become an easy way to establish your personal retirement savings program. It provides the foundation for your future financial security. Consult with your plan administrator or financial adviser to help you determine how your employer's plan could help make your financial future more secure.
Mary Spurrier is president and principal of M. Spurrier Financial Services LLC. She can be reached at (585) 271-5280.
Tame unwieldy inbox to gain control of time
By: Ann Michael Henry
(November 2, 2008) Is your inbox a digital dumping site? Are your e-mail folders ready to burst? According to a study by the Radicati Group, an organization that provides research on topics such as messaging and collaboration, security and e-mail archiving, more than 170 billion e-mails are sent every day. That's nearly 2 million a second.
Tame unwieldy inbox to gain control of time
By: Ann Michael Henry
(November 2, 2008) Is your inbox a digital dumping site? Are your e-mail folders ready to burst? According to a study by the Radicati Group, an organization that provides research on topics such as messaging and collaboration, security and e-mail archiving, more than 170 billion e-mails are sent every day. That's nearly 2 million a second.
When your inbox is bulging, it affects your productivity by:
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Taking you longer to reply to new incoming e-mails and forcing new messages to compete with old messages.Making it more difficult to prioritize. Not only are the new e-mails competing with the old ones, they also compete with sticky notes, lists and voicemails
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Taking longer to find a specific message. While search tools help, rummaging through a crowded inbox is time consuming and frustrating
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Increasing the likelihood that large inboxes will crash, losing all contents.
How do you manage this digital data stream that appears in your inbox without invitation? It will take some work for you to reap the benefits of e-mail and increase your productivity.
- Think of your inbox as a loading dock. If incoming supplies sit on the loading dock, production is seriously hindered. When supplies come in, they get distributed in a timely fashion. Do the same with your incoming e-mails by moving them out: delete, respond, print or file (in an e-mail folder).
The inbox was not designed to be your to-do list, bookmark place, calendar or contact management system. There are other tools for that. Use them.
Promote expertise to help your business grow
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Go on an information diet. When you need information, Google it
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Politely decline distribution lists. Take a serious look at all of the DLs you are on and ask yourself if this information is critical to your job or simply an FYI. If it's the latter, get off the distribution list
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Follow the golden rule of e-mail management: Keep the inbox empty. Why? Having no e-mail forces the user to get on with real work and eliminates the distractions.
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Karen Barrow, of Baybridge Consulting in Rochester, recently went to work cleaning out her inbox "I deleted e-mails from 2000. It feels so good to let them go. It makes so much sense because now I don't feel so bogged down
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How do you remove unneeded e-mail? It's not as hard as you think:
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Read your personal e-mail and then delete it or file it away if you need it.
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Delete all spam without opening it.
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For FYI e-mails, read them if you must, hit delete when you are done.Use the "two-minute" rule. If you can respond or complete a quick task in two minutes or less, go ahead.Move all others to your work queue: a to-do list, the task function in Outlook, a tickler system or a specific folder in Outlook. Delete if possible.
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Allow time every day to manage your e-mail. Digital clutter is as distracting and unproductive as physical clutter. When you move it out, your inbox and your mind will be clear. Clarity improves productivity. After all, isn't that the goal of e-mail?
Promote expertise to help your business grow
By: Karen Marley
(October 26, 2008) Think about your business for just a moment.
(October 26, 2008) Think about your business for just a moment.
Most likely you are quite knowledgeable about your service or product. You know your professional knowledge adds value to your clients. But value is a perception.
Do your clients perceive you as well-informed or valuable?
If you answered no, there are low-cost ways to establish yourself as a content expert and increase your professional visibility.
The best way to improve your image is through public relations. Karin Schaff Glazier runs Pinpoint Positioning, a highly successful marketing firm based in Webster that's removed barriers to business growth for such clients as Inergex Inc., Xerox Corp. and Toshiba, Computer Products Division. She explains that PR can be broken down into two manageable parts: corporate PR and self-promotion.
Corporate PR involves feeding the public information about the company: corporate news, product releases, new services, anything that reflects company activities. Self-promotion is how you establish yourself as the content expert. Many small businesses fail to take full advantage of this powerful marketing strategy.
Here are five methods you can use to get the word out about your area of expertise:
Print articles: Write an article for a newspaper, trade journal or newsletter looking for submissions.
Online articles: Check out online trade journals. Or post articles to your Web site. Cast the "net" further, by referring to your articles on your social networking sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.).
Newsletters: Pick your target groups and contribute to a newsletter they may read. Or, create your own — you can write the articles yourself or purchase them from a provider such as ezinearticles.com. In both cases, you are providing information for your readers. However, if you can be the source of the information, all the better.
Speaking appointments: Volunteer to speak at your networking group, chamber of commerce, or at a professional organization.
White papers: These are six- to 10-page documents that build an objective and compelling case for why the service or product you provide is valuable and necessary. A good white paper is an educational piece, not an advertisement, so it's appropriate to distribute at speaking appointments.
White papers: These are six- to 10-page documents that build an objective and compelling case for why the service or product you provide is valuable and necessary. A good white paper is an educational piece, not an advertisement, so it's appropriate to distribute at speaking appointments.
"Collectively, these methods are part of the nurturing process that will turn you into the 'go-to person,'" explains Glazier. "And remember that corporate PR and self-promotion are general concepts that are relevant to every business, regardless of size."
Self-promotion can offer benefits over a traditional advertising campaign. A successful business is a visible one and advertising will increase your visibility. Consistent exposure is critical to effective advertising. But finding the sweet spot for your return on investment makes this a costly strategy.
Self-promotion will give you what an expensive advertising campaign can't: credibility. While these strategies are financially low-cost, they do require time and energy. Your presentation must be solid and offer useful information. Your articles should reflect you as an articulate professional.
Implement these suggestions to reach a larger audience not by advertising your company's name, but by providing helpful, valuable information.
Karen Marley is a freelance business writer who helps businesses increase their visibility, position themselves as content experts and connect with people. She can be reached at (585) 266-4818 or www.kmwordsmith.com
Improved listening can give career a boost
By: Sally Ward
(October 19, 2008) Effective listening is a fundamental career- and business-building tool that doesn't get nearly as much press as public speaking.
Improved listening can give career a boost
By: Sally Ward
(October 19, 2008) Effective listening is a fundamental career- and business-building tool that doesn't get nearly as much press as public speaking.
Whether you seek to lead or manage, move up the ladder, beef up sales or improve interpersonal interactions, honing your listening skills could pay big dividends.
Your rewards may include improved communication, stronger relationships, deeper levels of trust and respect and greater personal and organizational opportunity.
The following 10 tips will help you to listen well:
Be fully present: Physical presence alone won't cut it. Back when my youngest daughter was in grade school, I began working from a home office. She'd get off the bus and be eager to talk. I was often preoccupied. I would hear her words, but she'd say, "Mom, you aren't listening." Being fully present is a rare and remarkable gift that signals respect and caring.
To be fully present, focus all your attention on the other person as intently as if you were on a first date with someone you wanted to know better. As author M. Scott Peck observes, "You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time."
Seek first to understand: Most people naturally listen through the filter of their own experience, needs and agenda. Listening to understand another is very different from listening with the intent to reply or rebut. It means getting inside someone else's frame of reference to experience another's reality and point of view.
Withhold advice unless asked: As soon as you begin to advise, you are coming from your own frame of reference, not the speaker's.
Be available: Great leaders go where their people are to observe, ask questions, solicit opinions and gather ideas. They understand that listening encourages people to share and to solve problems independently.
Acknowledge the speaker: Acknowledgement can take the form of a head nod, "I see," or "tell me more." It indicates that you're paying attention.
Confirm and clarify: When the speaker pauses, check to be sure you've heard and interpreted correctly.
Paraphrase or restate what the speaker said. "What I hear you saying is __. Is that right?"
Be open to learning: The point of listening is to gain knowledge, understanding, insights and new perspectives. Talk-show host Larry King says, "Nothing I say will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening."
Notice what isn't being said: A good listener hears what's said as well as what's not being said. Observe body language, eye contact and underlying currents between individuals. Trust your intuition and give yourself permission to be curious about it. For example: "Terry, I sense you're not ready to move ahead with this. What's holding you back?"
Don't interrupt: Effective listening requires self-discipline. Think of someone who treats listening like a win-lose proposition and discussion like a verbal jousting match, frequently cutting in to make a point. What's it like to interact with an interrupter?
Keep your internal dialogue in check: How many times have you been in a discussion and found your mind wandering, leaping to conclusions, filtering, judging, becoming defensive or rehearsing a response? Internal dialogue is a common block to effective listening.
After you try these steps, your quality of listening will be reflected in your career trajectory as well as in the quality of your organization.
Sally Ward is president of Ward Leadership, an executive coaching and leadership development company. Contact her at www.WardLeadership.com.
Examine what successful professional really means to you
By: Amy White
(October 12, 2008) Three successful professionals walk into a bar ...
Examine what successful professional really means to you
By: Amy White
(October 12, 2008) Three successful professionals walk into a bar ...
Sounds like the beginning of a truly tasteless joke, doesn't it?
But as I repeated this line in my head over the past few weeks, something kept coming to mind. What is the definition of a "successful professional?" And what keeps many of us from becoming one?
For the stereotypical business person, does the business suit, the hard-walled office, the BlackBerry/cell phone, vehicle or paycheck define success?
Or is success associated more with the ability to connect, to lead, to influence and leverage the strengths of others?
Is it something in between?
Each of us, if asked separately, would have a varying opinion of what success is.
We also have different ways to achieve success.
There are those who attempt to emulate more traditional role models, while others may choose simply to get to the top at all costs, at times at the expense of their counterparts.
A friend and CEO of a Dallas management company said to me recently, "Why is it that some people can be so vicious, nasty and downright ugly when they feel their path to success is threatened?"
Wow. Downright ugly?
Even scarier is how we react when our path to success is threatened.
Instead of recognizing the value we can gain by leveraging the strong business relationships that exist in our workplaces and lives, we tend to feel threatened by them. And in extreme cases, we will actually put our valuable energy into sabotaging the other person to ensure that they do not block our success.
What is the root of this behavior?
One answer is social conditioning.
Many of us are taught from a very early age that it's a tough "dog eat dog" world out there, that our chances for true success are slim because there is much competition for the few opportunities that exist.
While this is not necessarily true, it was the conditioning many of us grew up with.
Secondly, self-confidence and esteem play a role in whether we feel threatened by other "successful" people or feel that we aren't good enough to reach the heights of success that we wish for.
Ellen Pfeiffer, registered dietitian, Pilates instructor and owner of Anju in Brighton, puts it this way, "The traits that I believe are vital for success are a strong sense of self , passion and drive for one's work, and the interest to continue to learn and grow professionally.
"If these traits are present, there will be no scarcity for opportunity and success."
The good news is that with conscious effort, focus and help from a good friend, coach, or mentor, the record playing in our minds can be changed.
We can replace old thought processes with new ones that allow us to recognize our strengths as they are today and improve our ability to learn from those we once thought to be our adversaries.
Don't waste time and energy pursing a definition of success that is not your own.
Take the time to develop a set of specific goals, create a strategy, be passionate and engage support.
Most importantly, realize that the opportunities for success are limitless.
The only true roadblocks to that success are the ones we put in our own way.
Taking the time to rethink and "rerecord" are small acts of kindness to oneself that truly define the word success.
Amy White is a director with Pitney Bowes Management Services and a member of the Rochester Women's Network.
She can be reached at Amy.White@pb.com.
Engage work force to make change successful
By: Mimi Bacilek
(October 5, 2008) Ideally, leaders set and communicate their vision for change and engage the work force in the change. But sometimes, the work force doesn't want to engage. So, as a leader, what do you do when creating the change despite the resistance? One answer is to demand staff do it. That may gain you some progress, but you're unlikely to engage the hearts and minds of the work force in creating success.
Engage work force to make change successful
By: Mimi Bacilek
(October 5, 2008) Ideally, leaders set and communicate their vision for change and engage the work force in the change. But sometimes, the work force doesn't want to engage. So, as a leader, what do you do when creating the change despite the resistance? One answer is to demand staff do it. That may gain you some progress, but you're unlikely to engage the hearts and minds of the work force in creating success.
So how do you secure that engagement?
Create a sense of urgency: Communicate a compelling argument for why the current state will not lead to success, will jeopardize the organization's competitive advantage or will lose key customers.
Create clarity of the vision: Draw a picture of what success looks like. Regularly and routinely speak about it from a perspective everyone can agree on, such as patient safety in a hospital or product quality in a manufacturing environment.
Understand the work force's perspective: In most change initiatives, the mindset of the work force falls into three categories: advocate for the change, adversary of the change and willing to consider the change. The leader must tap the power of the advocates, address the challenges of the adversaries and mobilize the possibilities of those in the middle.
Create a guiding coalition: The coalition is a group of leaders and staffers who align daily processes and actions with the leader's vision. They are advocates either of the change or the leader, and hold formal or informal power in the organization. They meet with a frequency that matches the progress (or lack of progress) of the change implementation and serve as a resource to other staff and leaders.
The efforts of this coalition create a powerful resource for the leaders. They can focus on supporting staff willing to consider the change and provide them opportunities for experimenting with it. Additionally they can put in place a system for learning from those who are trying the change, then modify it according to what is learned.
Intentionally engage adversaries: It is tempting to ignore adversaries or hope they come around. The reality is that adversaries can create tremendous pressure against the change. They often make work life difficult for those considering the change.
A winning technique is to bring small groups of adversaries together to intimately understand their resistance and address it head-on. Resistance usually stems from a very real fear or concern. Correcting a misunderstanding about the change or modifying the change may be required. Successful leaders create partnerships with adversaries by addressing the sources of their resistance.
Celebrate small and big wins: You may consider waiting for success to be achieved before partying. Savvy leaders intentionally create opportunities for small wins all along the way. They reward effort and accomplishment. They broadly communicate wins, link the results to the vision and showcase engaged staff.
Leading significant change is not for the faint of heart. By its very nature, change is messy and chaotic. That creates great pressure to return to the familiar, the status quo.
Management consultant Meg Wheatley says this "desire to return to the familiar is a part of the human condition." Savvy leaders take this into account. They are both empathetic to the difficulty change brings to their staff and true to their vision in patiently and persistently leading the path forward.
Mimi Bacilek is an executive coach and president of SuccessBuilders LLC, a Rochester firm. She can be reached at (585) 227-0308 or by e-mail at mimi @successbuildersllc.com.
Blogs can be another way to draw customers
By: Lara Crigger
(September 28, 2008) Do you think blogs are a passing fad? Think again. One peek on popular blog-tracking site Technorati reveals more than 112.8 million blogs in existence. Experts estimate 175,000 new blogs are created every day.
Blogs can be another way to draw customers
By: Lara Crigger
(September 28, 2008) Do you think blogs are a passing fad? Think again. One peek on popular blog-tracking site Technorati reveals more than 112.8 million blogs in existence. Experts estimate 175,000 new blogs are created every day.
Especially in the corporate world, a blog is an easy, effective way for a business to stay in touch with current customers and reach out to new ones at the same time. It acts like an ongoing conversation, allowing you to communicate directly to your buyers and build brand loyalty and trust.
Plus, maintaining an active blog raises your company's online visibility, driving traffic to your Web site, meaning increased sales for you.
Blogging is easy to pick up, says Amber Lowe, a software expert in Henrietta. "There are several programs or Web sites that allow users with little (or no) technical expertise to set up a blog," she says.
Among Lowe's favorites are Blogger.com, Wordpress.com and Xanga.com, all of which are free to use or download. But before you blog, you'll need the right approach:
Consistency: Whether you update once a week or once a day, sticking to a regular posting schedule is crucial. Just like any other form of marketing, the success of your blog depends on the relationship you've built with your audience. Developing that relationship requires frequent communication. Regularly updated blogs score higher in search engine rankings, making it easier for potential readers (and customers) to find you online.
Write for your buyers, not yourself: Save your stream-of-consciousness poetry or Grandma's apple pie recipe for your personal blog. Your buyers don't care. Instead, stick to the topics your customers care about. Offer solutions for their problems, or analyze news stories and market trends that impact their lives. That's not to say you can't show personality in your posts. But generally, readers don't visit a company blog to find dessert recipes. They want information and interactivity. That said ...
Don't advertise: Treating your blog like another Yellow Pages ad won't net you new readers. Instead, provide the info your reader really wants to know, like tips and tricks, checklists, DIY guides, interviews, etc. Suppose you've planned an upcoming promotional event. Instead of posting a schedule or price list on your blog, run a Q&A with one of your presenters or a series of posts about a topic explored at the event in more detail. Remember that a blog is a conversation with your buyers, not an advertisement.
Comments = Traffic: Keep comments turned on, even the negative ones. Healthy debate indicates a healthy blog, says author David Meerman Scott in his book The New Rules of Marketing and PR (Wiley, $16.95). Comments from those who disagree with you "add credibility to your viewpoint by showing two sides of an issue," he says, "and by highlighting that your readership is passionate enough to want to contribute to a debate on your blog."
Make it easy for your readers to find you: Give your blog prime real estate on your company Web site. Mention it in newsletters and e-mail blasts. Be sure to use tags wisely, including social media tags for aggregators like Technorati, DIGG and del.icio.us. Finally, be sure your blogging software handles RSS (Really Simple Syndication), a feature that delivers blog updates directly to subscribers. That way, it's even easier to keep your readers posted.
Lara Crigger is the president of LC Communications, a marketing and PR copywriting firm in Henrietta, and a member of the RWN Marketing SIG. She can be reached at lara@laracrigger.com.
Take charge, steer life along road to greatness
By: Dale Chanaiwa
(September 21, 2008) Conas Gadson, a great motivational speaker also known as "Mr. Enthusiastic," says, "Since greatness is possible, excellence is not enough. Go for greatness."
Take charge, steer life along road to greatness
By: Dale Chanaiwa
(September 21, 2008) Conas Gadson, a great motivational speaker also known as "Mr. Enthusiastic," says, "Since greatness is possible, excellence is not enough. Go for greatness."
Were you motivated to achieve greatness in 2008? Did you start the year with high hopes, believing you had the perfect road map in place to accomplish greatness? But as you move into the final quarter, is nothing going as planned? Do you find yourself on a detour with no idea when you will return to your road to greatness? Why? Is it because so many things have changed that you could have never anticipated or controlled?
We all have felt the staggering impact of unfavorable changes in the economy, including skyrocketing prices at the gas pump, rising food prices and the troubling housing market. Such changes have negatively influenced people's ability to thrive. Many find themselves struggling to survive.
Frankly, I did not become a registered nurse, graduate from law school and start several business ventures merely to survive. I am sure your hopes and dreams for greatness did not include being stuck in survival mode either.
Now is the time to take a chance, take control, take charge of your life and steer it back to the road to greatness. Now is the time to launch a new career, start a business or enhance your existing business. Now is the time to create new ways to generate additional income. For years you have worked for the benefit of your employer. Now is the time to develop yourself and work to your advantage.
Your skills, gifts, talents, strengths and life experiences separate you from your peers and competitors. Think about how you can use your strengths to your own benefit.
More women than ever are starting their own businesses and exploring opportunities that will enhance their lives. A number of solid and reputable companies provide training, support and flexibility to build a profitable business around your schedule and your personal needs.
Before you start your journey, you have to know why you are taking it. Without the why, you will never make lasting needed changes. Do you want to generate additional income to pay off a bill, for a down payment on a new home or for a family vacation? Do you want to build a business that will replace your income so you can be a stay-at-home mom?
Whether you remain in the job market, make a career change or expand an existing business, your road to greatness requires change.
Here are some recommendations for the journey:
Know your destination: Make sure you know where you want to go and how to get there. Choose a business or job that fits your style and personality. Your selection should express your passion and highlight what you do well.
Invest in yourself: Embrace your greatness. Read, listen to CDs and take training to enhance your skills and gain expertise to "better your best."
Develop professional relationships: Network with others who share the same interests. Be willing to share and compare ideas. Take time to personally interact with your clients and know their expectations. This will ensure you not only meet, but exceed, their expectations.
You can't stop change. So use it as a vehicle to fuel and drive you to greatness.
Remember, "Since greatness is possible, excellence is not enough. Go for greatness."
Dale Chanaiwa, consultant, motivational speaker and founder of "Value Increases Profitability for Business Women" can be reached at (585) 732-7518 or by e-mail at chanaiwad@frontiernet.net.
Target your networking to get the best results
By: Allison Pope
(September 14, 2008) Have you ever thought of networking to build your professional circle?
Target your networking to get the best results
By: Allison Pope
(September 14, 2008) Have you ever thought of networking to build your professional circle?
There has been a lot of talk and hype about networking in the past few years. I'm sure almost everyone has heard someone say, "You have to know someone to get something."
What I don't hear much about is how to network, where to go to network and who to network with.
Understanding the definition of networking is step one.
About.com describes networking as "the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people, potential clients and/or customers."
Wonderful. Now I know where to start.
Or do I?
You need to determine why you want to network so you can decide who you would network with.
Networking is personal. The reason we network with others is to build our social circle or our professional circle. You may be networking for social reasons, professional reasons or maybe a combination.
For instance, I remember looking for a new career and realizing my best chance of getting a new job was to network with others. But I did not know where to begin.
A great avenue, which many of us use on a daily basis, is the Internet.
When you have determined your reason for networking, use a search engine to look up terms such as networking, professional networking, social networking or other keywords that indicate networking.
It is helpful if you narrow your search by city. The list of options that comes up is amazing.
Another great way to network with others is through volunteer work.
Yes, you may be building your social circle first, but remember that you do not know with whom each individual is linked.
A conversation with someone in your volunteer group about your job may lead to a referral for a job opportunity.
Or if you are networking to build your business, your new volunteer friend may be able to refer you to someone.
I can't think of a professional career that could not benefit from networking. In addition, once you join an organization, there may be several spin-off groups with which to network.
From joining one local networking organization, my network has expanded tremendously because of the people I have met and the committees within the organization with which I have become involved. Often, an organization will offer classes to help you build your skills or put you in touch with people of similar interests.
Another great way to network is through blogging, chat groups or Web sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace. You can link to groups within those sites to help build your networking group.
LinkedIn offers a way to promote yourself virtually. You can connect with others through connections you already have. There are amazing networking tools at our fingertips, of which many of us aren't aware.
In fact, I have only recently learned of most of these through seminars I have attended.
Also, look at the newspapers and journals. They often promote events that are great networking opportunities.
Think of every situation as a networking opportunity.
You never know who you are going to meet in any setting — maybe your future employer or your next large client.
Allison Pope is the marketing manager for Legacy Financial Planning, an office of MetLife. She chairs the Young Professionals and the Restaurateurs' special interest groups for the Rochester Women's Network.
How you handle your money is the key to financial freedom
By: Michelle de Pinales
(September 7, 2008) Women earn nearly 30 percent less money than men, but wage disparity is no longer the culprit. The primary reason is that women take 11 more years off from work during their careers than men do. As a result, women have less saving and investing power than men and are not as well-prepared for retirement.
Fortunately, statistics show the tide is changing. Increasingly, more professional women are taking control of their financial lives and accumulating wealth. Still, too many women are needlessly behind. Studies show that women can and should be better prepared.
Maximize earnings: In his 2005 book Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap — and What Women Can Do About It, author Warren Farrell asserts the best way to maximize earnings is to work more hours. According to his research, people who work 44 hours per week make twice as much as people who work 34 hours per week and that, regardless of gender, men and women who perform the same job for the same number of hours, at the same level of experience, for a similar organization earn the same level of money in most industries.
Are you unwilling to work more hours? Be prepared to make a well-argued case for increased responsibility and ask for larger and more regular raises.
"An employee performing above expectations needs to prepare before her evaluation," says Joan Gaylord of Action Towing and Service. "List specific accomplishments over the last six months and set goals for the next six months. Then I can consider the appropriate recognition."
Don't let other people assume what you will or will not do. For example, many managers think that women with children are unwilling to travel or that a promotion will require too much of their time. Clearly state your values and commitment to work. Or, if your current job offers limited advancement and growth opportunities, Farrell suggests changing fields.
Remember that a new job or better pay is not the direct path to a financially secure future. What you do with your money sets you on the path of financial freedom.
Develop a plan: Begin with eliminating debt and creating a realistic budget.
For most women, eliminating debt means paying off credit cards and parting ways with plastic spending power.
Develop a spending plan for both today and tomorrow. To effectively stretch your earnings, assume more responsibility for your financial well-being.
Use retirement vehicles such as 401(k) plans and IRAs, which have tax advantages.
Make early, regular contributions to savings and investments. For example, a 20-year-old who invests $2,000 a year for eight years will earn more off that investment by the age of 65 than a 30-year-old who invests $2,000 a year for 30 years.
Assess your risk tolerance and define investment objectives that encompass short-, mid- and long-term goals.
Build a balanced, diversified portfolio. Women tend to invest significantly in low-yield, safe investment vehicles as opposed to stocks, which have higher growth potential.
Achieving financial independence: Women must maximize earning potential while protecting their capacity to build wealth. Insurance and estate planning should be a part of every financial plan to achieve this. If we, as women, are going to live longer than men, we may as well do it as comfortably and be as financially secure as we can.
Michelle de Pinales is assistant vice president and manager of KeyBank's Southtown office in Henrietta. She can be reached at (585) 272-5591 or mdepinales@kisinvestments.com.
Have fun, save money on career wardrobe at consignment shops
By: Angella Luyk
(August 31, 2008) With gas prices and just about everything else on the rise, women have to stretch the family budget farther and farther. Because image plays an important role in a first impression, you want to look your best. But suddenly, there is no money for that new suit for next week's meeting with a potential client.
Consignment shopping is becoming the answer for a lot of women. You can buy a new business wardrobe for about $200.
How does consignment shopping work? You bring in your gently used clothes you no longer want, and the stores sell them for you. When the item is sold, you receive a percentage of the price, often adding money to your budget simply by getting rid of what you don't want.
If you wish to purchase clothes, you can do so at a deep discount compared to department stores. A suit could run you about $40, with a pair of pants about $10 to $15. Prices will vary depending on the brand and the store.
The biggest mistake people make is assuming they will not find any name brands. Consignment shops tend to take in only the best clothes. They are looking to grow their business as much as you are looking to grow your wardrobe. Consignment shops tend to be discriminating about what they put on their shelves.
Have fun, save money on career wardrobe at consignment shops
By: Angella Luyk
(August 31, 2008) With gas prices and just about everything else on the rise, women have to stretch the family budget farther and farther. Because image plays an important role in a first impression, you want to look your best. But suddenly, there is no money for that new suit for next week's meeting with a potential client.
Consignment shopping is becoming the answer for a lot of women. You can buy a new business wardrobe for about $200.
How does consignment shopping work? You bring in your gently used clothes you no longer want, and the stores sell them for you. When the item is sold, you receive a percentage of the price, often adding money to your budget simply by getting rid of what you don't want.
If you wish to purchase clothes, you can do so at a deep discount compared to department stores. A suit could run you about $40, with a pair of pants about $10 to $15. Prices will vary depending on the brand and the store.
The biggest mistake people make is assuming they will not find any name brands. Consignment shops tend to take in only the best clothes. They are looking to grow their business as much as you are looking to grow your wardrobe. Consignment shops tend to be discriminating about what they put on their shelves.
Wendy Pickering, a nail specialist at Jolie Salon in Pittsford, explains that the economy dictates how much business she will get. As a result, her budget is tight these days, and one of the things she loves about consignment shopping is that she gets more value for her money.
"I can go to the mall and purchase a pair of pants for $50 to $60, or I can go consignment shopping and purchase three pairs of pants for the same price," Pickering explains.
There are also stores where you can donate your clothes to and receive a tax break. These are thrift stores. While you can find some great bargains at these places, you do need to look a little harder.
They tend to take in a lot more clothes and their prices are less expensive. A suit may cost you about $20, and shirts about $5 to $10. Again, prices will vary from store to store. When shopping in a thrift store, be sure to examine carefully any garments that you buy. Look for any stains or holes; with the amount of clothes taken in by these stores, they may not have time to look closely at everything.
Here are some tips for making the most of your shopping time and wardrobe dollars
Look for sweaters and shirts of complementing colors. You can wear the same pants with different shirts and accessories and no one will be the wiser
Remember to always try on your outfits before you leave the store because sales often are final.
Here are some tips for making the most of your shopping time and wardrobe dollars
- When you set out to shop, make a list of the clothes you are looking fo
When you have at least two suits, three pairs of pants and six to seven shirts, you have a basic wardrobe. Then starts the fun. Shop for more interesting pieces, perhaps more trendy styles and colors. This will take some time and you may not always find what you are looking for. But you will have all the fun of shopping without breaking the bank.
Think of it as an adventure. You will always find a great bargain and never know what hidden treasure you will find.
Angella Luyk has been a Rochester Women's Network member for two years and can be reached at Angella@midnightjanitorial.com.
Executive coaches aren't only for execs anymore
By: Donna Rawady
(August 17, 2008) You might think that an executive coach works exclusively with executives, but that's not always the case.
Executive coaches aren't only for execs anymore
By: Donna Rawady
(August 17, 2008) You might think that an executive coach works exclusively with executives, but that's not always the case.
In addition to investing in executive-level employees, many organizations are providing one-on-one customized consulting and coaching for their directors, middle managers and, in some cases, individual contributors. Coaching may serve as an investment in a gifted young professional earmarked for promotion, a tenured employee in a new or evolving role, or a director-level employee on the way to vice president.
Individuals are investing in coaching outside of the corporate arena as well. Small business owners are working with coaches to more effectively market and grow their businesses. People in transition are hiring coaches to help them explore their career interests and options and to promote themselves in a competitive job market.
Think of a coach as a personal trainer, helping you work toward your potential strength in the professional area of your choice, with mutual respect and trust as the basis of the relationship. And, as with a personal trainer, everyone can benefit if they're seeking the support.
Howard Shenson refers to the coaching and consulting role eloquently in his book Shenson on Consulting (John Wiley & Sons Inc. in association with University Associates, $24.95): "More than anything, clients retain consultants with the assumption (hope) that they will be dedicated to placing the client's interest and well-being above and beyond any other interest, even their own self-interest."
This was reiterated for me when I hired a coach years ago — Jim Norman — to help me assess and brand my business. He responded to me after I complimented a strategy he was using while marketing his services, and he wrote: "Feel free to plagiarize anything of mine for your own effort."
So it's understandable why individuals in varied roles would seek out and invest in this level of service and support.
But having an executive coach may not be for everyone. Or, more accurately, the time may not be right for everyone.
In order for executive coaching to work for you, you would need to personally sense or feel a need for change or improvement, or have a desire to be proactive about maintaining your success strategies.
Interestingly, even when a need is clearly identified by others, the coachee must internalize the need in order to be a strong candidate to benefit from a coaching relationship.
If you are interested in exploring further, here are a few quick guidelines:
·Ask around. Your colleagues may know of a good coach.
·Interview more than one candidate before making any commitments, as every coach is not a good match for every need.
·Prepare to be candid and share your needs and hopes for outcomes from the coaching relationship.
·Ask for client referrals and/or testimonials.
·Feel free to ask for the proposed coaching or consulting plan and anticipated investment in writing before you make your choice.
·Be sure that you feel that there is a comfortable, yet professionally stimulating, chemistry between you, and that you share similar philosophies.
Regardless of your role or level, there are coaching resources available to provide you with the customized development you may be seeking.
Donna Rawady is an executive coach and past president of the Rochester Women's Network. She can be reached at: www.donnarawady.com.
Working single mom, 50, says busy life is the reward
By: Germaine Knapp
(August 24, 2008) When is a woman's work done? For many, the idea of finishing work and relaxing is nothing more than a fantasy. Take Cheryl Ellis of Rochester, for example.
By: Germaine Knapp
(August 24, 2008) When is a woman's work done? For many, the idea of finishing work and relaxing is nothing more than a fantasy. Take Cheryl Ellis of Rochester, for example.
She is an honor student at a local community college, holds down a full-time job and is raising the last of four children while helping to raise four grandchildren. She describes herself as a mom-dad, clothes police, breadwinner and counselor.
Cheryl's typical day begins at 6:30 a.m. After readying herself for work, she makes sure the rest of the household is up, dressed and eating breakfast. Work begins at 8:30. She takes the last lunch shift at 2:30 for personal errands and ends her workday at 5. Next, she takes a daughter to supervised recreation and goes to college classes. After class comes supper and putting the grandchildren to bed.
The routine would be daunting for a 20-year-old. Cheryl is 50.
In her family, there are few high school graduates and no college graduates. Social workers and former teachers would not have picked her to succeed; she was categorized as "at risk."
Former teachers and caseworkers who see her now can hardly believe this is the same woman.
Ellis has pieced together her dream from scraps of encouragement that came mostly from outsiders.
So what drives Ellis to succeed?
First, nothing breeds success like success. She learned that, with effort, she could get good grades, and her friends and acquaintances would tutor, baby-sit, celebrate success and help her get financial aid. Ellis says that working at Bags Unlimited is a big part of her success.
Feeling valued at work has bolstered her belief "that life has a lot to offer, that there is value in my life and that I can be a good role model for my own children."
Ultimately, Ellis ascribes her success to absolute faith in God's guidance.
Ellis is not alone in her valiant effort to excel at work; 47 percent of households living in poverty are run by single women. The fact that they hold on to their dreams, work hard and rise above their circumstances is a wonder.
Ellis says her job is rewarding because "I am helping people get their needs met. I talk to people all over the world and have formed relationships with some that I've been dealing with for a long time. Being in sales has taught me to treat people as I want to be treated."
A woman's work is not only to accomplish the task, but to maintain the flexibility necessary to keep her in charge of her job and personal life.
This spring, when the demands of family converged with those at school and on the job, she needed to stop, think and adjust. Ellis left school for a semester. With only six more credits to go to earn an associate's degree and being on the dean's list, she will re-enter school in the fall.
The prospect of working long hours at a meaningless job is tiresome, but the capacity to put meaning into any job is energizing.
Taking pride in getting to work on time, cooperating with others and excelling at whatever tasks are part of the job allow us to move off the treadmill and onto a path that takes us somewhere.
Succeeding and feeling needed are mostly consequences of our own choices. Those choices foster self-worth and personal success.
Germaine Knapp is CEO of Sojourner House, a resource helping women and their families develop stable, independent and productive lives by providing shelter, structure and strength to embrace the future.
Do you know what sexual harassment is?
By: Donna Pritchard
(August 10, 2008) According to Equal Rights Advocates, sexual harassment is "behavior in the workplace which is unwelcome verbal, visual or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates a hostile work environment."
Here are some examples:
Verbal or written: Making comments about clothing, personal behavior or a person's body; sharing sexual or sex-based jokes; telling rumors about a person's personal or sexual life; threatening a person; making sexual innuendos; requesting sexual favors; or repeatedly asking a person out.
Physical: Assault; impeding or blocking movement; inappropriate touching of a person or a person's clothing; kissing, hugging, patting or stroking.
Nonverbal: Looking up and down a person's body; derogatory gestures or facial expressions of a sexual nature; following a person.
Visual: Posters, drawings, pictures, screen savers or e-mails of a sexual nature.
What becomes difficult is the implementation and acceptance of a policy and procedure that are understood and consistently practiced by management and employees. Rights of employees and company morale are high priorities and very basic to success.
Supervisors are often shocked by allegations and caught off-guard by how to respond appropriately. They may have a totally different view of the situation and try to ignore a complaint, especially if it is verbally expressed. In addition, what may be seen as joking around or company culture may have gone on for years without a complaint. It takes just one person to feel offended and uncomfortable to generate a complaint.
There is an assumption that sexual harassment almost always happens when men act inappropriately in the workplace. A telephone poll conducted by Louis Harris and Associates on workers revealed:
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31 percent of female workers reported they had been harassed at work.
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7 percent of male workers had been harassed at work.
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62 percent of targets took no action.
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100 percent of women reported the harasser was a man.
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59 percent of men reported the harasser was a woman.
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41 percent of men reported the harasser was another man
Of the women harassed:
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43 percent were harassed by a supervisor.
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27 percent were harassed by an employee senior to them.
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19 percent were harassed by a co-worker.
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8 percent were harassed by a junior employee.
If employees are fired, refused a promotion, demoted, given a poor performance review or reassigned to a less desirable position because they rejected a sexual advance, that is sexual harassment. Employees cannot perform to their potential if their environment is intimidating and hostile.
Work relationships can be quite intimate and intense, especially when those involved share common interests. Such closeness can blur professional boundaries. To sustain a healthy work environment for all employees, routinely review your company's harassment policies and procedures with your employees by conducting periodic training.
Donna Pritchard is director of development at the Center for Youth in Rochester. Contact her at dpritchard@centerforyouth.net.
Volunteering can provide experience, opportunities
By: Laurie A. Baker
(August 3, 2008) Women competing in today's business world must constantly seek out opportunities to sharpen their skills and stay competitive.
Although the business advantages of volunteering are often overlooked, serving on a board of directors or committee at a nonprofit organization provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable business and career experience, learn about the unique challenges faced by nonprofit organizations and to give back to the Rochester community.
(August 3, 2008) Women competing in today's business world must constantly seek out opportunities to sharpen their skills and stay competitive.
Although the business advantages of volunteering are often overlooked, serving on a board of directors or committee at a nonprofit organization provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable business and career experience, learn about the unique challenges faced by nonprofit organizations and to give back to the Rochester community.
Volunteer board members frequently have occasion to lead high-profile initiatives, discover opportunities for growth and gain exposure they might not get at their "day job." These include: strategic planning, financial management and budgeting and fundraising.
Even if you already have experience in these areas, applying it in a nonprofit environment will require you to expand your thinking and will result in personal development. If you have not had experience in these areas, it's a valuable way to gain new skills and be an important resource for a community agency.
The needs in our community are great and will continue to grow as rising costs and the uncertain economy prove challenging to families and the nonprofit agencies they turn to for support.
Volunteers fulfill a crucial role, says Mary Ellen McArdle, director of community relations at St. Joseph's Villa.
"Women bring a diversity of gifts to our volunteer ranks at the Villa. As board members or committee members, they bring a sense of purpose, energy and follow-through that is very valued," McArdle said. "As volunteers in various agency support areas, they bring a consistency and dependability, such that they become part of the fabric of our organization."
Since many nonprofit organizations are vulnerable to budgetary constraints, fluctuations and cutbacks, community support in the form of board leadership and volunteerism is vitally necessary for agencies to thrive and accomplish their mission.
If you are established in your profession, the right volunteer position could help re-energize your career, cultivate networking relationships, and hone your negotiation and communication skills.
If you are just starting out, volunteering can expand your professional network and help build important business contacts. Well-rounded candidates with many skills and varied backgrounds are the most attractive to business recruiters.
In her role as manager of recruitment in human resources at Unity Health System, Radiah Drayton-Scott is constantly seeking new talent for open positions. "I've found that many of our best candidates come to our organization with the unique blend of career knowledge and volunteer experience within the community," she says.
Find an agency or organization whose mission you feel passionate about — whether it's helping families, improving education or the environment — and get involved. There are countless opportunities to meet new people and gain different perspectives.
By becoming a volunteer, the community and countless people in need will benefit from your experience, enthusiasm and talent.
You will also benefit by acquiring skills that can help you in your job today and throughout your professional career.
Laurie A. Baker is chief operating officer of The Summit Federal Credit Union, where she oversees human resources, training, marketing, business relationships and member services.
Clear vision helps make succession planning work
By: Donna Pritchard
(July 27, 2008) What a curious thought — that succession planning should be simple and logical if a successful organization has carefully managed to develop and nurture all employees.
Clear vision helps make succession planning work
By: Donna Pritchard
(July 27, 2008) What a curious thought — that succession planning should be simple and logical if a successful organization has carefully managed to develop and nurture all employees.
Not so.
Studies of succession planning estimate that 42 percent of managers have thought about it, but only 12 percent have an actual plan. No matter what the position in a company, "what makes a star a star may be different than what makes a successor a star."
It is very important to have a clear vision of what attributes and skills are necessary to fill any key position. Profit, nonprofit, government, health fields and education are all affected by the realization that we can't remain complacent.
The reality that most of us change jobs at least eight times in our careers has required businesses to think differently about many aspects of human resource management.
We used to talk about the days when people spent most of their adult lives with one company. Then we spent time discussing the effects of devastating mergers and acquisitions. Today, it seems people are becoming the CEOs of their own lives, making bolder moves on their own regardless of geographic movement or allegiance to employers.
Small businesses are especially vulnerable. With 90 percent of the 18 million-plus businesses in America being family-owned and managed, it is obvious that a plan should be in place if the owner should die, become disabled or retire. However, recent surveys report that 30 percent of all family-owned businesses have not considered a successor; 63 percent have done so when the owner reached age 65. Ironically, more than 58 percent of small-business owners list inadequate succession planning as their business's biggest threat.
Information seems key in terms of an emergency plan.
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What if the CEO, the systems administrator or any other major player has critical information, processes and contacts in his or her head?
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Who has the authority to make decisions and to sign checks and disperse payroll?
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Are there back-ups of all computer materials and if they are kept off site, where are they
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Are private records transferred to the organization regarding confidential matters
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Is a list of key constituents kept in any one place
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Does the board know where key corporate records are kept
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Is there an operations manual
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Is there adequate funding in place to sustain a transition?
According to Nancy R. Axelrod, author of Chief Executive Succession Planning: The Board's Role in Securing Your Organization's Future, "When the foundation is not in place to pass the baton with competence and grace (even under normal circumstances with ample notice), the result can undermine the entire transition process and create lingering casualties."
There are many resources available to start the succession-planning process for your company or organization. With a bit of research you can find valuable insights and tools for every aspect: disaster and emergency succession planning; diversity succession planning; transferring a business; how to keep vendors neutral; a CEO check-list; and even a template of how to leave your business "in style," including a newsletter and media plan.
The important point is succession planning and preparation for the unforeseen are crucial in today's economy for any business or organization. Just get started.
Donna Pritchard is director of development at the Center for Youth in Rochester. Contact her at dpritchard@centerforyouth.net.
Men, women who work together improve each others' performance
Men, women who work together improve each others' performance
By: Jackie DiBella
(July 20, 2008) Did you ever communicate with someone of the opposite gender in the workplace and walk away with the belief that you were listening to a foreign language?
(July 20, 2008) Did you ever communicate with someone of the opposite gender in the workplace and walk away with the belief that you were listening to a foreign language?
This should not be surprising. John Gray wrote an entire book about this phenomenon, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. The reality is that each gender communicates differently, so differently that the disparity can both be aggravating and strike one's funny bone.
It is tempting to judge those differences, but that misses the point. Each style of communication is valid and valuable. The goal in understanding these differences is not to change the style of each communicator, but to understand why they occur and develop personal skills for adapting to the difference.
Men and women tend to display certain patterns of behavior. While it is important to not generalize or stereotype, recognizing these patterns is the beginning of success in effectively communicating across genders.
Gender differences start early in life. Through conversation, little girls seek to be liked and accepted. Little boys speak in competitive terms. Little girls make requests. Little boys make demands. Little girls speak to create harmony, while little boys prolong conflict. These differences are stressed in Teri and Michael Gamble's book, Contacts: Interpersonal Communication in Theory, Practice, and Context.
Rochesterian Sandra Beckwith's book Why Can't A Man Be More Like A Woman? states that "women gather information by asking questions, but men view question-asking as a sign of weakness." Not surprisingly, these behavior and communication patterns are seen in the workplace as well.
Consider the way each gender leads a meeting, makes a decision or delegates work. Several well-respected studies, such as the one conducted by Laurie Arliss in her book Gender Communication, explain and prove that women tend to soften their demands and statements, whereas men tend to be more direct.
Women, for example, use phrases like "don't you think" following the presentation of an idea; "if you don't mind" following a demand; or "this may be a crazy idea, but" preceding a question. Men may interpret these statements as lacking confidence or authority. By the same token, men often say "we must" or "you need to" and women may interpret these statements as dictatorial.
There is a misconception that "we work best with our own kind." Mixed-gender groups enhance the quality of decision making. Individuals who support others and build team cohesion are complemented by people who focus on the task and ensure efficiency.
When each gender is aware of the differences and works to minimize the inherent challenges of the gender communication gap, the benefits can be reaped.
Mixed-gender work teams tend to be more productive, produce better quality decisions and result in greater member satisfaction than do single-gender work groups. Men and women who work together complement and enhance each others' performance.
Acknowledging these style differences allows us to focus on content versus delivery.
Acknowledging these style differences allows us to focus on content versus delivery.
We must be sensitive to each gender's needs and aware of mutual expectations while we learn to understand our manner of encoding messages, how interacting with each other influences business relations, and how to overcome perceptual barriers.
Jackie DiBella teaches interpersonal communications at Genesee Community College and also coaches businesses on workplace relationships. Reach her at jedibella@genesee.edu.
Women advised to take control of their finances
Women advised to take control of their finances
By: Mary Spurrier
(July 13, 2008) A friend recently said to me, "I am going to learn about investing as soon as I have money."
(July 13, 2008) A friend recently said to me, "I am going to learn about investing as soon as I have money."
That's like saying you are waiting to jog until you can run 10 miles.
Procrastination is the most common reason why people fail to invest and why they lack money in retirement.
The most common excuses women use for not saving and investing are: Someone will take care of me; the children need to come first; I will never live alone. All of these assumptions may be proven false.
You will need to take care of yourself. The fact is that 47 percent of marriages end in divorce. The children will need you only for a while. You have a 90 percent chance of living alone at least once in your life.
You will be retired for 20 to 30 years after you stop receiving a paycheck and will have only savings, Social Security and maybe a pension to pay the bills. If your spouse dies, your Social Security will be cut by as much as half.
According to noted financial writer Suze Orman, "Controlling your financial destiny comes down to knowing what to do and what not to do, and having the conviction and confidence to go out and do it. Not just think about it. Or intend to do it next week or next month. To actually do it. Right now."
The steps to establishing economic security and wealth are simple. Determine your goals, both short- and long-term. Learn, in language that you understand, how money and investments work. Ask for help from a guide, either a professional or a knowledgeable friend.
Most importantly, establish a structured savings plan. This should consist of a regular savings program and investments that allocate your funds to suit your risk-and-reward tolerance.
A simple first step is to participate in your workplace 401(k). This is even more important if your employer matches your contributions. Not contributing, at least to the extent of the match, is like throwing away money. Because 401(k) deductions are taken before taxes, the contribution out of your paycheck is barely noticed. Because gains on your account are tax-deferred, your 401(k) investment should grow more quickly than taxable options.
A key aspect of investing is staying focused. The simple truth is that the market will suffer unexpected dips and your account balance may go down from time to time, as has been the case for much of 2008. Your ability to ride out the bumps depends on what you do in times like these.
Remind yourself now and then of what you want out of both your investments and your retirement plan. Stay diverse by investing in U.S and international companies of different sizes and with varying levels of risk.
Keep a long-term perspective. Short-term fluctuations may make you nervous, but in the long term, defined as five years or more, the stock market tends to outperform other investments.
Having money does not mean that you have to be a millionaire. It means that you can take a special trip, buy a vacation or retirement home, provide for children and grandchildren or give back to the community in the form of philanthropy. It is the use of money in these ways that enriches life and gives you joy.
Do not procrastinate. Now is the time to take control of your financial future, no matter how old you are. Once you have learned the simple steps of investing and begin a savings and investment plan, you will realize how simple it is. The hard part is getting started.
Mary Spurrier is a certified financial planner. She may be reached at (585) 271-5280.
Despite stereotypes, older workers have valuable skills, insights
By: Lynette M. Loomis
(July 6, 2008) With more than half of Americans wanting or needing to continue working past age 65, employers may need to confront their stereotypes of both older and younger workers.
Despite stereotypes, older workers have valuable skills, insights
By: Lynette M. Loomis
(July 6, 2008) With more than half of Americans wanting or needing to continue working past age 65, employers may need to confront their stereotypes of both older and younger workers.
An AARP study showed that 25 percent of people expect to work into their 70s. Why? Money. Social contacts. A desire to learn and grow. A need to contribute or the opportunity to do something they always wanted to do.
Intellectual capital is a competitive asset that cannot be taken for granted. Workers older than 50 have technical skills, industry experience and a deep understanding of a company's philosophy and culture.
The people "who've been there forever" hold in their heads the history of how a product was developed, including valuable insight into what didn't work so that failures are not replicated. Also included within this intellectual capital are the relationships and networks developed over many years that serve as the foundation for repeat sales, good relationships with suppliers and an understanding of a competitor's strengths and vulnerabilities.
There are many ill-conceived conceptions of older workers. However, in the September 2006 issue of Entrepreneur.com, Stephen Bastien lists 12 ways in which older workers meet the needs of employers: They are dedicated, punctual, honest, detail-oriented, good listeners, organized, efficient, confident and mature, and they take pride in a job well done, set an example for other employees, communicate well and, in some cases, reduce labor costs since many already have insurance and pension plans from prior employers.
According to HRMguide.com, workers between the ages of 18 and 34 are twice as likely to prefer flexible working conditions as older employees and seek control of their own schedules, while respondents ages 35 to 44 indicated that they would value more time with family.
Many older workers are willing to work a more flexible schedule as their days of driving kids to soccer and karate are behind them. A mature worker also may be willing to work later in the day so that younger workers can participate in the after-school activities of their children. Some companies have benefited from the fact that young families like to take time off in the summer when kids are out of school and older workers like to vacation in the winter months. By working with these differences, both the employer and the employees benefit.
Many mature workers have a wealth of knowledge and experience they are willing to pass on to their less-experienced colleagues. Similarly, they welcome learning new techniques and approaches from their younger co-workers.
Younger workers bring with them an innate sense of technology and how to use it. They have been trained in the latest theories and business practices, have greater cross-cultural awareness than any generation and expect to function in a global economy. They also bring an open-mindedness about problem solving that can help a work team view a problem or opportunity from a new angle. Younger workers also bring an energy and vitality to the workplace that can be "contagious."
Pair the attitude, skills and current knowledge of the younger worker with the life experience and business savvy of the mature worker and you have a formidable combination.
There is a need to acknowledge and respect what motivates different generations and the talents of each individual in support of a company's business goals and objectives.
Lynette M. Loomis is president of Your Best Life Coaching LLC. Contact her at www.yourbestlifecoaching.com or (585) 624-1300.
In any partnership, the issues to consider are power, money and planning for the future
By: Amy Varel
(June 29, 2008) The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that one-third of new businesses do not survive more than two years and 56 percent won't last more than four.
Of course, no one starts a business planning to fail. Everyone enters into a partnership with good intentions and good feelings about his or her partner.
The problem is that those good feelings may turn sour when things do not work out exactly as planned.
A serious dispute between partners can be catastrophic for the business and for the partners. Establishing a clear written agreement between the partners as early as possible can help the business succeed.
In any partnership, the issues to consider are power, money and planning for the future. These considerations are the same whether you plan to form a partnership, a corporation or a limited liability company.
How will power be divided among the partners? How will decisions be made? For example, it is common in the case of a closely held business for the partners to share the power equally. But is this always the right answer? If there are only two partners, there is the potential for deadlock. If both partners cannot agree on a particular issue, the company cannot operate. This could be disastrous, or even fatal, for a closely held business.
Money is always a consideration when planning for a closely held business. The partners need to determine how the profits and losses of the business will be divided.
For example, a common scenario in a closely held business is that one partner will be the investor and the other partner will provide services to the partnership. There are several potential pitfalls in this scenario. The partners need to agree as to exactly what services will be provided to the partnership and what that partner will receive in return. Will some of the services be provided in exchange for an ownership interest in the company? Will some of the services be provided in exchange for other compensation, such as a salary? What form will the other compensation take? How will investors ensure that the partner who is supposed to provide services is actually providing the services promised in exchange for his/her ownership interest?
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New partners also must plan for the future. What happens if one partner wants to retire or just leave the partnership? What happens if one partner were to die? In businesses with three or more partners, what happens if two of the partners decide that they no longer want the third partner in the business?
It is important for the partners to establish a clear road map at the time of formation of the entity that the partners will follow in all situations. This includes determining the purchase price, or a formula to determine the purchase price, that will be used to buy a departing partner's interest by either the business or the other partners.
Of course, as the business changes, this valuation should be revisited and revised.
As important as determining the price for a buyout is determining how the buyout will be funded, said Eileen C. Semmler, a certified public accountant and partner of The Bonadio Group. Semmler suggests providing for a payout over time or funding the buyout with insurance to avoid putting the entity or the other owners in an untenable financial situation.
A little planning in the beginning of a partnership relationship will go a long way to help ensure future success.
Amy Varel is an attorney in the law firm of McConville, Considine, Cooman & Morin in Rochester. She can be reached at avarel@mccmlaw.com
The art of conversation is golden in a virtual world
By: Amy White
(June 22, 2008) In a world of laptops, Blackberries, cell phones and instant messaging (to name of few of my personal nemeses), the art of conversation is becoming lost.
It sounds much like a comment our parents might have made over the years, generally accompanied by "That loud music, television or telephone is causing the downfall of an entire generation." That was long before our day-to-day interactions with each other became electronic.
Yet the ability to effectively communicate, personally interact with others and maneuver through life and business is vital to our survival and forms the basis on which others perceive us.
This is especially critical for those who are in leadership roles. In the business world, many rely on a quick e-mail, voicemail or text message to request an action or get the status of a work in process. This leaves the recipient in a position where he or she must assume critical items or read between the lines to determine what is being requested.
Electronic communication also leaves much open for interpretation and can create or break down teams and team members depending on how it is read.
Warren Bennis, one of the nation's foremost authorities on organizational development, leadership and change, and author of numerous books, makes this point when he says, "What distinguishes leaders ... is that they find a voice that allows them to articulate the common dream." With a clearly communicated "common dream," we are able to do more in less time with better, faster results.
We are all under intense pressure from our corporate leaders, shareholders and clients, as well as our own set of unrealistic timelines, right? Yes, but effective personal communication does not have to take much more time than writing and sending the e-mail, text message or leaving a voicemail.
Have you ever wondered how much time is wasted or how many projects are delayed because the expectations and deliverables weren't spelled out at the beginning?
So what is the first step to good communication?
Listening. Yes, it is that simple. Good conversation is a gift and a skill and one that you can develop if it doesn't come easily for you. Good conversation is impossible without good listening skills. The bottom line is that good conversationalists are good listeners. Here are a few suggestions for listening more effectively:
·Position you body toward the speaker; be an open receiver.
·Maintain eye contact.
·Repeat in your mind what the other person is saying.
·Wait for him or her to finish before speaking.
·Summarize what was said.
·Be physically and mentally engaged; effective listening is an active activity.
By effectively listening, you will find yourself much more prepared to communicate in a way that will be easily understood and will ensure that your words build up the morale of your employees and your teams.
According to Carice Welch, CEO of a Dallas-based management company, "face-to-face communication allows us each presence; our greatest energy exchange and opportunity for listening and being truly being heard."
As you master the art of conversation and communication, you will find that deadlines are being met more consistently, team morale and teamwork will thrive and doing work twice all but disappears.
Amy White is a director for Pitney Bowes Management Services, an executive coach and a member of the Rochester Womens Network. Reach her at Amy.White@pb.com.
Influence results by listening, communicating
By: Mimi Bacilek
(June 15, 2008) The leader's most important role in the organization is to improve sales and profits. Unless you're a one-person show, the reality is these results occur as a result of your influence, not your hands-on efforts. So how can you most successfully influence these results? Members of your staff are looking to you:
The art of conversation is golden in a virtual world
By: Amy White
(June 22, 2008) In a world of laptops, Blackberries, cell phones and instant messaging (to name of few of my personal nemeses), the art of conversation is becoming lost.
It sounds much like a comment our parents might have made over the years, generally accompanied by "That loud music, television or telephone is causing the downfall of an entire generation." That was long before our day-to-day interactions with each other became electronic.
Yet the ability to effectively communicate, personally interact with others and maneuver through life and business is vital to our survival and forms the basis on which others perceive us.
This is especially critical for those who are in leadership roles. In the business world, many rely on a quick e-mail, voicemail or text message to request an action or get the status of a work in process. This leaves the recipient in a position where he or she must assume critical items or read between the lines to determine what is being requested.
Electronic communication also leaves much open for interpretation and can create or break down teams and team members depending on how it is read.
Warren Bennis, one of the nation's foremost authorities on organizational development, leadership and change, and author of numerous books, makes this point when he says, "What distinguishes leaders ... is that they find a voice that allows them to articulate the common dream." With a clearly communicated "common dream," we are able to do more in less time with better, faster results.
We are all under intense pressure from our corporate leaders, shareholders and clients, as well as our own set of unrealistic timelines, right? Yes, but effective personal communication does not have to take much more time than writing and sending the e-mail, text message or leaving a voicemail.
Have you ever wondered how much time is wasted or how many projects are delayed because the expectations and deliverables weren't spelled out at the beginning?
So what is the first step to good communication?
Listening. Yes, it is that simple. Good conversation is a gift and a skill and one that you can develop if it doesn't come easily for you. Good conversation is impossible without good listening skills. The bottom line is that good conversationalists are good listeners. Here are a few suggestions for listening more effectively:
·Position you body toward the speaker; be an open receiver.
·Maintain eye contact.
·Repeat in your mind what the other person is saying.
·Wait for him or her to finish before speaking.
·Summarize what was said.
·Be physically and mentally engaged; effective listening is an active activity.
By effectively listening, you will find yourself much more prepared to communicate in a way that will be easily understood and will ensure that your words build up the morale of your employees and your teams.
According to Carice Welch, CEO of a Dallas-based management company, "face-to-face communication allows us each presence; our greatest energy exchange and opportunity for listening and being truly being heard."
As you master the art of conversation and communication, you will find that deadlines are being met more consistently, team morale and teamwork will thrive and doing work twice all but disappears.
Amy White is a director for Pitney Bowes Management Services, an executive coach and a member of the Rochester Womens Network. Reach her at Amy.White@pb.com.
Influence results by listening, communicating
By: Mimi Bacilek
(June 15, 2008) The leader's most important role in the organization is to improve sales and profits. Unless you're a one-person show, the reality is these results occur as a result of your influence, not your hands-on efforts. So how can you most successfully influence these results? Members of your staff are looking to you:
- For vision and purpose
- To engage them in the work with customers and with each other.
- To provide them with necessary resources.
- To remove organizational obstacles.
- To provide them with the authority and accountability that enables their success.
How do you do it?
Regularly and frequently meet with the whole company, the functional units of the organization and each individual. Use examples that make the vision concrete. Speak in language that everyone understands and can identify with.
How do you know you're succeeding? Listen to the "talk" around the workplace. When it matches the message you have been constantly and consistently sending, you're being successful.
Engaging people with customers and each other helps them know their work has meaning beyond daily tasks and weekly paychecks. It reinforces how their role is key to creating the future you've described.
How can you engage your staff? Speak frequently with everyone about the ways in which their work connects to the work of others. Show them how the external customer experience depends on everyone's efforts, whether they are in accounting, marketing, IT or service.
Ensuring required resources are available enables staff to deliver. Information, access to you, prioritization of projects and authority are resources equally important to computers, software, budgets and staff.
Removing obstacles that stand in the way of success is the corollary of providing resources. As the leader, you probably see the big barriers, such as an operating facility that is too small. What you may not see are the subtle ones. Examples are delays in the staff's access to customer satisfaction data, lack of technology interfaces across functions, or internal feuds between departments that hamper teamwork.
How do you uncover the obstacles? Just ask the staff, "what restrains you from doing your job in the best way possible?" If the answer doesn't make sense, dig for more information until you are sure you fully understand the issue and how you might change that.
Authority and accountability are the clinchers. Within what parameters can your employees act independently? What are you absolutely requiring of them? How will you measure their success? Without clear authority, their hands are tied. Without clear accountabilities, you have no foundation for assessing their performance and measuring their success.
Conversations between you and others in the organization are the common theme in these steps.
As Susan Scott tells us in her book, Fierce Conversations: "Conversations are the work of a leader and the workhorse of an organization. While no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory ... any single conversation can."
Mimi Bacilek is an executive coach and president of SuccessBuilders LLC, a Rochester-based firm she can be reached at (585) 227-0308 or by e-mail at mimi@successbuildersllc.com
Find ways to develop professionally, even with no funding
By: Shannon Craig-Mulvaney
(June 8, 2008) When corporate purse strings start to tighten, professional development is often one of the first budget items to be cut. For women who are seeking career growth, finding ways to continue developing knowledge and skills is important, even when no funding is available.
Here are some strategies:
- Look for free training seminars. Training seminars lasting 30 to 90 minutes are now widely available at no cost.
In many fields, lawyers and consultants offer Web-based seminars to establish their expertise and introduce themselves to potential clients. If you can handle the five-minute sales pitch, you'll receive 55 minutes of up-to-date information. An added benefit is that you can view them from the comfort of your office.
If you prefer a live speaker, attend seminars hosted by professional associations. Many offer programs free to members, so that a one-time membership fee admits you to monthly or even weekly sessions.
In Rochester, the Workforce Diversity Network offers development activities to its members at monthly meetings. Dawn Schnell, a WDN member from Bausch & Lomb, describes the meetings as "a way to stay current on the techniques and tools being used to further diversify efforts in the workplace and to learn best practices from diversity professionals in other corporations."
- Find a mentor. Talking to someone who is successful is the best way to learn how to succeed.
Think about your objectives and choose a mentor who can help you meet them. Be prepared to describe your expectations of the relationship when you approach this person.
Considerations for the mentoring relationship include the format and frequency of meetings, how you and the mentor will benefit and how long the relationship will last. Find another mentor once you've met your objectives, perhaps someone who has achieved an even higher level of success.
- Seek learning opportunities in daily work. Few people grow in their careers without taking on more responsibility and tasks with more complexity. Don't wait for opportunities to be given to you.
When I wanted to learn grant-writing, I asked my employer if I could write a training grant. When I wanted to improve my communication skills, I asked to work on a project that required facilitating collaboration among several geographically dispersed agencies.
I could add more examples, but the bottom line is that my employers rarely, if ever, declined such a request.
Although your workload will grow, remember that you're doing it for personal reasons and that your employer probably could have assigned someone more experienced. Asking for additional tasks or more difficult work also lets your supervisor know you are interested in professional growth.
- Volunteer outside of work. Professional development through volunteer work is particularly useful when you can't fit professional development activities into your workday, have been out of work for awhile or are trying to develop skills in a field other than the one in which you work.
If you're volunteering as a way to develop skills you don't already possess, pursue committee work to learn from others who already have the desired skills.
Professional development doesn't have to cost a lot of money. Keep your eyes and mind open for opportunities; often they're in the most obvious and overlooked places.
Shannon Craig-Mulvaney is manager of affirmative action services at HR Works Inc., a Perinton-based human resources outsourcing and consulting firm.
Seeking a mentor benefits personal development, advancement
By: Gretchen VanDerMeid
(June 1, 2008) Whether you are a recent college graduate, an experienced professional breaking into a new field or someone approaching the apex of your career, seeking out a mentor is beneficial for personal development and professional advancement.
What personal characteristics make a good business mentor? A good mentor is accomplished and successful, approachable, someone who communicates well and derives personal satisfaction from contributing to another professional's growth.
There are a number of ways to establish mentor relationships. Large corporations often enable mentoring by assigning mentors to junior colleagues. Government agencies can help with entrepreneurs. Executive and career coaches can be hired.
If these options are not available or don't fit your situation, you can still find mentors. Some good places to start are professional organizations and networking groups listed in the business section of the newspaper. Find out what professional groups your role models belong to and attend regularly. It takes time to establish yourself within a professional group. One way to get to know people well is to volunteer within the organization and collaborate on projects.
While getting involved in the organization, identify several people from whom you would like to learn. When the timing is right, approach the person with whom you feel most comfortable.
"It is imperative to find a way to work together and get to know each other well before asking your target person. In addition to looking for someone with specific professional skills, find someone who has the same values as you do. If you fundamentally disagree, you will find it hard to take advice from your mentor," advises Brigid Ryan, volunteer manager for Girl Scouts of Genesee Valley.
Meet in person to discuss why you need a mentor and what you hope to achieve. If each of you agrees to proceed, set up guidelines for a timeframe, contact boundaries, expectations and communication preferences. Schedule the mentoring relationship to last only three, six or 12 months at the start. This establishes an agreed period for achieving specific goals.
"Be very clear about your expectations and what you want. But be careful not to put false expectations on your mentor," Ryan says.
The mentoring relationship can focus on a specific aspect of your career development such as public speaking skills or a work goal or
research project.
To save time, e-mail the agenda before your meeting times and conduct some meetings over the phone. Don't waste your mentor's
time or advice. Complete any assignments and follow up on any opportunities suggested by your mentor.
As a mentee, you can learn from and avoid mistakes that your mentor has made, build weaknesses into strengths, gain understanding of your industry and market, form valuable relationships, grow your network of business contacts and learn how to mentor someone in the future.
Ryan adds: "Don't fear if any one person you select cannot meet all your needs. It's OK to work with one person because you admire
his/her skill in one area, and work with someone else for her expertise in another."
Investing time, as a mentee and mentor, will reward both of you with an accelerated one-to-one learning experience.
Gretchen VanDerMeid is director of advertising sales for DesignNY Magazine, designnymagazine.com, a regional resource guide for fine home design. She is a member of the Rochester Women's Network Marketing Committee and Toastmasters International.
Ideas for finding internal talent for executive roles
By: Donna Rawady
(May 25, 2008) Migrating from one company to another has become a common career track, leaving organizations struggling to implement effective succession planning. The onus is on organizations to create an environment that attracts, develops and retains people who may later contribute their depth and experience as executive leaders.
(May 25, 2008) Migrating from one company to another has become a common career track, leaving organizations struggling to implement effective succession planning. The onus is on organizations to create an environment that attracts, develops and retains people who may later contribute their depth and experience as executive leaders.
In addition to the responsibility of creating a motivating environment where people want to stay, a full-fledged executive development
program or executive track requires strategic planning, time and commitment. And in the midst of business demands, many
organizations may not be able to make succession planning or executive development a priority.
With that in mind, here are several ideas that may immediately help you begin to identify or develop internal candidates for future leadership roles:
Identify three to five up-and-coming leaders and invite them to join a special task force. Charge task force members to work together to find innovative strategies for building executives from within. Schedule a target date for recommendations to be due to the executive team. Position the goal up front — to identify one or two strategies to be implemented. The benefits of this approach are numerous. You're engaging your executive team, engaging potential executive candidates while gaining their invaluable perspective, and hopefully jump-starting your executive development initiatives.
If you are aware of a leader emerging in your organization, you might think about engaging that individual to work on a limited special project. That would provide an opportunity for her to exercise and demonstrate her creative leadership and strategic skills. Building in opportunities for you to coach and mentor the person throughout the project may help you better determine whether the person is a viable candidate.
Revisit what your organization identifies as key leadership competencies. If the required or critical competencies have not been clarified, you may want to engage some help to do so. Knowing what attributes you're seeking in a leader will help narrow your search and create a meaningful executive development program.
Provide the opportunity, technology and tools for comprehensive assessments of executive candidates. Assessment results will help would-be executives leverage their strengths and create their individual development plans. Cumulative assessment results also may help measure your organization's overall leadership effectiveness.
Identify three to five up-and-coming leaders and invite them to join a special task force. Charge task force members to work together to find innovative strategies for building executives from within. Schedule a target date for recommendations to be due to the executive team. Position the goal up front — to identify one or two strategies to be implemented. The benefits of this approach are numerous. You're engaging your executive team, engaging potential executive candidates while gaining their invaluable perspective, and hopefully jump-starting your executive development initiatives.
If you are aware of a leader emerging in your organization, you might think about engaging that individual to work on a limited special project. That would provide an opportunity for her to exercise and demonstrate her creative leadership and strategic skills. Building in opportunities for you to coach and mentor the person throughout the project may help you better determine whether the person is a viable candidate.
Revisit what your organization identifies as key leadership competencies. If the required or critical competencies have not been clarified, you may want to engage some help to do so. Knowing what attributes you're seeking in a leader will help narrow your search and create a meaningful executive development program.
Provide the opportunity, technology and tools for comprehensive assessments of executive candidates. Assessment results will help would-be executives leverage their strengths and create their individual development plans. Cumulative assessment results also may help measure your organization's overall leadership effectiveness.
Research, identify and provide varied resources that reinforce the organization's leadership standards (coaches, mentors, learning and development programs and recommended readings). Then communicate the availability of the resources and the organization's willingness to invest in them.
Provide opportunities for think tanks, networking sessions or confidential forums for problem solving where colleagues can share best practices and learn from one another.
In The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers Into Great Leaders (McGraw-Hill, $32.95), John H. Zenger and Joseph Folkman
offer the following insight into leadership development: "Good does not equal great — and your organization needs you to be great."
Organizations need to invest in identifying strong internal candidates and provide opportunities for them to become extraordinary.
Donna Rawady is an executive coach who served as 2007 president of the Rochester Women's Network. She can be reached at
www.donnarawady.com.
Weigh the relocation factors before taking a job in another city
By Susan Morris
(May 18, 2008) How many people work for the same employer or even stay in the same location their entire career? More than in previous generations, today's employees need to consider relocating to further their career or even to remain employed.
Weigh the relocation factors before taking a job in another city
By Susan Morris
(May 18, 2008) How many people work for the same employer or even stay in the same location their entire career? More than in previous generations, today's employees need to consider relocating to further their career or even to remain employed.
What criteria should you consider when deciding if relocating is the best option for you, your career and your family?
Beyond the upheaval of your personal and professional life, relocation involves a menu of expenses, only some of which may be paid by employers. A savvy transferee needs to evaluate these costs, but some are not readily apparent.
Often, the handling of corporate transfers is outsourced to a vendor specializing in corporate relocation, which ensures that procedures are followed. The relocation vendor also can advise the company in designing benefits for transferees and new hires.
The amount and kind of relocation benefits are based on the transferee's position.
Entry-level employees may not receive any benefits or may be awarded minimal expenses to find rental property and move their belongings.
However, relocation of executive-level employees will demand an array of provisions, such as expense-paid trips to purchase housing, help with selecting a selling and purchasing agent, temporary rental in the new location, professional packing of belongings and unpacking at the destination.
The employer also may feel compelled to offer a signing bonus to entice a prospective employee to accept the new job. The transferee may get a one-time, cost-of-living adjustment if the cost of comparable real estate in the new location is substantially greater than the origination area.
Based on the transferee's family size, a budget to move possessions is established. The higher in the corporate hierarchy the transferee's position, the more generous exceptions to rules for unusually heavy or large belongings, such as boats or extra vehicles. Sometimes the employer will pay for rental of a storage facility to hide clutter while the transferee's property is being marketed or until the new property is available.
According to Debi Wenzel, account manager at GMAC Global Relocation Services for Kodak in Rochester, the new employer often will pay closing costs for the sale of existing property and for the transferee's purchase. Sometimes resettlement benefits include cash to help with miscellaneous expenses such as automobile registration and driver's license issuance.
In many cases, the transferee is accompanied by a "trailing spouse" who might seek assistance to find employment in their new location. Either the company's human resources department or an employment contractor may consult with the spouse, assist with resume development and identify potential employers.
Some companies still offer full reimbursement of relocation expenses. Increasingly, transferees are award-ed a lump sum to cover these costs.
After all expenses and benefits are identified, the potential transferee needs to compare the cost of living between the current and future locations to ensure that monthly expenses will be in line with expectations.
Once the transferee completely understands the ramifications of accepting the new position, she will be well equipped to make an informed decision.
Susan Morris is relocation director for RealtyUSA. She assists transferees at their origin and destination. Contact her at smorris@realtyusa.com.
Ask questions more than giving orders to employees
By Mimi Bacilek
(May 11, 2008) "UGH...," you think to yourself. The senior team meeting is tomorrow and the financials are way behind projection. The president is insisting you have a strategy and plan in place to close the gap.
As the leader you're supposed to know what to do — right? So what do you do when you've tried every trick in the book? Could it be that what got you "here" is not enough to get you "there?" Are you willing to try a new trick?
Great leaders are great learners. Leaders who "know" everything fail to create an environment safe enough for staff to speak openly and provide great ideas. Leaders successful at the role of learner initiate powerful conversations with employees on a regular basis. Their typical conversations engage employees by inquiring of them and less often by telling them.
Marshall Goldsmith, well-known management consultant, notes that leaders used to running the show often retain remnants of the old, top-down management style. He observes that it is extremely difficult for successful people to listen when other people tell them something they believe they know or believe they should know.
The good news is that when the leader's approach shifts, the results shift.
This learning approach requires leaders to understand challenges from a different perspective by asking their staff what they see and how they would address the issue. Initially, the leader's request is often met by silence generated by employees' experiences with, or organizational myths about, what happens when employees tell it as they see it.
Patience and persistence are not only virtuous but essential. Are you also too busy to get to solutions quickly and have employees feel invested in those solutions?
No matter what your role, few activities are of higher priority than learning what employees know. As leaders adopt this habit, the plate of problems and projects actually empties as employees address them before they ever hit the leader's radar.
Shifting into leader-as-learner mode begins with genuine curiosity about each employee's perspective. Curious leaders ask great questions, really listen to the answers and probe to further understand and enable innovative decision making.
Learning leaders refrain from explaining why employees' ideas won't work. That only stifles conversation and tells employees the leader really doesn't want to learn.
Effective leaders habitually create time for inquiry, hone listening and probing skills and act on what is learned. They frequently initiate curiosity-based conversations in staff meetings, in the cafeteria and the hallway. They consistently circle back, letting employees know how their information has been utilized and ask for assistance on new issues. These effective leaders publicly credit successes to their employees at every opportunity.
So how do you get started? Right now wouldn't be too soon. Get up, take a walk around, sit on the corner of a few desks. Tell your employees about the problem you face. Ask them what they think and what they would suggest. Then quietly listen, inquire to better understand their thinking and thank them for whatever you have learned. Don't offer rebuttals to the ideas. Don't dismiss the ideas. Don't tell them what you already know.
Give it a go. You'll rapidly hear a unique twist on the old problems you're wrestling with. And you just may have a plan by the time that senior management meeting begins.
Mimi Bacilek is an executive and leadership development coach and President of SuccessBuildersLLC. She can be reached at (585) 227-0308 or at mimi@successbuildersllc.com
Strong ethics make for a firm's best asset
By Angella Luyk
(May 4, 2008) The concept of ethics is attracting a lot of attention in today's business environment. Properly implemented, a strong ethical foundation is a company's greatest asset.
(May 4, 2008) The concept of ethics is attracting a lot of attention in today's business environment. Properly implemented, a strong ethical foundation is a company's greatest asset.
The Rochester Area Business in Ethics Foundation recognizes a growing belief among businesses that those that define, implement and maintain strong ethical practices will experience positive growth in nearly all aspects of their operations — employee fulfillment, retention, customer satisfaction, referrals, reputation, sales and profits.
That's all well and good, but how does a business initiate the process of establishing a strong business ethic? Think of it as a four-step process: describe, assess, implement and maintain.
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Describe how your company perceives its ethical vision. What does your company believe to be important and vital to its overall health? What role does your company fulfill within its business and civic community? Fundamental issues include employee satisfaction, community service, environmental commitment, customer respect, honesty and integrity.
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Assess how your company's behaviors support the company's ethical vision. For example, if you believe employees are satisfied within your organization then take a survey to see if your company's perception matches that of your employees. Examine diversity within your workforce. Consider how your business handles conflict and the resulting outcomes. Research your procurement policy for environmental impact. Ask your customers how they feel about your services and/or products.
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Implement change where it's needed. Start with communications. Make sure your company's Code of Ethics is emphasized and accessible to every employee. If you don't have a Code of Ethics, then revisit the first step (Describe) and articulate one. If there is a discrepancy between how your employees feel and what your company thought they felt, then pinpoint the gaps and change your code. Can you increase opportunities for employee growth and professional development? What can you do to demonstrate that your product and/or services are supported with honesty and integrity?
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Maintain your business ethic by establishing consistency in your operations. You need the communications and systems in place to pass your company's belief system on to new employees. If your business expands its products or services, make sure the support system is consistent with your ethical commitment.
Or, ask any one of the Rochester Business Ethics Award finalists. Each year nine finalists from three categories (small, medium and large business) are selected from 80 or more applicants. Midnight Janitorial, one of the 2007 finalists, has watched its profits soar by 150 percent in the last three years.
So think of an established business ethic as a long-term investment.
If done correctly, your business will be healthier.
Angella Luyk is CEO of Midnight Janitorial Inc. You can reach her at angella@midnightjanitorial.com.
Supervising a virtual team is still all about basics
By Linda Noeth
(April 27, 2008) Congratulations! You've been asked to manage an operating unit of 20 employees. You're excited because your team's projects are critical and prominent. There's a good mix of experienced veterans and enthusiastic new recruits; the team is diverse in gender, culture, skills and education. It's also virtual.
(April 27, 2008) Congratulations! You've been asked to manage an operating unit of 20 employees. You're excited because your team's projects are critical and prominent. There's a good mix of experienced veterans and enthusiastic new recruits; the team is diverse in gender, culture, skills and education. It's also virtual.
Except for two analysts who are located with you at regional headquarters, everyone else is based throughout North America, Europe and Asia. You're experienced in managing a traditional team, but your confidence gets a little shaky when you consider the challenges of a virtual team. You've never been part of one yourself and, though you've taken plenty of management development courses, you can't remember when those programs addressed techniques for managing people who don't work in the same building or on the same continent.
Before you panic, recognize that you did learn a lot in those classes. You can apply what you learned to your virtual team if you go back to basics.
One of the first things you may have heard about managing teams is that two distinct components are involved: the task and the process. The team's task is simply the product or solution the team is expected to generate and the activities it must undertake to make that happen; the task is the "what."
The process is less straightforward. It encompasses decision-making procedures, roles and relationships, conflict management approaches, communication styles and myriad issues that are less tangible than those related to the task. The process is the "who," "how" and "why."
For the team to succeed, both task and process must be managed. Traditional management techniques are a good place to start, but those techniques need some enhancements with virtual teams. For example:
Communicate, communicate, communicate. Failure to share information among the team sends a critical message about your management style. Familiarize yourself with the technology available to keep teams connected, then use the appropriate channel to deliver your message. Is a new member starting? Invite the team to a brief Web meeting to welcome him or her. Use instant messaging or presentation software to show pictures of team members during introductions
Don't let distance keep team members from being involved in strategic planning, decision-making and negotiations. Running effective meetings is always challenging, more so when virtual. Practices such as taking attendance, self-identifying every time participants speak and using virtual technology are necessary to ensure that meetings are efficient and effective. If your team crosses time zones, keep meetings brief to minimize inconvenience for those who have to attend outside of business hours
Celebrate. Share successes via team e-mails or quick conference calls. Reward and recognition items during team meetings or in team newsletters will also help promote a spirit of appreciation and motivation. Encourage peers to recognize each other, too.
For more ideas on managing virtual teams, consider reading Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs and other Collaborative Tools (Wordware Publishing, $29.95), by M. Katherine Brown, Brenda Huettner and Char James-Tanny. The authors succinctly sum up their philosophy:"It is important to remember ... that technology is at best a tool and a facilitator of efficiency. The best technology in the world cannot fix the oh-so-very human issues that sometimes sabotage even the best teams."
Linda Noeth is training and development manager for Unisys inside sales and marketing.
Helping people develop bolsters the bottom line
ARAMARK ranks No. 1 in its industry by peers and analysts
Helping people develop bolsters the bottom line
ARAMARK ranks No. 1 in its industry by peers and analysts
By: Karen Barrow
(April 20, 2008) The good news is that in many cases the simple answer is "yes," according to the management philosophy of Brian Mulvaney, a retired executive vice president of ARAMARK.
(April 20, 2008) The good news is that in many cases the simple answer is "yes," according to the management philosophy of Brian Mulvaney, a retired executive vice president of ARAMARK.
Listed in Fortune magazine's 2008 Most Admired Companies in America, the Philadelphia-based professional services firm was ranked No. 1 in its industry by peers and analysts.
Clearly, over the past decade many corporations like ARAMARK have instituted a greater emphasis on interpersonal competencies that demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence, the ability to manage through others and the knowledge to motivate employees.
There is also evidence that greater importance is placed on finding a job candidate whose characteristics fit with the organization's culture and values. Once on the job, many top organizations encourage and even reward leaders for supporting team wins, getting buy-in to changes and increasing commitment to the company.
Additionally, according to executive coach Donna Rawady, managers today who are considered at the top of their game "have a tendency to evaluate their own contributions and recognize that they have a part to play in their staff's overall performance."
Then again, this article would not be complete without a critical eye on the managers who still haven't developed strong people skills. Part of the reason they may not be competent is the way in which managers acquire their interpersonal skills.
Many companies hire managers for their technical skills in hopes that they can "train" a person to be a manager. While it is true that some management skills are acquired through training, for the most part training is not a sure-fire way to success.
William Byham, chairman and chief executive officer for Development Dimensions International, a training company that identifies and develops leadership talent, says that his research shows only about 10 percent of leaders who come out of management training actually implement new behaviors on the job.
Another reason for a lack of interpersonal competence is the list of management priorities: shareholder return, bottom-line results, product or service quality, and increasing customer satisfaction. Where on their scorecard does it say "Spend time coaching or mentoring direct reports"? More often than not, managers do not get rewarded for listening, providing feedback and empowering their people.
What do managers need to feel more competent?
Managers need to acquire a level of self-awareness of how they are modeling the behaviors they want to see in their employees. They need to become a potent force shaping employees' positive behaviors by modeling expectations of alignment with organizational values, guiding visions and positive belief systems. Once managers express these expectations through feedback and role modeling, they begin to develop responsible individuals who are mutually accountable for creating conditions of increased organizational performance.
Companies are recognizing that a manager's contribution to the bottom line is in recognizing, developing and engaging people at all levels. Furthermore, senior leaders are beginning to epitomize what competent management looks like.
However, executives must continue to hold their managers accountable for managing in a way that encourages effectiveness.
Karen Barrow is owner and founder of Baybridge Consulting Inc., an organizational development firm specializing in culture change, group dynamics and leadership development.
Employers need to act against domestic violence
By: Alana Miller
(April 13, 2008) Ninety-four percent of corporate security directors rank domestic violence as a high security problem at their companies.
Employers need to act against domestic violence
By: Alana Miller
(April 13, 2008) Ninety-four percent of corporate security directors rank domestic violence as a high security problem at their companies.
In the same survey, 66 percent of executives said their companies' financial performance would benefit by addressing the issue with employees.
With nearly one in three women reporting abuse at some time in their lives, domestic violence is likely to affect almost every workplace.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that intimate partners, such as husbands, ex-husbands and current and former boyfriends, commit violent crimes against about1 million women every year.
In Rochester last year, a death caused by domestic violence happened every six to seven weeks.
"(Victims are) anything but typical," says Cathy Mazzotta, executive director of Alternatives for Battered Women. "They can make six figures or no figures. They can be the person sitting next to you. ... They are individuals who feel trapped in a situation that is unsafe to leave. It comes to the workplace every day."
Employers should consider violence against women as a workplace issue for both ethical and bottom-line reasons.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that the annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence equals $727.8 million, with more than $7.9 million worth of paid workdays lost each year.
Nationally, health care costs for domestic violence victims are nearly $4.1 billion.
What are signs of domestic abuse? Look for job performance problems, difficulty concentrating, lateness, missed work, excessive phone calls, physical injury, warm weather attire in hot weather, inability to work late and depression.
Local organizations can help you start a program to address domestic violence in your workplace by offering counseling services, resources and training.
ABW offers presentations and training for your company through the Rochester Workplace Initiative on Domestic Violence (www.abwrochester.org). The agency is a licensed provider of shelter with a continuum of services.
The local organization Stand Up Guys recognizes that violence against women is an issue for everyone and that men need to stand up and get involved, too (www.standupguys.org).
Annie Lane, an advisory board member, believes that "all employers should be educated on this issue. In many cases the office is the woman's only safe haven."
They suggest changing phone extensions, moving desks and alerting security to help women in crisis.
Domestic violence is a security and liability concern in the workplace.
Employers who fail to protect their employees from violence at work may be liable, with jury awards averaging $600,000 nationwide.
"Employers can make it easier for their employees by doing things that won't cost much ... such as changing their work hours to prevent harassment on the job," says ABW's Mazzotta. "By supporting your employees, you send out the message that you care, earning you retention and loyalty."
Contact your local agencies. Create a strategic plan, written policies and procedures with a commitment to offer support and resources. Helping employees who are experiencing abuse can be a challenge for management, but a challenge worth meeting.
Alana Miller is the lead singer and songwriter of Blue Avengers, president of Blue Muze Records and a board member of Alternatives for Battered Women. Reach her at alana@bluemuze.com
Key ideas make difficult conversations possible
By: Donna Rawady
(April 6, 2008) Taking the initiative to resolve conflict with a manager, co-worker or colleague is a difficult task for most of us. Fear of repercussion is often one of the reasons for avoidance.
(April 6, 2008) Taking the initiative to resolve conflict with a manager, co-worker or colleague is a difficult task for most of us. Fear of repercussion is often one of the reasons for avoidance.
And as we avoid direct communication about our displeasure with another person's behavior or words, resentment tends to build, making it more difficult to make the first move. Here are a few key guidelines that you may want to consider if you're thinking about making that important first move to resolve a conflict at work.
Check your motive.
Before approaching the person, check your motive. Be sure it includes your desire to generate a positive business impact. For example, if your true motive is to increase productivity, build a better relationship with a colleague or your team, or increase your organization's ability to provide quality customer service, the odds for a positive outcome are good.
"Check your intentions," says workplace and family mediator BJ Mann. "If your intentions are to blame, shame or preach, or you find yourself wagging your finger in your pocket, the outcome is not likely to be favorable."
Avoid assumptions — seek to understand.
Generally, if you're feeling uncomfortable or frustrated with someone, it's likely that they are experiencing similar feelings about you. And it's more than likely that each of you are making inaccurate assumptions about the other's feelings and behaviors.
How do we avoid making inaccurate assumptions that may negatively affect our work relationships? Have a conversation. Be honest, respectful and genuinely seek to understand the other person. Be willing to recommend and participate in a collaborative solution.
When conflict exists between two people, each person may have strong feelings about what they believe the other person should be doing to remedy the situation. Chances are, though, both parties had some part, even if not intentional, in entering or remaining in the conflict. In order to resolve a difference, both parties need to be willing to contribute to the solution.
Before starting your discussion, be prepared to offer a recommendation for how you might collaborate to resolve the problem and include a role for yourself. This may include something as simple as agreeing to remain open and communicating promptly with one another in the future should new conflicts arise.
Prepare to respond versus react.
How can we minimize our own negative or emotional reactions? Prepare to respond. Responding instead of reacting is powerful in that emotions are minimized. Your ability to calmly respond may have the other person thinking more about what you're saying, rather than how you're behaving.
Here's an example of a response you might prepare to deliver in a very uncomfortable situation: "I feel myself reacting to what you've just said and I'd like some time to think about it so that we might have a meaningful dialogue about it later."
Offer thanks and clarify the way forward.
Finally, thank the other person for her willingness to discuss the issue. Before parting, clarify the actions, approaches or next steps you each agreed to in your discussion. If applicable, you may want to schedule a follow up conversation.
Resolving conflict may never be easy. But if you genuinely want to work it out and you're direct, chances are the other person will be responsive and long-term outcomes will be positive.
Donna Rawady is an executive coach who was president of the Rochester Women's Network in 2007. Reach her at www.donnarawady.com.
Dealing with procrastination
By: Amy Orr White
(March 30, 2008) Procrastination is defined as the deferment or avoidance of an action or task and is often linked to perfectionism. For the procrastinator, this may result in stress, guilt, loss of productivity, the creation of crisis and the chagrin of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments.
(March 30, 2008) Procrastination is defined as the deferment or avoidance of an action or task and is often linked to perfectionism. For the procrastinator, this may result in stress, guilt, loss of productivity, the creation of crisis and the chagrin of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments.
Does this sound like someone you know? Why do people procrastinate? Some say it's the adrenalin rush they get from knowing there is a deadline looming. Others say they cannot get motivated to start something, maybe out of fear or uncertainty, then are beyond stressed when the deadline approaches.
While one excuse may seem better than another, the bottom line is that even though procrastination is normal to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning.
One thing that needs to be done to overcome procrastination is to change the way the task at hand is viewed.
If you say, "I have to ..., " you feel as though you are being forced to do the task, which can automatically create feelings of rebellion and resentment. Instead, you need to change your attitude to "I want to ...." Procrastination becomes less likely on tasks you openly and freely choose to undertake.
Once you choose to tackle the task, it helps to break it into small, "bite-size" pieces. Instead of focusing on the entire job, ask yourself, "What small steps do I choose to start right now?" Small steps can lead to large accomplishments.
Another type of erroneous thinking that leads to procrastination is perfectionism. Believing that you must do the job perfectly will likely prevent you from ever getting started. A key to moving beyond this roadblock is to know that an imperfect job finished today is better than a perfect project delayed indefinitely.
For busy professionals, procrastination may seem to be a lot like multitasking or prioritizing. Each of us is up against deadlines and timelines, some of which we have little to no control over. Tasks and activities will need to be postponed, delayed or shuffled to the bottom of the pile. Time management strategies may help mitigate some of the delay or postponement, as can reevaluation of your overall priorities (i.e. are there things on your "plate" that you do not need to do at all?). Elimination of unimportant or unnecessary activities can reduce overall workload and stress related to getting them all accomplished in a finite period.
"Procrastination is a type of cost/benefit analysis. While perfectionism, overwork and excessive stress can all contribute, when we procrastinate, we are primarily weighing the value of certain tasks, the likelihood of consequences and the attractiveness of alternate uses of our time," says Mary Guhin, principal of No Nonsense Enterprises and consultant with the international firm of Expense Reduction Analysts (www.expensereduction.com).
"'A wise person does at once what a fool does at last' and 'Act in haste, repent at leisure' — which is more true? These and hundreds of similar nuggets of folk wisdom persist because they are common to the human condition and are intended to provide us with guidance," Guhin says.
In the end, focus on the feeling you get when you do complete a task, assignment or project — relief, pride, satisfaction or happiness. Visualize those good feelings at the start of your task, choose to do the job and then allow yourself to complete it as best you can today.
Amy Orr White has been a member of Rochester Women's Network since 2005 and serves on the business conference committee. She may be reached via e-mail at amy.white@pb.com.
It's not a logical and linear, left-brain world any more
By: Sally Ward
(March 23, 2008) Routine is the evil word of the 21st century. Just ask Dan Pink, author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.
Pink says left-brain abilities (those that are logical, sequential or linear) are necessary, but aren't enough to sustain individual and business success in a changing economy. Powerful forces in the new economy demand that we cultivate right-brained abilities such as inventiveness, multi-tasking, artistry and empathy.
U.S prosperity has tripled since 1950 but as a society we're not one bit happier. Pink calls this the abundance gap and says it means we're living in a "significance economy." Those in the middle class and upward are engaged in a search for meaning and purpose.
Think of the implications for business. Product and service offerings must not only offer benefits but also touch an emotional chord. Employers must communicate to prospective hires and staff how they will be able to make a mark in the organization. As Guy Kawasaki, former guru at Apple Computer, observed: "If you can make meaning, you will probably make money."
Forward-thinking leaders and organizations are challenging the routine and adopting out-of-the-box thinking to survive and thrive. The Clinton Family Health Center in Rochester found that the traditional advance appointment model consistently yielded only a 50 percent rate for appointments kept. The center jettisoned that model in favor of a fast-service model like McDonald's, which is client-centric. Director James Sutton notes the remarkable results: "All appointments are now scheduled same day. The percentage of appointments kept has shot up from 50 percent to 95 to 98 percent."
For the health center's leaders, thinking out of the box meant challenging the assumption that advance bookings were necessary to accurately predict staffing demands. By making services more convenient, they increased the meaning and relevance to clients, reaping the benefit in productivity.
To thrive in a significance economy, Pink lists six essential right-brain abilities:
Design. Function is no longer enough. As an example, a flat screen TV offers entertainment presented as modern wall art.
Story. Facts and rationale are necessary but inadequate by themselves. Businesses and organizations must also tell a story that delivers emotional impact and shows how what they did made a difference.
Symphony. Big-picture thinking is the key skill for leaders and leading organizations. The most effective leader is like the orchestra director who visualizes the end result and brings all parts of the whole together to achieve it.
Empathy. Logic is important; empathy is irreplaceable. It cannot be automated or outsourced. Logic says that medical clinics must run by advance appointment in order to staff properly. Empathy looks at what clients want.
Play. Play renews people and inspires creativity. Opportunities to share successes, engage in friendly competition and socialize can prime the pump for increased engagement and fresh thinking.
Meaning. Managers must let each member of a team know the importance of his or her role and how it helps to fulfill the mission. This does not happen without conscious intent and commitment. I've heard many complaints from people who didn't feel appreciated enough, but never one from someone who felt appreciated too much.
Sally Ward is an executive coach who specializes in working with leaders of nonprofits and small to medium-sized businesses. She may be reached at sward@sallywardcoach.com.
Courage, confidence and conviction can tackle tough issues.
By: Ann Johnson
(March 16, 2008) From the board room to the break room, if you are unable to talk honestly with nearly anybody about almost anything, you can expect poor results.
(March 16, 2008) From the board room to the break room, if you are unable to talk honestly with nearly anybody about almost anything, you can expect poor results.
So exactly what skills does it take to speak up when you object, address issues head-on rather than choose to be silent, or dive into potentially risky discussions without fear?
Courage. Confidence. Conviction.
Individuals who choose respectful and candid dialogue use conversations as a lever to move their world and their organizations. They are the opinion leaders who know how to get things done. They use their skills to:
Build engagement rather than compliance or resistance. They share information and feedback in a way that enhances relationships.
Speak persuasively, not abrasively. They talk effectively about high-stakes, emotional and controversial topics without damaging working relationships.
Foster teamwork. They involve the right people in a way that enhances decision-making, promotes the best ideas and reduces deference and defiance.
- Initiate spirited dialogue. They step up to tough issues, share opinions and feelings freely and safely.
Working relationships require respect, trust, collaboration and honesty to achieve desired results. These may include: persuading employees to turn down better-paying jobs elsewhere, convincing customers to quadruple repeat sales and motivating team members to exceed goals every quarter.
Recognizing that dialogue skills aren't taught in traditional school curricula, how can you build personal dialogue skills on your own? Books on the subject include Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler, and Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott.
Looking for one tip? You should "start with heart." Can you put yourself in someone else's shoes and look at a perspective other than your own? "Start with heart" begins with admitting that you are the person you should be trying to improve.
Next, stay focused on what you really want. When you start a high-risk conversation, begin with the right motives and focus on what you want for yourself, for others and for the relationship. Then, choose an option other than arguing or silence. Look for the opportunity to be open and honest.
Opinion leaders, effective teams and productive organizations routinely employ skills that integrate diverse thoughts in a way that produces synergy. That synergy can be seen in performance, productivity, teamwork, change management, quality, relationships, safety, diversity and meetings.
"Dialogue skills are imperative in a world where no one has time to perform 'rework.' They require commitment and practice. Investment in 'Crucial Conversations Training' is leverage for any company. It is both an employee benefit and a tool for better dialogue in business," says Karla Verdi, leadership and management developer at Paychex Inc.'s training center.
If you aren't getting the results you expect, it is likely that an important conversation is holding you back. Take action on the dialogue required to get your personal, professional or business results back on track.
Ann Johnson is business development director at Vitalwork Inc., an organizational development consulting firm in Pittsford. She can be reached at ann@vitalwork.com.
Tips on keeping employees from leaving
By: Debbie Harper
(March 9, 2008) - New Year's Resolutions:
Start diet.
Exercise.
Update résumé and explore career options.
Tips on keeping employees from leaving
By: Debbie Harper
(March 9, 2008) - New Year's Resolutions:
Start diet.
Exercise.
Update résumé and explore career options.
The first quarter of any year is traditionally a time of self-reflection, self-improvement and new beginnings. While the diet may already be blown and the exercise equipment has become an expensive clothes rack, you can bet that your employees are still keeping an eye on what's out there.
The most recent Wall Street Journal/Society for Human Resource Management survey reports that as many as 75 percent are exploring other opportunities.
You can't stop your employees from looking but there are steps you can take to keep them from leaving. When employees are fully engaged with their companies and jobs, they're more likely to slough off day-to-day aggravations and keep their eyes on the bigger picture.
In "Employee Engagement: A Review of Current Research and Its Implications," The Conference Boar consolidated 12 major studies on employee engagement, which the business research group defined as "a heightened emotional connection that employees feel for their organization that influences them to exert greater discretionary effort to their work."
The Conference Board detailed eight key drivers in that report:
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Trust and integrity — how well management communicates and lives the company's vision.
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Nature of the job — its content and mental stimulation.
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Line of sight between employee performance and company performance — understanding one's contribution to the company's success.
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Career growth — future opportunities.
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Pride about the company — self-esteem in being associated with the company.
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Co-workers/team members — the impact of the work environment.
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Employee development — opportunities for individual skills development.
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Relationship with one's manager — the value the employee places on the relationship.
All the studies agreed that the relationship with one's manager was the strongest driver of all. You can use this to your advantage. Whether or not your formal review cycle falls early in the year, it makes sense to spend some one-on-one time with your key employees.
Keeping the eight drivers in mind, ask employees how they perceive their position and status with the company and assess their level of engagement. Are there areas where engagement could be stronger?
Talk through strategies to keep them on track. You can also take the opportunity to let them know they're appreciated. Sometimes recognition and a kind word are all it takes. It's easier to take time today to recognize a key employee than to replace that employee later.
We're not just talking about being nice; we're talking about the business value in making certain key people are engaged.
A Hewitt Associates study on companies with double-digit growth found that employee engagement exceeded that of single-digit growth companies by more than 40 percent.
In today's economy, turnover is a fact of life. Even the strongest managers and best leaders will lose key players. Being cognizant of your employees' drivers will improve retention.
Unplanned turnover is at best an inconvenience. At worst, it will negatively impact your company's bottom line.
Debbie Harper has more than 20 years' experience in executive search, recruitment and consulting. She is founder and president of Harper Hewes Executive Search in Pittsford and may be contacted at www.harperhewes.com.
Leaders of change need to cope with emotions
Leaders of change need to cope with emotions
By: Mimi Bacilek
(March 2, 2008) — Volatility is the name of the game in today's marketplace. Whether change is occurring as an intentional strategy of the organization or in response to external pressure, the leader's job is to create success within the change.
Daniel Goleman, in his groundbreaking work on emotional intelligence, provides insight into how leaders can most effectively lead in times of change.
He found that traditional measures of intelligence serve as baseline competencies for leader success. However, today's increasingly complex environment creates great need for leaders to effectively exert emotional intelligence as well.
Five skills are widely associated with emotional intelligence — self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and interpersonal skills.
Self-awareness: The leader's ability to understand how the situation affects her personally. What fears does the change provoke? What worries does it fuel? What thoughts need to be controlled in order to create success? It may be counterintuitive to address self first, but it is akin to the airplane oxygen mask drill — if you're not breathing, how can you help someone else?
Self-regulation: The ability to control and/or redirect disruptive energies that occur for the leader as a result of emotion. The leader must ask: "What do I need to do in order to effectively deal with my own emotions so that I can be most helpful to others?" Emotions are contagious, making the leader's tone incredibly important. One of the leader's key roles is to be effective for the work force so they can produce the neeeded results.
Motivate: Note that we're discussing the third skill and the leader has yet to work outside of herself. The reality of effective leaders is that they work on themselves first. In the midst of painful change leaders must clearly see and communicate the future, chart the course, energize momentum, remove obstacles and reward successes.
Demonstrate empathy: In the course of motivating others toward change, successful leaders must truly understand the challenges employees face. Staffs experience many of the emotions the leader did, but they have less ability to influence the change and ease their own concerns. They usually have less time to adjust to challenges caused by the change.
Leaders must understand the employees' experience and enable success despite staffs concerns or fears. In the absence of staff success, the organization's success is greatly diminished.
Interpersonal skills: Communication skills are the fundamental underpinning. Listening to understand the other's perspective without judging their perspective is very powerful.
Great listeners are among the most influential communicators because they are willing to be influenced. When staffs are completely heard they know their leader cares about them and that bolsters their confidence that the best decisions possible will be made on their behalf.
When staffs believe deeply in the leader, they believe in what the leader is trying to achieve.
As you consider the changes your organization is embarking on, how can you best utilize emotional intelligence in order to create success? Which of the skills is most challenging for you? What is the most impactful change you can make that will enable staff to believe in you and the change you need to implement?
Mimi Bacilek is an executive coach working with leaders as they engage their employees and build high-performing organizations. President of SuccessBuilders LLC, a Rochester-based firm, she can be reached at (585) 227-0308 or by e-mail at mimi @successbuildersllc.com.
Solving emotional issues can increase productivity
By: Donna Pritchard
Solving emotional issues can increase productivity
By: Donna Pritchard
(February 24, 2008) — When asked what time managers could go home if their employees simply came to work, did their jobs and went home, one group of executives said 11 a.m.
Reality, of course, is different, with many managers saying they spend too much time dealing with stressful interactions within their work groups that hurt their own productivity as well as the staff's.
Even if only two hours a day are devoted to handling such "upsets," that represents approximately 500 hours annually taken away from productive activities.
What causes stress and emotional upsets in the workplace? There are a variety of reasons, but these are some of the most common:
- When personal issues and confrontations distract.
- When work plans and initiatives don't match the expected outcome.
- When commitments are thwarted.
- When promises are broken.
Left unresolved, these problems and issues result not only in loss of productivity but also in low morale. Instead of being exhilarated by work, which is what employees want, the daily pattern becomes one of disappointment and fatigue, something to be dreaded each morning.
Listen to conversations in the workplace and observe how people interact. As a leader, your responsibility is to deal with this human dimension, not to shunt it aside. After all, the culture of an organization is greatly affected by the way people behave, and it is the manager who should set the example of the behavior desired.
Everyone experiences emotional distress. But overly emotional reactions induce embarrassment, impatience, sadness, worry and fear. Most importantly for a business, they inhibit productivity.
Transformation can happen when emotionally driven issues are minimized and when leaders and team members become self-sufficient in handling emotional upsets as they occur. How can we get to that point?
Encourage employees to express their feelings to each other in a manner that is assertive. Passive aggressive behaviors, in contrast, can become prevalent when employees share their upset with a third party instead of going to the source immediately.
Eliminate the blame syndrome. Blaming customers, other vendors or providers, teammates or other departments never solves the problem but complicates the ability for people to move on to healthy solutions.
Share strategic thinking and visions of a successful future with employees. Too often, we focus on daily operations, the necessary minutiae of getting the job done, without helping employees see the bigger picture.
That tendency can be related to managers feeling more comfortable with their operational ability than their strategic thinking skills. Linda Hall, founder of the Leadership Center at the Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at the New School University in New York City, encourages leaders and managers to identify strategies and specific business issues that will make or break them.
Focus on what is going right, even the smallest accomplishments. We often forget a basic motivational skill, that rewarding employees through acknowledgment encourages more of the positive behavior.
Following these simple steps will make a big difference in productivity.
Donna Pritchard is director of development at the Center for Youth in Rochester. Contact her at dpritchard@centerforyouth.net.
Running a small business, household not so different
Running a small business, household not so different
By: S. Dolly Malik and Carol G. McManus
(February 17, 2008) — The Civil Rights Act of 1964 granted women protection from discrimination in employment when they engaged in the same work as their male counterparts. However, one group of feminists argued that the law should give women the same legal standing as male employees for equitable work.
Equitable work proponents argued that jobs dominated by women, so called "pink collar" work, contributed as much to society as male-dominated jobs. Therefore, equitable jobs, distinct from each other but equal in value to society (i.e., nurse and firefighter), should have the same legal protections.
Since the Civil Rights Act extended employment protection to women only for equal work, the idea of equitable work lost support. Based on our experience with small business operations, we agree with scholars who say that the concept of equitable work can be applied to career development.
For example, running a household requires many of the same skills necessary to running a business. These skills should be viewed as valuable by heads of households trying to re-enter the work force and by employers.
Here are several specific responsibilities that heads of households have that are parallel to job functions and responsibilities in the work world:
Managing finances. Heads of households make financial decisions within a budget; maintain accounting records; and operate with fiduciary responsibility to their children, other dependents, suppliers (i.e., retail stores) and customers (i.e., schoolteachers).
Creating a mission and culture. Society's mission of a household is to provide shelter, food and care for a family. This mission is adapted to a household's culture. Each household creates a culture with symbols, language use, imposition of a value system and unspoken rules that develop over time. This culture is handed down to children through stories, rituals and continued adherence to family values. This is similar to how the culture of an organization forms and continues through the years.
Human resources tasks. Selection processes are used when hiring contractors for home projects or services for various family activities. Heads of household evaluate performances or outcomes of service providers and contractors. Training skills are used if family members are taught household or work-related chores. For family members who don't conform to established practices, discipline processes are identified and implemented. It is often heads of households who make compensation decisions, which can include setting and paying allowances.
Hobbies and volunteer positions. These often can demonstrate many transferable skills. As an example, a stay-at-home mom claiming no work skills reveals that she was the treasurer of a 72-team bowling league. Within a week, she is working as an accounting clerk.
Clearly there are many other parallels between running a household and operating a small business. Heads of households should highlight these skills and responsibilities as they re-enter the work force.
S. Dolly Malik and Carol McManus are partners in M and M Consulting in Pittsford, which provides services to small businesses on employee performance and workers' compensation matters. Reach them at MandMConsulting@rochester.rr.com or (585) 746-4762.
Female veterans offer strong, unique work ethic
By: Lynette M. Loomis
(February 10, 2008) — Women account for 15 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces, and 1.7 million veterans are women. Take a close look at your female veteran job applicants: They have unique skills and attributes that will strengthen your workforce.
Female veterans offer strong, unique work ethic
By: Lynette M. Loomis
(February 10, 2008) — Women account for 15 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces, and 1.7 million veterans are women. Take a close look at your female veteran job applicants: They have unique skills and attributes that will strengthen your workforce.
Veterans understand diversity. While many college graduates attended school with people with similar backgrounds, military personnel are thrust into teams of people from many regions and socio-economic origins. If deployed overseas, military personnel live, work and socialize in cultures very different from their own. Their global perspective is critical in today's business environment.
Military personnel work in teams and depend upon one another. When there is a mission to be accomplished, race, gender and philosophical beliefs are irrelevant. Teamwork is not merely a management concept; it is often the means to survival. While there are always some shining stars within a company, realistically, everyone relies on a team to achieve success.
Veterans have a strong work ethic and are conscientious. The military demands punctuality from its troops. Your veteran will be there when you expect her to be.
Veterans are goal-oriented. Their military training encourages them to forge ahead until the mission is completed. Vets are creative and innovative. They have been expected to design different strategies and tactics to reach their objective. Military personnel are disciplined in their approach to a challenge and are accustomed to working within a structure, attributes that will translate well in the civilian work force.
Lynn Daley was a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq for 10 1/2 months. "Two phrases have become a part of me because of my military training and experience: 'Mission first' and 'Adapt and overcome,'" she said. "These are basic to all military personnel and are instilled in us from day one. We will get the job done."
She recalled a critical mission while in Iraq. Equipment needed to be delivered to Iraqi Security Forces in time for the historic elections of January 2005. The day before the elections, the civilian contractor hired to deliver equipment refused to run the mission, saying it was "too dangerous."
"We cobbled together a convoy, including security, and delivered the equipment on time," she said. "Three of the four primary actors in that effort were women, including the convoy commander."
It is ingrained in military personnel to accept accountability and take personal responsibility for their actions. Female veterans will accept that same level of accountability in your company.
Additionally, your veteran applicant has learned self-control and self-confidence. She has pushed herself beyond what she originally believed possible (most male veterans have as well). The veteran who has been deployed has already proven herself to be adept at working in a stressful environment. It's hard to imagine what your company can expect of her that she can't deal with.
"In hiring new people, look at your veteran applicants closely," said Tom Cray, president and chief executive of the Veterans Outreach Center. "Their skills may not be an exact match, but what they bring to the table in leadership, confidence, ability to work in a diverse team under stress and work ethic should put them at the top of your list."
Lynette M. Loomis is a board member of the Veterans Outreach Center. She may be reached at yourbestlifecoaching@rochester.rr.com.
(February 3, 2008) — How many of us were told that talking to strangers equaled danger when we were children?
This was the well-meaning mantra that was drilled into our heads for our protection. Strangers were scary, and we were constantly warned to stay away from them. "Stranger danger" was a necessary life-skill growing up.
As adults, we need to take the idea of "strangers" out of networking, so that networking becomes less daunting. When you walk into that crowded room full of strangers, think of them as people you want to get to know rather than thinking of them as "sales calls." This should be a fun opportunity to talk with others and, in time, hopefully gain a business relationship.
Remember the old saying, "It's not what you know, but who you know"? When you go networking, go with the mindset that you want to meet a few good people. I know we've all been told that we need to maximize our time. We should meet as many people as possible in as short a time as possible. How can we possibly follow up and build relationships with 20 people a night?
When you walk into that room with the idea that you are going to connect with a few good people, the pressure is off. The idea that you have to run around the room and give a "30-second sales pitch" to everyone you meet fades into the background. Take your time. Ask someone what he or she does for work, find out what you have in common.
These common links are what you build upon. People want to do business with friends, not sales people.
When Kathy Porter of Mia Bella Gourmet Candles meets someone, she happily declares them to be her new best friend. According to Kathy, "When I meet someone, I decide how I can help them. Who do I know that I can introduce them to?" She often doesn't tell them in great detail what she does until their next meeting. By doing this, she is building relationships that will last well beyond a quick sale.
If your new friends do not have their calendar with them, all is not lost. Use the three rule — you follow up three days later. If you don't reach them, call in three more days. If you still cannot get them, try three weeks.
If after all of this you do not have a second appointment, stop calling. You will see them at another function and can connect then. This may not have been the right time.
When you succeed in setting up the second meeting, try to bring a few contacts for your new friends. These can be people they may want to do business with, or people they may want to get to know. Do not expect anything from them. Someone else will come along and help you.
If your new friends do have a few contacts for you, make sure to send them a thank-you note and, if possible, a small gift. This gift does not have to be expensive, just a nice reminder that you appreciate their effort.
Make sure you periodically call just to see how they are doing. You want to continue to build the relationship by staying on their minds. If they are thinking of you when an issue arises that you could fill, they will contact you.
By following a few simple guidelines, networking can be a fun, exciting business adventure.
Angella Luyk, CEO of Midnight Janitorial Inc., is active in the RWN, on the orientation committee, chairwoman for the ambassador committee, and co-chairwoman of membership. She can be reached at angella@midnightjanitorial.com.
Creating your home office setup
By: Lin Czop
(January 27, 2008) — When I first hung out the shingle for my interior design business, I didn't exactly have a home office.
I had a bookshelf in a corner of the dining room.
I thought that I could use the dining room table for my work, which involved laying out fabrics and samples to plan for my appointments. That worked for a little while. Then I got very tired of putting everything away at the end of the day.
But if I left it all spread out on the dining room table to work on the next day, I'd be antsy about the mess it made.
The solution, of course, was to carve out a piece of my home that would function well for me and my particular work needs.
Finding the right space that will be your workplace takes some thought before embarking on setting up that desk in the spare bedroom. Many homes are already equipped with a first-floor den/office, which can make a lot of sense for your home office if you don't mind being in the midst of your family when working.
Some questions to ask yourself:
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Does your workspace have to be quiet?
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Will you be working days and/or evenings there?
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Do you need a space away from the family?
An extra bedroom, den, corner of the family room, basement or even a garage or attic can be used for setting up a home office.
An obvious first for most of us is a desk. The size and storage ability will depend on how it's used. Don't just take for granted that all are created equal.
Do you need a file drawer in it, or can you use a separate filing cabinet in the office? Do you need to use it for a computer and paperwork? Do you see yourself behind a large desk that will hold everything you need within arm's reach?
In my case, I prefer a tabletop that can be multifunctional. I can do drawings on it as well as lay out my sample books and fabrics.
The desk chair is a very important piece of equipment, as well. It can make or break your workday. Just like the comfort of a favorite pair of shoes, your desk chair should fit you well. The wrong chair will not only give you a backache, you won't be able to be creative in it.
Take some chairs out for a test drive before you settle down with one.
Most of us are used to fairly sterile looking offices. I suggest that your home office should be welcoming to you at the beginning of each day. Have some fun with paint colors to make it a personal space.
I also think that we become much more productive when we are surrounded by the things that we love. Make some room in your home office for whatever gets you going, maybe family pictures, motivational sayings or a collection of some sort.
Lighting is an element that gets overlooked but is also one of the most important factors. You need to have two kinds of light in your office: task lighting and general lighting.
When choosing a desk lamp, get one with a movable or adjustable neck so you can position it as needed, depending on the other light that you have in the room.
Taking the ideas mentioned and putting them into practice will ensure that you have a well thought out and functional workspace that will make the time you spend in it enjoyable and productive.
Lin Czop is an interior designer who has specialized in residential interiors for the past 16 years. She has been involved in several Homearamas, an RPO Showhouse and model homes. You can reach her at Lin Czop Interiors, (585) 544-5706.
Even fearful can master the art of public speaking
Even fearful can master the art of public speaking
By: Jackie DiBella
(January 20, 2008) — There is nothing to fear in the art of public speaking but fear itself.
Public speaking is a dynamic transaction "between one and many" — between the one who is speaking and the many who are listening.
Public speaking is an art, a science and a skill that can be learned, improved and polished. Public speakers in the workplace can touch lives by training new employees, demonstrating and selling a useful product/service or advocating a worthwhile cause.
Then why do so many individuals fear public speaking?
Entertainer Jerry Seinfeld says that "according to most studies, the number one fear individuals have is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does this sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."
Four good reasons individuals fear public speaking:
Fear of being stared at. Public speaking is frightening because there is a pack of people in an audience. Speaker feels the audience is "attacking" with unrelenting stares, while the speaker is obliged to stand alone, exposed and vulnerable.
Fear of failure. New public speakers are afraid of looking stupid. Their inner voice keeps saying "What if I make a fool of myself?"
Fear of rejection. What if the speaker delivers a polished speech, but the audience still does not like it. It can be an assault to one's ego.
Fear of the unknown. Throughout one's life a person will have apprehensions about doing new things. One cannot put her finger on exactly what she is afraid of because fear may be vague and diffused. Speakers may be assailed by this same fear of the unknown because they cannot predict the outcome of the speech.
But fear has a value. Speakers should not banish all fears and nervousness because fear can energize. It makes speakers think more rapidly while it helps with vitality and enthusiasm. Fear can cause a burst of adrenaline that infuses energy and turns into positive nervousness. This is a stimulating, passionate, lively feeling with a slight edge to it.
A public speaker should never speak on a subject which she knows little about. Choose only topics about which you are well informed. This will give you enormous self-confidence.
To decrease anxiety even further, prepare, prepare, prepare and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Don't just look over notes — stand up and rehearse your talk in whatever way that suits you. Don't rehearse just once. Speeches should be given at least four times prior to the actual event. If a speaker gives a speech four times at home, she will find that the fifth delivery before a live audience will be smoother and more self-assured. Never read from a manuscript. Instead, give a speech in a conversational style.
Devote extra practice to the introduction because a speaker will most likely suffer the greatest anxiety at the beginning of the speech. After the first minute or two, nervousness moves to the background, after which the rest of the event is relatively easy.
In the business world, public speaking is essential. Rather than shying away from speaking opportunities, seek them out. An old saying is true: Experience is the best teacher."
There are two very important personal reasons for mastering the art, skill and science of public speaking in the workplace: speakers will become empowered and speakers will empower others.
Jackie DiBella is a faculty member at Genesee Community College in Batavia and teaches public speaking and interpersonal relationships. She also coaches business executives to improve presentation skills.
More education can help secure new job
By: Mary Spurrier
(January 13, 2008) — Current statistics indicate that you probably will be changing jobs every three to five years and that 55 percent of the time your employer will be choosing your retirement date. The security of constant employment by the same company is a thing of the past.
What do you do to prepare yourself for these changes?
Additional education is one thing to consider. A resume must be broad-based to attract the attention of prospective employers. Higher education courses often become the clincher, or at least the tiebreaker, when interviewing for positions in the job market or being considered for advancement in a current position.
Interviewers perceive the educated job candidate as one who can converse on a variety of topics beyond the often narrow confines of an occupation. They realize that people who have achieved a higher education or additional training have sacrificed time, effort and expense to achieve their goals. All of these things can increase your value in today's competitive market for employment and advancement.
On the other hand, you feel that you have worked hard. Your friends have purchased symbols of their success and you feel that you are entitled to have them too. Why should you spend your money on education instead?
An interesting exercise is to figure out how much a symbol of success costs — such as a new BMW — then compare it to what more education would give you.
The median income for a woman today is about $38,000. Take home pay is about $30,000. Based on a 40-hour workweek, she is making $15 an hour. The average cost of a BMW is about $40,000, which means the owner will work 2,667 hours to pay for it if she doesn't have a loan, even more if she does.
Meanwhile, a government report titled "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings" indicates that over the working life of most adults, high school graduates will earn about $1.2 million; college graduates with a bachelor's degree, $2.1 million; and those with a master's degree, $2.5 million.
"At most ages, more education equates with higher earnings, and the payoff is most notable at the highest educational levels," said Jennifer Cheeseman Day, one of the co-authors of the report.
According to the H.W.Carey Report from the University of Arizona, the economic value of a college education, if it were expressed in terms of a financial investment, would be a net return of about 12 percent per year.
Yes, it is hard to postpone or even to decide not to buy the trappings of today's successful businessperson. It is easy to believe "I deserve it, so I will get it now." That, however, is not how wealth and real success are achieved.
Success comes from constantly improving yourself so you are competitive in today's marketplace. You must be prepared to deal with job changes, whether it is your decision or that of your employer. That can only be done by increasing your education and honing your skills.
There is no such thing as job security. The only security comes from what you create.
So the next time you are thinking "I deserve that luxury car and I want it now," consider another alternative. You could increase your job skills and your income by about $10,000 a year for a total increased income of $600,000 over your career, or you could buy a car for $40,000.
Which would you rather have? The choice is yours.
Mary Spurrier, CFP, is a member of RWN and is president/principal of M. Spurrier Financial Services.
Simple plan can help you balance performance, goals
Simple plan can help you balance performance, goals
(January 6, 2008) — As we start 2008, leaders in the Rochester area are reviewing their performance against their goals for the past year.
What were they able to achieve? What weren't they able to complete? Did the results come at a professional or personal price?
If their goals weren't achieved with less effort and energy than in the past, perhaps leaders should make time to rethink their process. That way, they can determine creative new ways to achieve the same or better results without so much pain.
Recent national headlines have reported shaky economic ground, with volatility in loans and interest rates, as well as a dismal outlook for growth this year.
As business leaders in a region of the country that has seen companies move, fold or downsize, those in the Rochester area are all asking what we can do differently to continue to expand business, increase profit margins and reduce expenses.
Here are some ideas for how to start 2008 with a plan:
- Identify your top financial goals for the year.
- Refine your mission and/or vision statements to incorporate your goals.
- Determine areas that pose the greatest challenge or risk to achieving your goals.
- Develop a roadmap to reduce known risks and to implement change.
- Develop your leaders and create a happier workforce
However, many companies and businesses that start off the new year with the intention to create change, increase revenue and decrease expenses find that their plan does not always get realized.
Effective business leaders make planning a priority and "sharpen the saw," as Stephen Covey says in one of his seven "habits."
Covey is a leadership authority and author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, acclaimed by some leadership experts as the most influential business book of the 20th century.
Starting the year off without a detailed plan and roadmap of goals and objectives is like driving your car with an empty gas tank because you do not have time to stop at a service station.
Many companies have internal resources that can assist in the development and implementation of 2008 plans.
A wealth of external resources are also available in the Rochester area, whose core business is to work with CEOs, presidents and business leaders to help them achieve their goals while improving the quality of their lives.
Hiring an executive coach, for instance, is one option to support the development and planning process.
Lisa Hill DiFusco is a leadership development expert and president of The LightHeart Institute, a local executive coaching firm. She says that "hiring an executive or leadership coach helps leaders formulate the right plan, resulting in greater profit margins and happier work forces."
"Leaders are able to achieve more in less time with less effort and simultaneously improve the quality of their lives."
Whatever path you choose, having a documented plan will reduce stress, increase peace of mind and allow your business or organization to reach its full potential.
Amy Orr has been a member of the Rochester Women's Network since 2005. The LightHeart Institute, in Rochester, can be reached at (585) 288-6160 and on the Web at www.LightHeart.com.
By: Janet Nelson
(December 30, 2007) — Much attention is given to customer satisfaction and its expected impact on the bottom line.
But in reality, its impact is negligible. Some costs could be avoided by improving satisfaction, but "satisfaction" does not increase revenue or profit.
Customer loyalty does have an effect on financial performance. Loyalty is distinct from satisfaction. Satisfaction is defined as "the act of fulfilling expectations, needs or demands." It's the degree of pleasure a consumer derives from a product or service. It is an emotional, not a behavioral state.
Loyalty is behavioral, and it describes customer actions. Loyalty is the existence of positive, predetermined behaviors.
Consider soft drinks. Every grocery and convenience store carries cola brands that cost less than Coke. Yet Coke loyalists have no issue with paying more or going out of their way to buy it. Even when faced with multiple choices, the decision is predestined.
Loyalty is driven by two major components. The first is delight, the highest possible level of satisfaction. Being satisfied is necessary but is not sufficient enough to build loyalty. If I am satisfied with a restaurant, I'll likely go back. But I will just as likely try some other place. If I am completely satisfied I am likely to make this restaurant a frequent destination. If I am delighted it will be my first and, often, only choice.
A second required component of loyalty is a sense of achieving value with the experience. There are two elements to value: experience vs. cost, and setting expectations.
Value isn't necessarily associated with cost, but rather the experience for the cost. You might be delighted with a product or service, but if you are overpaying you will have no loyalty. The meal at a local diner costs less than at a premier restaurant. Yet the customer can be loyal to either or both.
The experience for the cost and cost-relative-to-expectations determines the value and the loyalty.
Setting expectations is the second element of value. Marketing messages must be positive yet realistic. Setting unachievable expectations (usually done for sales goals, rather than loyalty) sets consumers up for dissatisfaction.
How can you assess customer experience? Ask — but be careful. One of the most useless questions is: "To what extent did this product or service meet your expectations?"
If you have owned multiple BMWs and all of your experiences (and now expectations) have been great, then "met expectations" is a fine answer. If expectations were very low, then "exceeds expectations" only means the vehicles were better than their lousy reputation.
If all of your customers were 100 percent loyal you would need a smaller sales force, less advertising and fewer price reductions. You also could command a premium price. Contracts would never expire, re-orders would be a fact and you would have the largest customer share. All new customers would be adding incremental revenue to your base, not replacing lost business. By building customer loyalty, you will have maximized revenue and profit.
Developing loyalty should be the objective and key measure of every business.
As Vilma Anderson, president of Rayleigh Optical Corp. in Baltimore, once said: "I would rather have a half-dozen loyal customers than a dozen new ones."
Janet Nelson owns OQL Solutions in Williamson, Wayne County, which helps businesses improve quality and enhance customer loyalty. For more information, go to www.OQLSolutions.com.
By: Mimi Bacilek
(December 23, 2007) — Rapid and continuous change is endemic in today's business environment. Creating organizational change that succeeds for the long term is one of a leader's greatest challenges.
What makes that so? Lasting change requires culture change. And changing a culture is a massive undertaking.
Dictionary.com defines inertia as the "property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or velocity." As with matter, organizations and people are driven to remain the same. That is the core of the challenge in implementing change. Organizational culture is like a flowing river. It carries with it information about how to behave, make decisions and address errors.
Just imagine what it takes to redirect the mighty Mississippi. Small efforts may deliver a small, temporary shift in the flow, but they will never re-direct that river. People are comfortable with the status quo, even when it's unpleasant.
The starting point in creating change rests with leaders. When leaders change, their organizations change, too. Leaders must demonstrate the change in the organization from the very beginning. For example, if the change is renewed focus on customer service, leaders must serve employees as customers, acting as role models for what they want. Leaders who exemplify the behavior they seek are rewarded with the success they seek.
Successful leaders know that employees are the generators of organizations' results, making employee involvement and commitment essential. Leaders may be the change innovators, but more importantly they must be its champions, bringing passion about the change into every conversation and demonstrating absolute confidence in the ability of staff to create success. Successful leaders place staff in roles critical to the change, such as architect or builder.
Leaders must succinctly express a compelling picture of the future. That picture must be so appealing it draws people away from the current state and into the new way.
When leaders do this they encourage staff to choose the new way of doing things. Susan Mitchell Bridges describes this choosing as a transition phase where employees experience a "personal and psychological reorientation." People must mentally and emotionally move through this transition before they can change; that creates a lasting change in the organization. Leaders who ignore this critical beginning do so at the risk of their own success.
As an organization or, more appropriately, its people agree to move forward, leaders must keep continuous, gentle pressure on forward movement. The change must be grounded in everyone's everyday actions, organizational success measures and even meeting agenda items. The intent is to reinforce the new and minimize the tendency to return to the old at the very first opportunity.
Reward and recognition is a fabulous tool for moving things forward. Successful change leaders don't wait until ultimate success is achieved to reward people for making the transition; they reward early attempts as well as ultimate successes. It is essential to demonstrate the leader really cares that success is achieved and help everyone see that success is possible.
While the inertia of the status quo is powerful, the inertia of the change is equally powerful. Wise leaders seek every cause for celebration and make a big deal of even the smallest gains. This focus on continual forward movement and frequent celebration create a process everyone wants to be a part of.
Mimi Bacilek is an executive coach and president of SuccessBuilders LLC in Rochester. She can be reached at (585) 227-0308 or by e-mail at mimi@successbuildersllc.com.
By: Donna Rawady
(December 16, 2007) — As leaders, if someone on our team is struggling and his or her performance continues to impact desired deliverables, or if our team goals are not being met, we may need to explore our contribution to the situation. Consider these examples.
A director of sales makes it clear as she hires new salespeople, that they are required to hit 100 percent of quota by month four on the job. However, in their fifth and sixth month two newer reps are hovering between 85 percent and 90 percent of quota. The director decides to let it ride for a while because she trusts the numbers will get better, and she likes being able to depend on applying the 85 percent to 90 percent to the team goal for the quarter. Regardless of the policy, the standard is immediately set: 85 percent to 90 percent of quota is acceptable. A positive option may be for the director to consider changing the expectation curve for new salespeople, redefining what excellence is.
A vice president is consistently disappointed in her director's ability to be well prepared.
Recently, the director was asked to write the first draft of a project plan and present it to the VP in a meeting before involving the rest of the team to fine-tune strategies. Once again, when the VP realized that the individual was not prepared at the onset of the meeting, she expressed her disappointment. The VP then continued with the meeting where she and the director came up with the draft of the plan. If the VP was serious about setting a standard for excellence as it relates to preparation, she may have rescheduled the meeting on the spot.
The standard for preparation would immediately become clear — Being well prepared is crucial. Being unprepared is unacceptable.
In addition to setting clear standards for excellence, we can effectively activate accountability by focusing on nonarguable versus arguable outcomes.
ARGUABLE action item or outcome:
After a discussion with you, a team member agrees to make the effort to put some time aside to think about some initial strategies for a new project that's been on a back burner, but due in six months.
NONARGUABLE action item or outcome:
After a discussion with you, a team member agrees that for your next meeting (which is scheduled before you leave this one) she is going to come prepared with what she feels are the top three strategies or action plans (with target dates for each) that are crucial within the next 30 days to get this project off the ground.
In the first scenario (i.e., arguable outcome), an individual may feel that she has indeed thought about strategies, even jotted down some ideas along the way. You on the other hand may be disappointed there are no documented plans for action when you revisit the status with her some time later.
In the second scenario (i.e., nonarguable outcome), there's little room for a difference of opinion as to whether the individual has been successful at agreed upon deliverables and timeframes.
The author, Joline Godfrey, says in her book Our Wildest Dreams: "Success is measured in many ways. It is measured annually, quarterly, and nightly." At night, while we're reflecting on our frustrations of the day as they may relate to our team's or an individual's performance, perhaps we should be asking ourselves if we've done our part in setting standards and activating accountability.
Donna Rawady is an executive coach who also is 2007 president of the Rochester Women's Network. She can be reached at www.donnarawady.com.
Look to support system to handle stressful transitions
Look to support system to handle stressful transitions
By: June Collings Ogden
(December 9, 2007) — You're fired! We're moving! I'm retiring! I'm pregnant! Are these words that evoke fear, excitement, disbelief, happiness or that make you go numb? All of these situations describe a transition, a change of direction in one's life, and bring with them different levels of stress.
A transition is passage from one state or condition to another. Throughout our lifetimes, transitions occur in all aspects of our lives, including our physical, emotional and social worlds.
Physical transitions include chronological development (from baby to toddler, for example), sickness, injury or anything that affects us physically. Emotional transitions are changes in how we emotionally react to our world and fulfill our psychological needs. Social transitions include our interpersonal relationships (friends, family, for example), work relationships and relationships to a larger community.
Transitions may be seen as positive, negative, minor or major. However, it is not the change itself that determines its significance to us, but how we perceive its impact and how much control we believe we have over that change. Getting a promotion at work could be a minor transition for one person and a major transition for another.
One woman could perceive a promotion as rightfully earned, well within her abilities, and just another step up the corporate ladder. She would take the promotion in stride. Another woman could see a promotion as a fluke, beyond her skill level, and moving her out of her comfort zone. She might spend less time at home with family and become physically ill due to stress. Each of these women would be affected by her transition but to different degrees.
Transitions do not occur in a vacuum. Our various worlds intertwine. Through this interconnectedness, we find support while going through transitions. Social supports include intimate relationships, family, friends, community and institutions. By using one or more support systems, we can move through transitions with less stress.
What support we use depends on the nature of the transition. Lisa Best left a family business to become director of corporate relations for Special Olympics, Genesee Region. She found, "because I was leaving my family business, I relied more heavily on friends and a job coach to help me make the change."
An important message for women is not to be afraid to reach out for support during work transitions. At times women can be reluctant to ask family and friends for help for fear of appearing needy. We are afraid of bothering or burdening others. We want to appear independent and self-sufficient.
Also, when we are faced with a positive transition (e.g., promotion), we assume we don't need support. However, a positive change at work often places more demands on other areas of our lives (e.g., home). Asking for support says "smart" not "needy."
Transitions can bring exciting, new directions to our lives. We can embrace the changes or fight against them. How we face a transition will determine whether or not it becomes a problem in our lives. If we tap into our inner strengths, ask for support from family and friends, and use available resources from our workplace or community, then change can open stimulating new directions for us.
June Collings Ogden is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in Brighton. She may be reached at (585) 246-7007 or junecogden@hotmail.com.
Media savvy, consistency are critical in ad campaign
Media savvy, consistency are critical in ad campaign
By: Gretchen VanDerMeid
(December 2, 2007) — As an entrepreneur, not only are you involved in daily production and serving clients, you also are responsible for sales, public relations and networking to win over new prospects.
You have been able to juggle these responsibilities successfully and have built a reliable reputation. Sales are steadily growing. Having reached this milestone, a good next step to grow your business is to launch an advertising campaign.
First, set the budget.
It is tempting to oversimplify the budgeting process by using the traditional calculation of 5 percent to 6 percent of gross sales for advertising. A more effective method to determine your ad budget range is using the following formula recommended by Roy H. Williams, columnist for entrepreneur.com.
First, calculate both 10 and 12 percent of your gross sales. Then take each figure and multiply it by the percentage markup of your average transaction. Markup is defined as gross profit above cost. Next, subtract yearly rent from each number. These figures represent your minimum and maximum available ad budget for the year.
Example: Your total yearly gross sales are $500,000. Multiply that by 10 percent and then by 12 percent, which equals $50,000 and $60,000, respectively. Next, multiply those figures by the average markup of 50 percent, resulting in a range of $25,000 to $30,000. Now subtract from those numbers the yearly rent of $20,000. By this formula, your ad budget would fall between $5,000 and $10,000.
At this point, you may realize that costly rent for your prime location (which also includes the signage, one form of advertising) takes up an ample portion of your ad budget. Or, as in the example above, you find a substantial budget to invest in an advertising campaign.
Choose an effective advertising media.
Finding the best media for your target audience is critical. Research what is available regionally by choosing targeted print and on-line publications that contain content that is read by your core group of prospects.
Buy larger-size ads even if it means choosing only one or two publications over the long term.
As your sales and budget grow, expand your reach by increasing frequency or branching out to other media. An attractive print ad campaign that includes "call to action" phrases will help drive consumers to contact you directly or look up your Web site.
Keep your message consistent and design with the future in mind.
"Repetition creates familiarity and reinforces your message," says Angel Fischer, owner of Halo Designs, a graphic design firm. "The more people recognize your ads, the more they will feel that they know you and understand what you have to offer."
Invest in a high quality look to your ad designs that can be translated easily to both gray-scale and full color.
Also, give some thought as to how the main graphic elements in your ad campaign and logo will look down the road when your budget allows for marketing using other media such as Web sites, digital newsletters and broadcast media or large format signage for trade show events.
Beginning an ad campaign is an endeavor that will result in prospective leads.
Gretchen VanDerMeid is advertising sales director for DesignNY Magazine, a home design publication. For more information, visit www.designnymagazine.com.
Reach for dreams and live your life without regrets
By Norma Polizzi
Reach for dreams and live your life without regrets
By Norma Polizzi
(November 25, 2007) — My aunt spent much of her life complaining about the things she should have done or could have done, if only she had made different choices. After listening to her, I vowed never to let that happen to me.
As the "big 5-0" was approaching, I did some soul-searching of my own: What haven't I done in my life that I always wanted to do?
The answer was simple: go to law school. I thought of why it wasn't practical, especially at my age, but at the same time I realized I had to do it to feel fulfilled.
I had gone as far as I could as a paralegal. Although I had worked at a Fortune 200 company, learning environmental law to become the company's first environmental compliance officer, I wanted more from life. The yearning to practice law had always been there. Besides, I didn't want to repeat my aunt's mistakes. If I didn't take the plunge at 50, I probably never would.
I visited University at Buffalo Law School's admissions office to explore my options. Much to my surprise, I was welcomed with open arms. I also learned about financing the degree.
Then, I reworked my budget to cut expenses as much as possible. Since my plan was to attend school full time and quit work, I would need to save whatever I could.
I submitted my application and waited. Just two days before my 50th birthday, I got the best present of all — acceptance at UB Law. I was teaching college at the time, so I advised my dean that I would not be available for the fall semester. Students are discouraged from working during their first year of law school, but I worked part-time for a local attorney while I was in school.
Despite my enthusiasm, I was terrified on that first day of school. What if, after all this, I fall on my face? Failure was not an option. I had always been a good student, but this was graduate school. Fortunately, the time management skills I learned as a paralegal helped me balance commuting, school, studying, work and life.
Many people thought I was crazy, but I have never regretted the decision, even for a moment. My law school years were some of the happiest of my life, and the friends I made there, both young and "nontraditional," are my closest and dearest.
When I hear people complain about dead-end jobs, I ask, "Why don't you go back to school?" Then I tell them my story.
Was it easy? No. But nothing that really matters in life is easy. Getting my law degree was one of the most rewarding things I have done. I am now practicing law with colleagues who respect my abilities and seek my advice. I help people resolve complex and troubling problems. Sometimes, I even get a pat on the back, but that's not why I do it.
Having my law degree allows me the freedom to earn a living while doing the work I love. It also allows me to look back at my life without feeling that something is missing. How many people can say that?
My advice to the person thinking about going back to school is, "Do it!" Don't be afraid you might fail. If you really want the degree, you will succeed.
As for me, I just filed my first case with the U.S. Supreme Court and hope to go to Washington in the spring to argue it. Another dream of mine.
Norma A. Polizzi is counsel to the Adair Law Firm LLP in Penfield. She may be reached at npolizzi@adairlaw.com.
True Leadership emerges from deep desire to serve
By: Elaine Spaull
(November 18, 2007) A student nurse described an exam that contained all the important content plus a bonus question.
When the students saw the bonus question, they complained vehemently. Because they were expecting a question related to their course, they were unprepared for this question: “What is the name of the woman who cleans our building?” They did not see its relevance.
The professor explained that if they were to become good nurses, it was essential that they pay close attention to the people around them, including staff who worked behind the scenes.
During his recent commencement address at Rochester Institute of Technology last spring, former President Bill Clinton urged the graduates to pay close attention to all people, “see those who are invisible” and to take account of their contributions and value. He reminded the new graduates that they were now in opportune positions to enhance their workplaces if they embraced the belief that all employees are equally valuable.
These two examples reflect the principles of “servant leadership” originally offered by Robert Greenleaf in a 1970 essay, The Servant as Leader. Greenleaf concluded that “true leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others.” Greenleaf believed, as I do, that every workplace is enhanced by creating the “paradoxical idea of servant-leadership.” Greenleaf was innovative in suggesting a better approach to leadership, one that puts serving others as the No. 1 priority.
A work environment that fully celebrates the contributions of each member and that values quality performance at every level is likely to be productive and retain good employees. Making employees the first priority may result in a successful financial bottom line, the creation of a powerful team and fierce loyalty.
I made a decision to seek elected office and won a seat on Rochester's City Council. The chance to become a public servant was timely for me after investing in The Center for Youth as executive director for nearly seven years. As I reviewed Greeleaf's 10 guiding principles for servant leaders, six seemed particularly relevant for me in my daily work and as a newly elected official.
Listening: While excellent decision-making and communication are the marks of a good leader, servant leaders must make a deep commitment to listening to others.
Empathy: Attempt to find the good in employees and focus on their strengths and abilities, even when the performance is lacking, even when negative behaviors must be addressed.
Persuasion: Being effective at building consensus and gaining support rather than using coercion or positional power.
Conceptualization: While all leaders must take care of daily business and mundane tasks, seek to “dream big dreams” on behalf of themselves and their employees.
Stewardship: Hold your organization in trust for the greater good, whether in a nonprofit entity or a for-profit corporation.
Commitment to the growth of people: View employees as having an intrinsic value beyond their contributions as workers and support the personal and professional growth of individuals, no matter what the position.
Learning to see those who are less visible but who make our lives more meaningful is a wonderful lesson, one that young nursing student ver forgot. She learned that the woman who cleaned the building was Dorothy.
Dr. Elaine Spaull is executive director of The Center for Youth, and also an educator, a lawyer, and a longtime resident of the city of Rochester.
Arbitration is useful tool, but it pays to know rules
By: Jackie DiBella
(November 11, 2007) — The dictionary definition of arbitration is a process by which the parties to a dispute submit their differences to the judgment of an impartial person or group appointed by mutual consent. When parties do not want to go to court, they can pick someone to decide the case informally.
Arbitration has existed for centuries.
Aristotle wrote: "For an arbitrator goes by the equity of a case, a judge by the law, and arbitration was invented with the express purpose of securing full power for equity."
Arbitration, as an alternative to litigation, can be perceived as a quick, low-cost method of dispute resolution that serves the interests of all concerned. But generally speaking, lawyers hate arbitration. Why is that? Lawyers have very little control over the arbitrator's decision.
The moment a businessperson signs a business contract, the feeling can parallel the "bliss of love." Initially, everything is wonderful! However ... (the) business relationship can grow to be overripe to the point that one of the parties could be stepping on the other party's kumquat. The businessperson could then turn to her contracts and find the following remedy clause: "Any controversies or claims arising out of or relating to this contract shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the rules of the arbitration association."
Arbitration cannot validly occur unless the parties have specifically agreed to use this process to settle their dispute. Sometimes, parties don't realize they agreed to arbitration as part of the business contract because they focused more on making things go right in the relationship than on remedies for dispute.
Now the cash register commences to ring. A nonrefundable filing and administrative fee is associated with an arbitration association, which is a sliding fee based on the amount of the claim. The arbitrator's fee can be quite high based on the complexity of the case. The promise of quick, low-cost dispute resolution may not be realized if arbitration becomes as hard-fought as court battles. Discovery could be abused by lawyers using "vacuum-cleaner" tactics to gain all available evidence and at the same time burden one of the parties with heavy production requirements.
Using arbitration requires awareness of its limitations:
Arbitration is final and binding on the parties.
Parties are waiving their right to seek remedies in court, including the right to a jury trial.
Discovery can be more limited or excessive but is different from discovery in judicial proceedings.
The arbitrator's award is not required to include factual findings or legal reasoning and any party's right to appeal or to seek modification of the rulings is strictly limited.
The arbitrator may be affiliated with an industry where there is a conflict of interest.
Rules relative to admissibility of evidence and applicable law are not the same as in a courtroom.
Critics of arbitration complain that some arbitrators are inattentive in the proceedings, ignorant of the relevant law and of arbitration procedures, capricious and inconsistent in their rulings and biased in favor of a particular industry.
The bottom line is that arbitration is a tactic that can be used for settling disputes rather than using litigation. But to achieve a successful outcome, business owners need to be aware of how it works and its limitations.
They should also ensure their business contracts clearly explain how contract disputes will be managed with that contract party.
Jackie DiBella is president of JEM Global Coaching. She may be reached at (585) 278-8851.
Organize to reduce stress at work
By: Wendy Salmon
(November 4, 2007) — Work can be stressful. But we can make it less so by following a few steps to keep our offices organized.
Set aside 10 minutes each morning to prioritize your day and update your project list to give you an overview of what needs to be accomplished.
Next, subdivide larger projects into smaller tasks. One large project on your list can be daunting because it will remain there for a long time, making you feel like you have not accomplished a thing. By breaking it into smaller tasks, you will be able to see your progress as you cross off the component items. Also, if you complete tasks that weren't planned, add them to your list, then cross them off. Later, you will be able to see how your time was spent during the day and what kept you from your original tasks.
Schedule some time for yourself daily. Depending on your list, set aside 30 minutes or more to accomplish one task or several smaller but related tasks. Your agenda might include: "1 p.m.-1:30 p.m. — Return phone calls" or "9 a.m.-10 a.m. — Reconcile invoices." Having a schedule and using your software's reminders will make you more apt to complete your tasks on time. Also, people who look at your calendar will see that you are busy and will be less likely to arrange meetings for these times.
Keep interruptions to a minimum. If you have a door to your office, close it when you need to get things done so your co-workers will be less likely to interrupt. When the phone rings, consider having your answering machine or voice mail take a message, especially when you are making strides on another important project.
Is your workspace working for you? Keep what you use most within arm's reach, including phone, current project or client files, binders, resource books, pens, paper, printer, computer and project list. One client counted more than 40 trips each day from her desk to the filing cabinet — the obvious solution was to move it within arm's reach of her desk. Every minute of time you save will help to accomplish your tasks. In addition, a few family photos and plants are fine to have on your desk. But too many pictures, vendor items and personal effects take up valuable work space. According to a survey by JOGEAR, a computer company in Irvine, Calif., 78 percent of business professionals said their impressions of their colleagues were influenced by the way the colleagues' desks were organized. Seventy percent of these professionals believed that workers with messy desks were less career-driven than their fastidious counterparts.
Colored folders are a great way to differentiate between projects and clients. I used this method when I was a media buyer for Goodyear. It was a breeze to pick out my Cleveland folder (red, Great Lakes region) from my Dallas folder (yellow, Southern region). Did you know approximately 80 percent of what we file is never referenced again? Take the time once a week to go through files. Pitch and shred unneeded papers. Check with your human resource department on your company's file retention policy.
Finally, take a break. One of my favorite stories is about two lumberjacks competing in a tree-cutting contest. At the end of the day, the little lumberjack cut down more trees than the big lumberjack. When the big one asked the smaller one how he did it, the little lumberjack said, "Simple. While you worked through lunch, I took a break to sharpen my ax."
Wendy M. Salmon is a professional organizer and owner of Find It Fast Organizing Service LLC, which offers business and residential de-cluttering and organizing expertise. She is a member of the Rochester Women's Network marketing committee.
Emotional Intelligence can guide thinking, enhance results
By: Lynette M. Loomis
(October 21, 2007) — "Leave your emotions at home." This sentiment actually limits employee growth and productivity.
People are not blank slates. We all have opinions, values, expectations and biases. We process everything we see, hear and read through our own filters. We bring every emotion we have to the office, the assembly line or the board room.
Emotions tell us what to focus on and serve as warnings and invitations to act. Therefore, the goal is not to avoid, deny or suppress feelings, but to deal with them to help improve our performance.
What we need to leave at home are our uncontrolled, destructive emotions that thwart productivity and results.
This is not about being "nice." It's about business results. Proponents of Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ) have various definitions but common themes: the ability to understand and manage one's emotions; to motivate oneself; to empathize with others; and to manage relationships effectively. We use EI to guide our thinking and actions, as well as to enhance results.
The business case for EI is well documented by organizations, including the U.S. Air Force and Fortune 500 firms. Emotionally intelligent workplaces have higher degrees of success in productivity, revenues, sales, employee recruitment and retention, customer satisfaction and loyalty.
A 2000 Gallup study of 2 million employees found that an employee's relationship with her immediate supervisor will determine how productive she is and how long she stays with a company. An effective supervisor understands when employees are feeling discouraged or dissatisfied and can intervene before productivity is impacted.
Studies show that a person's emotional intelligence has an 80 percent to 85 percent influence on success in the workplace, while his or her IQ has, at best, a 25 percent influence. This is not to suggest that highly intelligent people are not necessary in the workplace. But technical skills alone are not sufficient to develop leaders able to foster innovation and produce results.
Unlike IQ, which remains relatively stagnant throughout life, EQ skills can be developed through experience. Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, says, "People get better and better in these capabilities as they grow more adept at handling their own emotions and impulses, at motivating themselves, and at honing their empathy and social adroitness. There is an old-fashioned word for this growth in emotional intelligence: maturity."
The foundation of emotional intelligence is developing awareness of your feelings and behaviors and using that information to guide your action.
For example, your company is approached about merging. The due diligence process suggests everything is favorable. Yet your gut instinct says something is amiss. Rather than ignore your intuition, use it to motivate yourself to gather more information on the principals in the company.
Or maybe your stomach knots as you prepare for a presentation. Your anxiety may stem from your sense that you are not well prepared. The emotionally intelligent response is to dig into the details and rehearse your presentation until the knots are replaced by a sense of welcome anticipation and confidence.
Leave the drama at home, but bring your emotions to work and use them to facilitate teamwork, innovation, productivity and profit.
Lynette M. Loomis is vice president of marketing for the Rochester Women's Network, and a business and marketing consultant. Reach her at www.yourbestlifecoaching.com.
Job, family, an MBA goal — 10 tips to make journey
By: Tamu Brown-Hutchinson
(October 14, 2007) — Take a full time job, add a rigorous executive MBA program and the demands of a family of six ...
So far these items appear to be the beginnings of a recipe for disaster and a good way to lose your sanity.
Well, I left out an ingredient in my life, which for the past two years was a lesson in perseverance and the never-ending pursuit of work-life balance. Anyone who has tried to manage continuing her education while maintaining a full-time job and a family has only succeeded because of one key element: Support.
Without the support of my family, friends and workplace, I would not have been able to pursue a master's program. Team meetings, extensive readings and late night study sessions left limited time for routine family life and outside interests.
When embarking on this journey I did some research and found a book that provided me with 10 great tips for attempting to make the next two years manageable.
The following are adapted from Back in School: A Guide for Adult Learners, by Charles J. Shields (published by Career Press, 1994).
- Keep the vision of your goal in front of you. Get a photo or a page from a magazine that symbolizes your vision. You can even create a mock copy of your degree and put it next to your area where you do your assignments or reading.
- Write it down. Comprise a goal statement for yourself that is measurable. For example, "I will receive my diploma in June 2008."
- Put plans on paper. Map out your future in an outline format. Make sure to check objectives off as you accomplish them. Should your direction change, adjust your plan.
- Create a workplace for yourself. Find a space in your house and claim it for the next two years. If you have no extra space to claim, get a storage container where you can place all your books and tools so they will not be disturbed.
- Approach any project with a step-by-step plan. This will help you break down large assignments into manageable parts that can be completed in an hour or two.
- Share your vision and excitement with others. Tell everyone what you are doing so they can actively help you achieve your goal.
- Think flexibly. Compromise will be the name of the game. You may not be able to do all the things you used to do perfectly or to your satisfaction, but don't beat yourself up.
- Learn to delegate. Ask for help and ask often. Even though you may like your laundry folded a certain way or the dishes done right after dinner, your standards are a small price to pay for the extra time needed to study.
- Say no. Don't overwhelm yourself. If the request will not help you professionally or personally right now, then remind the requestor of your current commitments. Perhaps her request can wait until you have achieved your goal.
- Reward yourself. Take some breaks along the way to have fun with your family, friends and your classmates.
Tamu Brown-Hutchinson is director of information technology and resource management for the Center for Youth.
Fiscal know-how key for women-owned businesses
By: Michelle de Pinales
(October 7, 2007) — How important are women-owned businesses to the national and state economies? Consider these statistics:
- In the United States, women-owned businesses are expanding at twice the rate of all business.
- 10.4 million U.S. businesses are majority-owned by women, and those businesses generate more than $2 trillion in revenue and employ 12.8 million people.
According to research conducted by the Center for Women's Business Research, the most important factor that determines which women-owned businesses become large, growing companies is financial sophistication.
Here are the top reasons why women-owned businesses succeed:
- A consistent predictor of success is simply setting a goal for business growth. Women who own successful businesses and obtained capital set their aspirations high. Studies found that 74 percent of women whose businesses are larger and faster-growing had growth as part of their plans, compared to only 60 percent of smaller businesses. It's also important to focus on growth early. Successful owners established systems for financial reporting early on so when the time came for seeking capital, they were able to provide 3 to 5 years worth of records to the banker or investor.
- Education is another helpful tool. Successful owners tend to take time to learn about financial services and products appropriate to their business.Through reading, taking courses and talking to others, they are able to gather the information and tools they need to obtain necessary lines of credit, which are essential to any growing business.
- Successful women-owned businesses also embrace financial measurements as a management tool. This practice gives business owners the ability to track and record finances that can be used to bolster their case for securing capital.
- Women owners of successful businesses also develop a plan for how to use capital.Most business owners believe that great things can be accomplished if there were simply more money, but without a plan for how to use that capital, it can be squandered.
- Successful owners are willing to take risks. In fact, 64 percent said they were willing to take substantial or above-average financial risks when investing for their business.
- Relationships with bankers cannot be underestimated. Approximately 73 percent of women who received loans consulted with a banker. Successful owners have cited a number of ways to select the right banking partner: ask friends and colleagues who have experience with local bankers; establish quality relationships with banker; look at the bank's reputation in the community.
- Perseverance is essential to help women navigate their way through the rigors of accessing capital. Studies have found that successful women business owners don't take no for an answer. In fact, those who attempted to receive equity funding needed 22 attempts to obtain the money they needed.
Handle change positively; success is sure to follow
By: Karen Barrow
Regardless of the type of organization you lead or your unique competing forces, change is happening at exponential rates. Unfortunately, too many leaders manage their competing forces through conventional means of planning, organizing and controlling, which expends huge resources and generates limited outcomes.
Some of the conventional methods and beliefs are:
- Developing static strategies and changing plans at the top.
- Disseminating information in one-way presentations.
- Expecting that performance and quality will not suffer.
- Deeming that resistance is bad or something to overcome.
Today, we are in a new era of organizational complexity that features multi-generational teams, diverse demographics, multinational firms, rigorous government regulators and information-savvy employees.
New methods and beliefs that leaders need to handle change include:
- Developing strategies and plans with the ability to add additional input as it becomes available.
- Using informal dialogue to emotionally appeal to the hearts and minds of employees as well as two-way communication.
- Understanding that resistance is a natural part of change. Expression should be encouraged, otherwise resistance will go underground, where it is harder for leaders to decipher, takes longer to fix the issues, leads to an erosion of trust and a swelling of cynicism and increases business costs related to damage control.
- Viewing organizations as systems; in other words, anything that is changed in one part of the organization affects and is affected by all other parts of the organization. Leaders think in terms of systems to examine unintended consequences of change.
Here are some processes that have led to success:
- Large group workshops. Meetings that contain as many employees as possible all thinking together, in the same room, at the same time. The premise is, "you don't resist that which you create."
- Appreciative inquiry. Positive change approaches that motivate people and reduce underground resistance. Employees talk about positive examples of when change actually enhanced their performance and quality. The design for new change is based on replicating past successes.
If the new paradigm of managing change looks time-consuming and unwieldy, the old paradigm is even more so. The cost and time associated with damage control, low morale, passive-aggressive behavior, or departmentalized thinking often is not financially measured.
I can assure you, the costs are extraordinary. It will take time to shift to this new paradigm. A single leader cannot do it all alone. You will need others in your camp to create and sustain the changes. However, once you've experienced change this way, you will wonder what took you so long to change.
Karen Barrow is owner and founder of Baybridge Consulting Inc., an organizational development firm specializing in culture change, group dynamics and leadership development
By: Linda Noeth
(September 23, 2007) — As the participants in the diversity awareness workshop met in small groups, the facilitator heard a common theme.
"I felt uncomfortable." "I felt excluded." "I felt conspicuous."
The exercise the participants were engaged in was called "When I Felt Different," and each was asked to describe a time when he or she didn't feel part of the majority.
As indicated by the responses, the feelings were those of discomfort and isolation. No one described the scenarios in a positive light until the facilitator moved the discussion to lessons learned.
Why weren't the initial situations that came to mind positive ones? Why weren't some examples those of being sought after for new ideas or input? Had those participants defined "different" as something negative? Had they learned that sameness should be valued over diversity? Were those participants unique, or would their responses mirror those heard in other classes or workshops?
If we accept the premise that we would find similarities in the results of the exercise across most organizations today, then we should consider how individuals may learn that being different is not necessarily desirable. For example, who has never heard a relative or acquaintance described as "the black sheep in the family?" While often said tongue in cheek, the "difference" message comes through loud and clear.
Teenagers often place a high value on sameness, in the way they dress, their choice of friends, the music they prefer. This joining with others who are similar is a familiar aspect of growing up that doesn't necessarily stop at a particular age.
Given that at some time, most of us have received the message that being different is not necessarily a good thing, it's not difficult to understand why the participants in the workshop described uncomfortable, exclusionary scenarios.
The stories all had a familiar ring: In a previous company a woman was scoffed at by her male colleagues when she objected to an ad campaign that she perceived as sexist; an African-American manager's first college roommate, who was white, asked to be moved to another room the day they met.
Yet as the discussions progressed, participants recognized that in most cases these experiences proved to be constructive and enlightening. They highlighted the importance of listening to different viewpoints, standing up for one's beliefs and offering honest opinions.
Without exception, the end result of these lessons resulted in success either for the individuals or for their organizations. Participants indicated that they learned important lessons about themselves and the way they meet the challenges of being different, but they also recognized their own responsibility in ensuring that "different" does not mean excluded.
They understood that it is up to everyone to reach out and embrace opportunities to draw in others whose ideas, opinions and ways of doing things may be very different from their own.
As Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Massachusetts' first woman commissioner of public health, observed: "We cannot silence the voices that we do not like hearing. We can, however, do everything in our power to make certain that other voices are heard."
"Different"— it's up to each of us to change the definition.
Linda Noeth is training and development manager for Unisys Inside Sales and Marketing, and a member of Unisys' North American Diversity Council. She co-chairs the Diversity Committee of Rochester Women's Network.
Social media network growing in significance
By Donna DeClemente
This past July, I attended my first blogging conference to learn more and meet fellow bloggers. BlogHer 2007 was sponsored by BlogHer.org, an online community founded in early 2005 by three women bloggers whose mission is to provide opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment.
Already in its third year, the conference was the biggest to date with about 750 attendees who took over the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago over a two day period. "A World of Difference" was this year’s theme. I was inspired by being with so many women who were sharing their experiences, knowledge and wisdom. It also was inspiring to find technology being spoken about and taught to you by women, not men.
Many at the conference had been blogging for several years and were reuniting with women they had met either in person or online. Others, like me, were just starting out. I was introduced to many women by Yvonne DiVita, president of Windsor Media, who also made the trip from
“Social media and social networking isn’t about the technology,” Divita said. “It’s about the people. People are a connecting force in both business and life and while the Internet has given the people a louder voice, social media has encouraged more people to speak up. Businesses that learn to participate will discover a world of opportunity at their fingertips."
Other bloggers I met at the conference included Jenny who I learned lives just a couple of blocks from me. She works for Kodak and blogs on the company’s 1000 Words while also maintaining her own blog, ljcfyi.com. I also met Breanne who works for AskPatty.com, an incredible blog written by women who give automotive advice to women.
Blogs are becoming the voice of the customer. All businesses need to start paying attention to them.
Donna DeClemente is President of DDC Marketing Group in Rochester, which provides promotional marketing services. email her at ddeclemente@ddcmarketing.com
By: Dawn M. Covey
I talk to them every day. We exchange e-mails that are clear and on point. My fax machine sends and receives pages more quickly than I can scan and e-mail a document.
My network is their network, and we all share the same databases. Vendors and bankers are only a click or a keystroke away. We still work diligently to provide effective legal services for businesses, both across town and around the world.
My participation in that process has become more efficient since my commute was reduced from 35 minutes to the few minutes it takes me to grab a cup of coffee and climb the 13 steps to my "branch" home office in Chaumont, Jefferson County.
Somehow, I now feel more connected to the people and the tasks that make up my day and marvel at how well this idea has grown from "let's see how it works" to "this really works!"
It has become an opportunity of a lifetime for me and the firm I did not want to leave behind when my husband retired.
There are many great things about working remotely in addition to saving time and gasoline on the commute. A survey of my colleagues on the positives of having me working remotely produced the following responses:
"Your work can be accomplished without interruption, and you are less likely to be distracted."
"You are just as accessible as if you were here."
"You are more flexible in your work schedules, and if we need you to work early or late, you are available."
"We don't need to rent an office for you."
"I really feel like you are here; I know that you are always just an e-mail or phone call away."
There are some drawbacks to this remote existence, however. I now rely on others to sort through mail and occasionally reboot my computer. This has increased the administrative time spent by others in the office to accommodate the daily functions of my job.
Sometimes I miss the spontaneous lunchtime trips to restaurants that were more about bonding as a group than the food we shared. Missed is the social interaction that only face-to-face communication accomplishes.
I've also been told that I am too accessible, and admit that it is difficult to separate home and business when they are at the same address.
There are some characteristics and personality traits that are essential to making this work. You must be a self-starter who is highly organized and skilled in time management. You must have absolute command of your job, know the responsibilities associated with it and be able to solve problems of all kinds. You must be motivated and prepared to perform at a higher level at home than you ever did before because you are blazing a trail and making your move work seamlessly.
How could I be so lucky? I still don't know, but I will work as hard as I can to prove that the decision made by partners Donald Adair and Adam Leyens to have me continue as their CFO and office administrator was a sound one.
Sometimes people ask me if I feel less connected to my office, my job and my colleagues since I don't see them every day. I respond, "I'm not even remotely remote from them."
Dawn M. Covey is chief financial officer and office administrator of Adair Law Firm LLP in
By: Sheree Usiatynski
Just the term "quality processes" creates a vision of a conference room filled with flip charts, Post-It notes and graphs. It doesn't need to be that way. Implementing quality practices can be as simple as 1-2-3.
1. Start small. Beginning with a small change makes a transformation easier, whether it is in a lifestyle or a business environment.
Recent trends in weight loss emphasize lifestyle change vs. traditional diets. These changes often incorporate one or two small changes at a time, such as walking 10,000 steps a day. Once those changes are part of your new lifestyle, another small change is made. This process is repeated until a healthy lifestyle is achieved.
The same concept holds for creating a quality business culture. One easy change to implement is using "5 Whys" to identify the root cause of a problem. It involves asking "why" until the source of the problem is found. An example:
Why is our customer unhappy? Because she was billed twice.
Why was she billed twice? Because the billing department made a mistake.
Why was a mistake made? ... You get the picture.
2. Reinforce the changes. There is a reason that you still remember the words "five, five, five, five, let's sing a song of five" from a song in a children's show (which was brought to you by the number five), even though you haven't seen that show in 20 years. Repetition is the key to learning.
Just as children's shows use repetition to reinforce a concept, the same is true for changing a business culture. When new concepts aren't reinforced, they tend to be forgotten or eventually considered unimportant and then abandoned.
3. Lead by doing. While you might not lead improvement projects yourself, employees and peers take their cue from your actions.
In a previous job, I was responsible for making decisions affecting new products. When presented with a proposal or problem, I consistently asked several layers of questions about the situation and required projections of cost or other metrics. Initially, most proposals required multiple reviews because there wasn't enough detail to explain the true cause of the problem. Over time, the information was presented to me in a way that provided an in-depth analysis with appropriate data and required only a single review.
I smiled when I learned that my staff had a goal of presenting a proposal without getting sent back to answer questions or get more data. They created checklists (another quality tool) to help them remember what types of questions needed to be answered. Leading by doing worked.
Another benefit of this approach was the acceptance of quality concepts within the team. It wasn't necessary to state which specific quality tools were being used upfront. As my staffers received training in quality, they recognized the tools that had been used and had a good understanding of the value those tools bring. I didn't need to wait until everyone had received quality training to begin the culture change.
Sally Berger, a video, film and new media curator, lecturer and writer, is credited with saying: "The secret to getting ahead is getting started." Getting started is as simple as 1-2-3. Why wait?
Sheree Usiatynski is a business process consultant and president of SAU Consulting.
By: Louise Woerner
That excellent insight, early in my career, shook me out of what may be a traditional pattern for women: working hard at your desk.
Part of the issue may be in the definition of "work." For many women, business-social activities do not seem work-like, when really they are.
The importance of relationships cannot be underestimated in achieving a successful career.
Suzanne Turchetti of Rochester, who works with me at HCR, has commented that it is often a challenge to attend a luncheon when there are calls to be returned and stacks of papers from a variety of projects piling up on your desk. And yet, as Suzanne has noted, people she meets at those occasions can often be helpful in moving a project along.
She notes that "knowing the right person to ask a question of or to open a door can make all the difference."
The concept of networks is often discussed, but I have found that the only real way to have a network is to work with people, away from your desk, on community, organizational or other projects. Through those efforts, friendships are formed and areas of strength and interest are learned.
I have always believed that I should do things for the right reason and the benefits will follow. For example, working for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, though a failed effort, left me with many friends all across the country whom I have called on (and who have remembered me) over the years. Reaching out a hand when you see a need can never be a bad thing.
Working for a while in
The value of doing this over time cannot be underestimated. Relationships are built and nurtured. One cannot simply meet someone at a function, exchange business cards and think you have a relationship or valuable contact. That is only the first step. You need to follow up with the person whose card you have for lunch or another event to become better acquainted.
When there is an opportunity that you think is within that person's area of expertise, you then can call him or her to determine their interest.
Networking has to be a two-way street. As the late Nancy Woodhull, a founding editor of USA Today, once told me: "If you help me with this, I am sure you can find a way I can return the favor!" You bet I did.
It is critical to know that doing things for one another and trading favors is not a one-for-one transaction. Things will never be 50/50. It is not so in networks, it is not in marriages, or in friendships.
The richness people can achieve from doing work in the "unusual place" is one of the most rewarding elements of careers and business. Make sure some of that "work" is on your calendar.
Louise Woerner is founder, chairman and chief executive of HCR, a certified home health organization started in 1978. It employs 514 women and 54 men.
5 'imperatives' necessary for effective leadershipBy: Mimi Bacilek
Five leadership imperatives can open a different pathway for you, your people and most importantly your organization and the clients it serves.
What is your most important role? The first imperative is to realize that leaders hold a number of roles in the organization — to chart the course, ignite the passion of their followers, direct through the tough spots, remove barriers and seize the opportunities that appear.
How many of these important leader roles are you effectively carrying out? If you're doing the tasks more often than leading those who are doing the tasks, you have your first great insight into slaying the resource monster. Successful leaders first see themselves as a leader.
What strategic purpose are you leading your team toward? The second leadership imperative is purpose. Successful leaders can complete this statement: "We exist in order to ..."
A strong purpose helps everyone set daily and weekly priorities. Keeping people focused on the big issues of the organization enables greater outcomes.
Margaret "Meg" Wheatley, renowned author on leadership, tells us that organizational improvement is a combination of clarity of purpose, quality of relationships and the flow of information.
What is the quality of team member relationships? It is common to view various organizational functions as isolated and independent from one another, but the reality is that the organization's results depend on the connections between functions and the people in them.
The most successful leaders create opportunities for real relationships to develop rather than allowing purely transactional conversations to dominate. They assure people are engaged together in significant and meaningful work.
Look around your organization. How often do staffs work across functions, seeking opportunities to share learning and resources? How open is the flow of information?
Where is the focus of organizational conversations: what we can do, or what we can't do? When conversations focus on what we can do to meet the priorities, resource reallocations become clear and low-priority tasks and initiatives become easy to identify.
How willing are you to relinquish a task-oriented approach? Work cultures and human nature commonly reward task completion over strategic focus. Consider all the work you are doing or planning to do. What of it could be done by someone else? How is not delegating work limiting your ability to keep a strategic focus? If you're like most leaders, your answer is that it significantly limits the strategic.
Wheatley said that leaders create organizational possibilities by "nourishing a clear organizational identity, focusing people on the bigger picture and demanding honest and forthright communication."
Leading our organizations to even greater success requires us to pay attention to these five imperatives, determine behavior shifts we need to make to maximize them, and focus our organizations not only on the tasks at hand but also on the bigger picture of what must be accomplished.
Mimi Bacilek is an executive coach and president of SuccessBuildersLLC in