Organizational Culture !!

Organizational Culture   by Carter McNamara 

What is Culture?

Basically, organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Culture is comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artifacts) of organization members and their behaviors. Members of an organization soon come to sense the particular culture of an organization. Culture is one of those terms that's difficult to express distinctly, but everyone knows it when they sense it. For example, the culture of a large, for-profit corporation is quite different than that of a hospital which is quite different that that of a university. You can tell the culture of an organization by looking at the arrangement of furniture, what they brag about, what members wear, etc. -- similar to what you can use to get a feeling about someone's personality.

Corporate culture can be looked at as a system. Inputs include feedback from, e.g., society, professions, laws, stories, heroes, values on competition or service, etc. The process is based on our assumptions, values and norms, e.g., our values on money, time, facilities, space and people. Outputs or effects of our culture are, e.g., organizational behaviors, technologies, strategies, image, products, services, appearance, etc.

The concept of culture is particularly important when attempting to manage organization-wide change. Practitioners are coming to realize that, despite the best-laid plans, organizational change must include not only changing structures and processes, but also changing the corporate culture as well.

There's been a great deal of literature generated over the past decade about the concept of organizational culture -- particularly in regard to learning how to change organizational culture. Organizational change efforts are rumored to fail the vast majority of the time. Usually, this failure is credited to lack of understanding about the strong role of culture and the role it plays in organizations. That's one of the reasons that many strategic planners now place as much emphasis on identifying strategic values as they do mission and vision.

Some Types of Culture

There are different types of culture just like there are different types of personality. Researcher Jeffrey Sonnenfeld identified the following four types of cultures.

Academy Culture

Employees are highly skilled and tend to stay in the organization, while working their way up the ranks. The organization provides a stable environment in which employees can development and exercise their skills. Examples are universities, hospitals, large corporations, etc.

Baseball Team Culture

Employees are "free agents" who have highly prized skills. They are in high demand and can rather easily get jobs elsewhere. This type of culture exists in fast-paced, high-risk organizations, such as investment banking, advertising, etc.

Club Culture

The most important requirement for employees in this culture is to fit into the group. Usually employees start at the bottom and stay with the organization. The organization promotes from within and highly values seniority. Examples are the military, some law firms, etc.

Fortress Culture

Employees don't know if they'll be laid off or not. These organizations often undergo massive reorganization. There are many opportunities for those with timely, specialized skills. Examples are savings and loans, large car companies, etc.

 

Q&A: How Do We Begin to Inventory Our Employees' Skills?

How Do We Begin to Inventory Our Employees' Skills?
	My CEO wants me to prepare a report that gives an inventory of our employees' skills. The issue is important as this report will be submitted together with a succession-plan project for the company. With such a huge undertaking, where should I begin?—Planning for the Future, human capital officer, construction, Lagos, Nigeria
	Depending on the industry, job and/or technical discipline, there are literally thousands of skills, and evaluating all of them could be an endless task. So it is important to narrow down the project by zooming in on the skills most desired by your CEO, and understanding how this information will be used. Considering you mention succession planning, I suspect the list is narrower rather than broader. If your CEO could pick 10 to 15 of the most important skills or skill areas, what would they be? Are they the same ones you use to assess employee performance reviews and individual development plans? Is this an inventory for the purpose of knowing that they can do something, or how well they have been doing it? It's worth a follow-up question or two to clarify the actual need and avoid wasted effort. The next question: Is this skill inventory a do-it-yourself project, or is it something that can be delegated to others? Depending on the total number of people being evaluated, it seems that a divide-and-conquer approach to the task would work best. Create a simple form, pre-filled out with each employee's name, the generic list of 10 to 15 skills being sought by your CEO, and a place to either check off the skill (yes they have it, no they don't), or provide a rating (such as 1 for rudimentary, 2 for intermediate and 3 for advanced, depending on how your CEO answered the questions above). Set a deadline and create a review process to make sure the inventories are done consistently. Finally, if this is an "all-skill" inventory, meaning you want to know all of the relevant skills everyone has, the process is largely the same. You still will need to find out the most important and relevant skills your CEO expects employees to possess, but this list will be longer. You may need to build or buy a generic "skill list" and narrow it down from there, but it's critical to get guidance from your CEO. I've been through large all-skill inventories, and while the information is interesting, it tends not to be used thereafter, unless the skill lists being collected are relevant to the work at hand and where the organization is headed.   [SOURCE: David Peck, Leadership Unleashed, San Francisco, August 29, 2006]

Q&A: How Do We Implement Career Management as Part of Succession Planning?

How Do We Implement Career Management as Part of Succession Planning?
	We are implementing a career-management framework to groom future leaders. What methodologies or best practices provide a clear road map?—Not Sure Where to Go, skills coach, finance/insurance/real estate, Sydney, Australia
	Basing a career-management framework on proven methods is indeed effective. However, consider some key questions before delving into specific practices. What is the ultimate objective for implementing your new system? Do you want to deepen your leadership "bench strength" and develop emerging leaders? Are you aligning organizational roles and competencies with strategic business objectives? What are your future workforce demands ( i.e., critical employee roles and competencies)? What external factors (i.e., market conditions) might affect talent availability or a shift in your business objectives? The answers will help you create a customized strategic workforce plan based on both current and future business requirements. Implemented effectively, your planning will match job roles, competencies, HR systems and business objectives, as well as define leadership behaviors and robust succession management. Here is how you create a successful framework: Involve top leaders and gain their commitment to growing talent, model the behaviors considered instrumental to the organization, and encourage others to do likewise. Link business strategy to talent requirements so your organization can execute on its three- to five-year business plan. Identify talent gaps and address them, such as development opportunities and recruiting needs. This is an opportunity to connect with employees and managers and gauge their views on critical talent gaps and development needs. Depending on the size of your organization, it can be done through on-the-job observation, informal interviews, employee surveys, and/or focus groups. Use a variety of developmental activities including mentoring, coaching, job rotation, traditional educational programs and formalized feedback processes. Don't be afraid to try new approaches to development, including 360-feedback, special assignments, action learning and Web-based educational activities. Create enterprise-wide, formal employee development plans that dovetail with your performance management cycles. Formally identify and track high-potential employees' performance through partnerships with executives and managers. Form a structured, ongoing process of objective assessment and focused development, including direct feedback. Ensure that tools, development activities and HR systems are integrated with and support core and leadership competencies. Although this is not an exhaustive list of key best practices, following these suggestions will assist you in creating a framework of tools and systems that engender a sense of engagement and collaboration with every employee.   [SOURCE: Tameka B. Moss, Capital H Group, Waltham, Massachusetts, September 12, 2006.]

Work-Life Balance by Jim Bird

Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

Your best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The right balance for you today will probably be different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when you are single will be different when you marry, or if you have children; when you start a new career versus when you are nearing retirement.

 

There is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance you should be striving for. The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives.

 

However, at the core of an effective work-life balance definition are two key everyday concepts that are relevant to each of us. They are daily

Achievement and Enjoyment, ideas almost deceptive in their simplicity.

Engraining a fuller meaning of these two concepts takes us most of the way to defining a positive Work-Life Balance. Achievement and Enjoyment answer the big question "Why?" Why do you want a better income…a new house…the kids through college…to do a good job today…to come to work at all?

 

Most of us already have a good grasp on the meaning of Achievement. But let's explore the concept of Enjoyment a little more. As part of a relevant Work-Life Balance definition, enjoyment does not just mean "Ha-Ha" happiness. It means Pride, Satisfaction, Happiness, Celebration, Love, A Sense of Well Being …all the Joys of Living.

 

Achievement and Enjoyment are the front and back of the coin of value in life. You can't have one without the other, no more than you can have a coin with only one side. Trying to live a one sided life is why so many "Successful" people are not happy, or not nearly as happy as they should be.

 

You cannot get the full value from life without BOTH Achievement and Enjoyment. Focusing on Achievement and Enjoyment every day in life helps you avoid the "As Soon As Trap", the life dulling habit of planning on getting around to the joys of life and accomplishment "as soon as…."

 

Some philosophical guy bumps into me, and says…. "Heh mister… what's your purpose in life?" Well even in that half-awake condition, I'd have an answer for him. I'd say, "You know, I just want to achieve something today and I want to enjoy something today. And if I do both of those things today, I'm going to have a pretty good day. And if I do both of those things every day, for the rest of my life… I'm going to have a pretty good life."

 

And I think that's true for all of us. Life will deliver the value and balance we desire …when we are achieving and enjoying something every single day…in all the important areas that make up our lives. As a result, a good working definition of Work-Life Balance is:

 

Meaningful daily Achievement and Enjoyment in each of my four life quadrants: Work, Family, Friends and Self.

 

Ask yourself now, when was the last time you Achieved AND Enjoyed something at work? What about Achieved AND Enjoyed with your family; your friends? And how recently have you Achieved AND Enjoyed something just for you?

 

Why not take 20 minutes on the way home from work and do something just for yourself? And when you get home, before you walk in the door, think about whether you want to focus on achieving or enjoying at home tonight. Then act accordingly when you do walk in the door.

 

At work you can create your own best Work-Life Balance by making sure you not only Achieve, but also reflect the joy of the job, and the joy of life, every day. If nobody pats you on the back today, pat yourself on the back. And help others to do the same.

 

When you do, when you are a person that not only gets things done, but also enjoys the doing, it attracts people to you. They want you on their team and they want to be on your team.

Simple concepts. And once you focus on them as key components of your day, they are not that hard to implement. So, make it happen, for yourself, your family and all the important individuals you care about…every day for the rest of your life… Achieve and Enjoy.

The Folded Napkins - A Truckers Story

The Folded Napkin - A Trucker Stop Story

"I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted one. I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie.

He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome. I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade.

The ones who concerned me were the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded 'truck stop germ'; the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress wants to be flirted with. I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him for the first few weeks...

I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot.

After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and peppershaker was exactly in its place, not a breadcrumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. 

Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes and glasses onto his cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish of his rag.

If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met.

Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home. That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.

He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something put in his heart. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often have heart problems at an early age so this wasn't unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.

A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine.

Frannie, the head waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news.

Bell Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table.

Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Bell Ringer a withering look.

He grinned. 'OK, Frannie , what was that all about?' he asked..

'We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay.'

'I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?'

Frannie quickly told Bell Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery then sighed: 'Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK,' she said. 'But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is.' Bell Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables. Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day until we decided what to do.

After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand and a funny look on her face.

'What's up?' I asked.

'I didn't get that table where Bell Ringer and his friends were sitting cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and Tony Tipper were sitting there when I got back to clean it off,' she said. 'This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup.'

She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed 'Something For Stevie'.

'Pony Pete asked me what that was all about,' she said, 'so I told him about Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this.'

She handed me another paper napkin that had 'Something For Stevie' scrawled on its outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply: 'Truckers!!'

That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work.

His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday. He called ten times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy.

I arranged to have his mother bring him to work. I then met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back.

Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart were waiting

'Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast,' I said. I took him and his mother by their arms. 'Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me!'
I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room.

I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins 'First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess,' I said. I tried to sound stern.

Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had 'Something for Stevie' printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table.

Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother. 'There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers andtrucking companies that heard about your problems. 'Happy Thanksgiving.'

Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well.

But you know what's funny? While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table....
Best worker I ever hired."

Plant a seed and watch it grow....

THE 7 LEVELS OF CHANGE

THE 7 LEVELS OF CHANGE
A STRATEGY FOR CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

LEVEL 1:	Effectiveness	DOING the right things
LEVEL 2:	Efficiency	DOING things right
LEVEL 3:	Improving	DOING things better
LEVEL 4:	Cutting	Stopping DOING things
LEVEL 5:	Copying	DOING things other people are doing
LEVEL 6:	Different	DOING things no one else is doing
LEVEL 7:	Impossible	DOING things that can't be done

Each level is progressively more complex, more difficult to undertake that the preceding level. Consider the 7 Levels of Change in the context of moving into a new job or a new business activity to which you have not before been exposed.

 

LEVEL 1:  EFFECTIVENESS - DOING THE RIGHT THINGS. The easiest change to make is to learn the basics - what are the right things to do and how to immediately change enough to become effective in a new job. The Pareto Principle states that 20% of the things being done actually yield 80% of the total payoff. To maximize effectiveness, energy must be shifted to and focused on doing that 20% (the right things).

 

LEVEL 2:  EFFICIENCY - DOING THINGS RIGHT. Level 2 changes requires a thorough understanding of all the aspects of the new job or business activity in order to identify and then focus on doing very well those things which have the most important impact and make the largest contribution. Level 2 changes are based largely on personally adjusting to new standards and procedures, and involve coaching or explanations by others familiar with the job or business activity.

 

LEVEL 3:  IMPROVING - DOING THINGS BETTER. Change at this level involves thinking about ways to improve or fine-tune -- ways to speed things up, shorten delivery time, increase functionality, reduce downtime. Level 3 change makes something more effective, more efficient, more productive, andmore value-adding - frequently with customer input.

 

LEVEL 4:  CUTTING - DOING AWAY WITH THINGS. This level of change involves analysis of core functions and applies the Pareto Principle to focus on stopping doing things - cutting out the 80% of things that only yield 20% of the value. In the simplest case, change at Level 4 focuses on eliminatingwaste. If this can be done systemically while keeping all organizational interrelationships and subsystems in perspective, major company-wide results can be achieved.

 

LEVEL 5:  COPYING - DOING THINGS OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING. Level 5 marks the transition from incremental to fundamental change. Copying,learning from, and "reverse engineering" can dramatically boost innovation at significantly lower costs than starting from scratch. Benchmarking how other organizations are doing things and then enhancing upon their processes is the hallmark of the successful innovator.

 

LEVEL 6:  DIFFERENT - DOING THINGS NO ONE ELSE IS DOING. Change at Level 6 is about either doing something very different or doing somethingvery differently - and transitions into degrees of novelty which not only move an organization "out-of-the-box", they move the organization into areas where nobody else is doing it. Level 6 is a shift into 3-Sigma thinking. Such trailblazing and greater degrees of risk-taking can bring about genuinely new things, often by synthesizing seemingly unconnected concepts and technologies - or by totally shifting perspective around the possible uses of a product.

 

LEVEL 7:  IMPOSSIBLE - DOING THINGS THAT CAN'T BE DONE. "What is todayimpossible, but if it were possible it would fundamentally change the way you do business?" Joel Barker's famous question reframes thinking extremely well for Level 7. Market constraints, resource limitations, or company culture are too often seen as insurmountable barriers. As a result, discoveries at Level 7 frequently build on major mindshifts connected with exploratory thrusts into the unknown - bold, significant and long-term visions and change so different that it cannot be compared to anything else known at the time.

 

Any change requires time, resources and personal energy. The higher the level of change, the more time, resources and personal energy the change will require in implementation. Further, it is not a straight-line relationship across the 7 levels; it is geometric and explodes in terms of difficulty as the change level increases.

Source: www.thinking-expedition.com

 

Promotion Know-How for Women

Promotion Know-How for Womenby Francesca Di Meglio

There's good and bad news for women hoping to break through the glass ceiling. The bad news is that women are more than twice as likely to be underrepresented as overrepresented in company succession plans, according to a recent Internet survey of 3,100 human resources executives by Novations Group, a consulting and training organization in Boston. The good news is that women -- with smarts, courage and sound advice -- can change that by getting promoted and rising to the top.

Here are some tips from experts and, in some cases, women who have already arrived at the corner office:

Make Yourself Valuable

Your boss will do whatever it takes to keep you on board if you make her look good by producing work fast and well. By finishing grunt work, identifying and solving problems, and improving or creating services and products, you will have an advantage over the competition, says Bruce Tulgan, founder of RainmakerThinking, a Connecticut-based consultancy group.

"Every single skill you get under your belt, every single relationship you build with a decision maker who knows you're valuable, every single ounce of strength you add to your brain, body and spirit become cards in your hand," says Tulgan. "Those are chips in your pile that you can use to trade for rewards in your career."

You can make yourself valuable in tangible ways, such as learning a relevant foreign language, picking up technical skills or producing top-notch research. Possessing soft skills -- ranging from the capacity to learn quickly to the ability to communicate -- doesn't hurt either. Instead of networking in the traditional sense, use the skills you have to make yourself valuable to someone with whom you'd like to build a relationship, and then maybe she will be more willing to help you in the future, says Tulgan.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

One of the main differences between men and women is that men tend to speak up about their career goals, and women think their performance will speak for itself. Ladies, you're wrong!

"The one who usually gets the promotion is the one who wants it most and asks for it," says Lee E. Miller, managing director of NegotiationPlus.com, an educational group in Morristown, New Jersey, that teaches negotiation strategy to leaders.

Miller suggests asking your boss what you need to do to qualify for your dream job. Then put those suggestions into action. If you've performed well on those tasks and your boss is satisfied, consider asking outright for a promotion. If you can, make sure your boss is in the right mindset before initiating the conversation, adds Miller.

Be a Risk Taker

Many of the women who have had the most success took nontraditional paths to the top. Laura Mete Frizzell started her career in insurance and then moved into advertising where she landed gigs that had her trying to understand how the Internet would impact the industry. In the mid-1990s, she found herself developing the online media department for Deutsch Advertising in New York. Today, she's an MBA and vice president of media services at 360i in Atlanta. She credits her success to her willingness to shift careers and be a pioneer in a field no one understood.

You can do the same by following opportunities, not being rigid when considering your next move and taking chances. Have a great idea about a role you could fill for your company? Research it, write a proposal and present it to your boss. The company might be game. If nothing else, your superiors will notice your willingness to take initiative and make a statement. As a result, they might remember you the next time they're giving out bonuses or promoting people.

Laugh at Yourself

Having a sense of humor and refraining from taking yourself too seriously is an important part of succeeding in the workforce, says Sara Blakely, CEO and founder of Spanx, the innovative lingerie company based in Atlanta. "Laughing attracts people and will help get you promoted."

You'll have an easier time getting ahead if you're a pleasure to work with. "If you have a reputation for being difficult, rude, unethical or unreasonably demanding, then you will inevitably be passed for someone who creates less friction on a team," says Jennifer Kwee, product marketing manager at Motorola in Libertyville, Illinois.

Being likable requires you to be happy. Feeling satisfied and fulfilled means finding balance between your personal life and work as much as possible. Getting burned out won't help you get promoted. In fact, it just might hurt your chances of moving forward.

Find Passion

Enjoying your work is a great motivator. "You can't sleepwalk through your job," says Carol Kuc, president of the National Association of Women Business Owners. "If you have passion, you'll give your work full attention, and you'll find success."

For more than 10.5 million women, finding a labor of love meant starting their own business. But finding your passion also can translate into acting entrepreneurially at your existing company. Present new ideas, take ownership of projects and increase your responsibilities. Sooner or later, that kind of devotion will lead to a promotion -- maybe even two or three.

 

Get a Life by Clearing the Clutter !!

Get a Life by Clearing the Clutter !!  by Dianna Booher

The way you approach your in-box, workspace, and workload has as much to do with how much you get done in a day as does the number and size of your projects. Follow these steps to define and then streamline work habits, patterns, and methods. You'll have more time and energy to complete what's most important. 

 

Build White Space into Your Calendar 
To schedule your work most effectively, do not schedule enough tasks to consume every working and waking moment. Plan to about 80 percent capacity when you're going to be in the office and about 50 percent capacity just after returning from a trip. That means for a 50-hour work week, schedule about 40 hours of work, knowing that another 10 hours of "stuff" will appear unexpectedly. 

 

Avoid Work-and-Wait Patterns 
Waiting for approvals, opinions, information, equipment, or resources is a major time waster. Here are some tactics than can minimize, if not prevent, slow-downs:

Get other people's "buy in" on the due dates before you schedule tasks.

Offer to help people do the work or collect the information you need.

Let people know they don't have to have the information "in formal/final form."

Escalate the problem to your supervisor to negotiate the information at a higher level.

Remind everyone involved that you need the information as soon as it's available.

Be Wary of High-Tech, Time-Saving Devices 
High-tech may mean high-time. Before buying any "time-saving" gadget, consider the hidden investment of time in its use: time to select and purchase the appropriate item, time to learn how to operate it, time to set it up and secure it, time to refurbish or repair it, time to insure it and replace it. It's important to recognize that low-tech items like the pencil, ruler, rubber band, stapler, and broom can be real time-savers themselves.

 

Clutter Your To-Do List, Not Your Mind 
Your mind can hold only aboutseven chunks of information at once. Why push your luck? Do you frequently have flashes of brilliance when you're in the shower, out for a walk, driving the freeway? Write them down immediately rather than juggle them in your mind. Those who make lists stay on target and save time between tasks and ideas without wondering what comes next. Those who don't make lists are at the mercy of events, memory, and mediocrity.

 

Equip Multiple Places of Existence 
Wherever you need to do work, have there what you need-paper, pen, stamps, phone, calculator, computer, food. With the routine tools at hand, you can FINISH all these petty little projects while you're waiting in the car, in the line, in the lobby. Get a transport system for what you have to carry back and forth. Sorting and packing and then resorting and repacking into your briefcase can be a time-consuming chore. If you have several continuing projects, then have a bag, case, or binder for each. 

 

Create Systems and Routines for the Daily Duties 
Systems and routines make things faster, cheaper, and better. If you collect the same information over and over, why not compile a form to hand to your customers or employees? If you give out the same answers to the same questions, prepare a flyer for visitors and callers. If you give the same instructions for operating the same equipment, post the procedure near the equipment. If you respond to customers about the same products, create boilerplate letters and proposals ready for customers.

 

Complete Things 
Bonuses come upon the completion of projects. Signed contracts come at the end of negotiations. Points go on the scoreboard only when the runner crosses the goal line. Incomplete tasks leave you feeling depressed and wasted. One thing completed is worth ten things on hold. And you'll feel energized by the accomplishment.

 

Work in Marathons 
Marathons serve two motivations: to catch up or to get ahead. When you feel as though you're slipping further and further behind, decide to do a work marathon to catch up. Arrive early. Work late. Send out for food. Don't allow interruptions. Don't rework anything. Work fast and don't look up between projects. Put in three or four days like that, and you'll feel caught up enough to face the world again. On other occasions, you may have monumental tasks before you and want to get a jump start on them. Schedule a marathon and make it a big deal. The exhilaration from what you accomplish will more than reduce the fatigue from the actual work. When you get things done quickly, efficiently, and on schedule, not only do you impress your boss and your co-workers, but you create a sense of accomplishment that satisfies yourself as well. The next time you feel like you just can't get organized, try implementing a few or all of these tips to build momentum.

 

TOP 10 WAYS TO HELP RECRUITERS RECRUIT YOU !!

All good recruiters want to help their clients by finding the best available person for the job, but you have to remember that, as a candidate, you aren't paying for their services—the (hiring) client is. To get and keep their interest, and ultimately be presented to the client, you have to help your recruiter. 

Here are some widely held guidelines on the steps between contacting a recruiter and getting offered a job:
1.       A good resume and cover letter are the first essential step. Tips on doing a good cover letter are available, but it often doesn't accompany the resume when sent on to hiring managers. Therefore, the cover letter gets a recruiter's interest, but the resume and recruiter's presentation are what will "sell you" to the client. Every detail matters.
2.       Once you've sent your information, you should get a response. Usually the "No" responses come quicker than the "Yes" responses because the recruiter is combing through many applications. People who don't fit are simplest to contact quickly. People who do fit are collected and typically get a phone call or E-mail asking for more information upon which to make a decision. This may take up to (or longer than) a week, but if you don't get a response within 5 working days, follow up with an E-mail or phone call.
3.       Respond quickly when contacted by a recruiter. They're working as hard as they can to fill positions, and a slow response is viewed as a lack of interest. You also force them to contact more people while waiting for your response, which could cost you your chance at a great job. Many qualified people never get presented because other candidates were more qualified or showed more interest/cooperation. This is not a time to play poker or hard-to-get.
4.       Respond honestly to questions asked of you, but realize they are focused on whether or not you are someone who should be presented to the client. Be especially honest about your income expectations and any geographic limitations.  Most clients want recruiters to only present 3 to 6 finalists...people who are all qualified, interested, and would accept the position if offered. Efficient and straightforward interviewing will help earn recruiters' respect.
5.       Give the recruiter all the ammunition possible to get excited about you. Remember that EVERYONE being considered has the same basic job title, experience, education, etc., as you do. Duties and responsibilities are typically very similar, so accomplishments are often what separate the top candidates from the rest. This is the difference YOU made with previous or current employers. Be prepared to give details, not a vague "I increased sales" or "lowed costs". Tell them the problem, how you solved it, and what their results were. If necessary, offer to revise your resume so it better addresses what the recruiter's client is looking for.
6.       Be patient. Once you're told that you will be submitted to the client for consideration, you and the recruiter have to wait for feedback and action on the part of the client. Even under ideal conditions, a job vacancy requires others to do more work than normal, which further delays how quickly they can move. Be assured that the recruiter will do everything possible to get a decision and an interview as quickly as possible. At this point, following up with the recruiter only uses up valuable time and can even get them irritated with you. If anything changes, they will contact you immediately. If anything changes on your side, let the recruiter know. Contacting the client directly is suicide and will not help you at all.
7.       When the recruiter tells you that you've been selected for a phone or face-to-face meeting with the client, be open to advice and counsel. The recruiter knows the client and perhaps even the people you'll meet. The recruiter also has experience learned from hundreds or thousands of interviews and can provide you with invaluable tips and advice.
8.       Prepare for the interview. Do your homework on the company. Prepare your questions and presentation. The recruiter can help, but you want to outclass the competition for this position, and everyone else being considered is trying to outclass you. Review key client demands with your recruiter, who can guide you.
9.       Whenever you meet with a client, by phone or face-to-face, provide feedback and updates to the recruiter as soon as the meeting ends. This is your opportunity to let the recruiter help you by resolving any issues when they next talk to their client. No one likes surprises that affect their livelihood.
10.    Have a well-thought-out negotiation strategy. The offer may be made by the client or through the recruiter, and it should be within the range discussed with you previously. Asking for more at this final stage creates the risk of being passed over for the next best candidate, so be very careful that you're prepared to lose the job if what you're asking for is not agreed to.  Revising an official offer is not easily done.  Being hard-to-get at this stage rarely works: no one wants to hire a "reluctant bride." They want someone who's equally excited about entering into this marriage.
Remember that the recruiter only succeeds if they find, recruit, and help their client hire the best available person. The right person will positively impact their client, and the recruiter's future business with that client. They won't endanger that by trying to do anything other than what is best for ALL the parties concerned.

By Steve Kendall 

Train your Brain- Fine Tuning Your Thoughts for Wealth, Success and Happiness !!

"Train your Brain- Fine Tuning Your Thoughts for Wealth, Success and Happiness", written by By Dottye Blake .

We are what we think! Like a stone thrown on the water, thought produces ripples and waves which spread out over the great ocean of thought. The difference is that waves on the water move only on a level plane in all directions; but thought waves move in all directions from a common center, like the Sun’s rays. Just as we are surrounded by a great sea of air, we are also surrounded by a great sea of Mind. Our thought waves move in this vast mental ether, extending in all directions, and lessening in intensity because of the friction created by the waves coming into contact with the all-surrounding great sea of Mind.

These thought waves have other qualities differing from the waves on the water. They have the property of reproducing themselves; in this respect they resemble sound waves rather than waves upon the water. Just as the operatic singer will cause a glass to vibrate and “sing” ( and maybe shatter, too!), so will a strong thought tend to awaken similar vibrations in minds attuned to receive it. But, unless our minds are attuned to receive it, the thought will likely not affect us. If we are thinking high and great thoughts, our minds will acquire a certain keynote corresponding to the character of the thoughts we have been thinking. To understand the keynote, think of singing. When you are younger, your natural singing voice is usually in a higher key than it will be when you are older. The point of this is to establish your mind’s vibrational frequency at a higher “pitch” than you are used to. Once this keynote is established, we will be able to catch the vibrations of other minds keyed to the same thought. This also works if we get into the unfortunate habit of thinking thoughts of low character- we soon echo the low thoughts emanating from the minds of the thousands who think along these lines. 

We ARE largely what we have THOUGHT OURSELVES INTO BEING, the balance being represented by the character of the suggestions and thought of others, which have reached us either directly by verbal suggestions, or telepathically by means of such thought waves. Our general mental attitude determines the character of the thought waves received from others as well as the thoughts emanating from ourselves. We receive only such thoughts as are in harmony with the general mental attitude held by ourselves: the thoughts not in harmony have very little influence on us, as they awaken no response in us.

When you maintain a positive strong mental attitude of Confidence and Determination and believe in yourself 100 percent, you are not likely to be affected by adverse and negative thoughts of Discouragement and Failure emanating from the minds of other persons in whom Discouragement and Failure predominate. At the same time, these negative thoughts, if they reach a person whose mental attitude is tuned to a low key, deepen the person’s negative state, and add fuel to the fire which is consuming the person’s strength, or smother the person’s energy and activity. There have been times in my life when I lacked the energy to even get out of bed, due to my mental state. Negative thoughts can overwhelm a person, and cause them to “freeze up”.

The ancient Norse and Germanic peoples used an alphabet which today is referred to as the Runes. Think of the harsh conditions under which they lived, with the long, bitterly cold Winter bringing starvation and death to those who had not prepared by putting away enough of the food which was grown and gathered during the short Summer. One of the letters in their alphabet resembles two sticks being rubbed together to make a fire. This rune is called Nauthiz, the “need-rune”. One of the basic lessons of Nauthiz is that when times get rough, you better “get going” and take action- rub those sticks together! Meditation on this lesson is one way I overcome any mental blocks that cause me to “freeze up” and do nothing.

When your mind is operating along positive lines, you feel strong, buoyant, bright, happy, confident and courageous, and are enabled to do your work well, to carry out your intentions, and to progress on your road(s) to Success. You send out strong positive thought, which affects others and causes them to co-operate with you, or to follow your lead. When you are playing on the negative end of the “mental keyboard”, you feel depressed, weak, passive, dull fearful and cowardly. You find yourself unable to make any progress or to succeed. Your net effect on others is zero. You are led by others, rather than leading others, and are used as a human doormat by more positive persons. The old saying “If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything!” comes to mind. This was one mistake I made earlier in my life. By wallowing in negativity, I attracted more negativity, in the form of persons who would use and abuse me.

Remember- you possess the power to raise the keynote of your mind to a positive pitch by an effort of your will. The challenge is not to allow yourself to drop into a low, negative note by carelessness or a weak will.

In Eliphas Levi’s Transcendental Magic, we find one of the earliest (if not the first) mentions of The Four Powers of the Sphinx, also known as The Four Powers of the Magus. The Third Power of the Sphinx (or Magus) — To Will — holds the key when it comes to incorporating these lessons into our actual practice. The force of the human will is an extraordinary thing. While it is not unlike electricity, in that it often follows the “path of least resistance”, it has the amazing capability to go “against the current”. This is not without some amount of inherent stress and discomfort for the “willer”, but quite often, it produces results that are well worth the effort if done in the proper way.

There are more people on the negative plane of thought than on the positive plane; consequently, there are more negative thought vibrations in operation in our mental atmosphere. Happily for us, this is counter-balanced by the fact that a positive thought is much more powerful than a negative one, and if by force of will we raise ourselves up to a higher mental key, we can shut out the depressing thoughts and take up the vibrations of the surrounding positive thoughts corresponding to our changed mental attitude. This is one of the secrets of the affirmations and autosuggestions used by Master Mind and other groups involved in schools of Mental Science. Affirmations serve two purposes:

1. They tend to establish new mental attitudes within us and act powerfully in character-building, and in making ourselves over

2. They tend to raise the mental keynote, so that we get the benefit of the positive thought waves of others on the same higher plane of thought.

Whether or not we actually believe in them, we are constantly making affirmations. When you assert that you can and will do something- and assert it earnestly-you develop in yourself the qualities conducive to the well-doing of that thing. At the same time, you place in your mind the proper key to receive all thought waves likely to help you make your thought-form a reality, and accomplish your goal. On the other hand, if you say and feel that you are going to fail, you will choke and smother the fire of the thoughts coming up from your own subconscious which are intended to help you, and you will place yourself in tune with the “failure-thought” of the world. There is too much “failure thought” around, and it is easy to succumb.

As another catch-word entreats, “Rise above it!”. Do not allow yourself to be pulled down by adverse and negative thoughts of those around you. Rise to the upper chambers of your mental dwelling, and key yourself up to a strong, high pitch, away from eh vibrations on the lower planes of thought. Then, you will not only be immune to their negative vibrations, but will be in touch with the great body of strong positive thought coming from those of your own plane of development. Keep your mind in a “comfortable” key, not straining to reach the “high note” But, have the “high note” at your command, and use it when circumstances demand. You will no longer be under the mercy of old, ingrained negative programming or actions of the mind, but will have them well under control. Development of the will is much like physical training to achieve muscle development. It is a matter of practice and gradual development and improvement. At first, it will be tiresome, but with each trial you will grow stronger until the new strength becomes real and permanent. 

Managers and Employee Termination

Managers and Employee Terminationby Matt KrumrieMonster Contributing Writer
 

Letting an employee go is a difficult situation most managers want to avoid, but with the right preparation and professionalism, you can get through such a tough talk with your dignity -- and your employee's -- intact.

Firing Best Practices

Another manager or HR representative should always be present, especially if terminating a potentially hostile employee or one who might twist your words or make false accusations. It is also best to include a balance of genders, says Lissa Weimelt, principal with The Hiring Experts, a retained executive search firm.

The best place to terminate is a private office or meeting room close to an exit -- there is nothing worse than an upset employee having to traipse through a workplace to find his way out.

Out of respect for and fairness to the employee, terminate as early in the workweek and day as possible. In addition, bring tissues and water as well as the phone number for an employee assistance program representative, if available, says Scott Cawood, PhD, president of ModernThink, an employee management consulting firm.

"If you let someone work all day, then they are giving to the company, and other employees will see this as disrespectful that you let them give all day long, or all week long, then fired them at the last possible moment," says Cawood, author ofDestination Profit: Creating People-Profit Opportunities in Your Organization . "Fire them early and pay them for the day, but let them leave right after the meeting.

There are logistical issues to work out, too. Cawood once had to terminate an employee who used a company car. How will that employee get home? Finally, have any necessary paperwork or documents ready to avoid scrambling for them as the employee tries to leave.

What to Say and How to Say It

When the time comes, it's best to just get down to business, says Pamela Holland, author of Help! Was That a Career Limiting Move? and chief operating officer of Brody Communications. "The termination discussion should be as brief as possible," she says. "Your tone should be calm and assertive."

According to Weimelt, ex-employees often criticize former employers for giving vague reasons for termination. "Being prepared, staying calm and speaking respectfully is critical to a termination procedure," she says. "Many employees actually know when they are not doing a good job. If the termination itself is handled well, an ex-employee is less likely to blame the employer for being fired."

Managers should know that saying too much can get them into legal hot water, says Weimelt. Therefore, it's important to make a prepared, written statement that can be placed in the employee's personnel file, such as:

John, after reviewing your work performance for the last two months, we concluded that this job is not a good fit for your skills. Because of that, today is your last day. We thank you for working with us on a smooth transition. You will have time to gather your personal items, and we will assist you.

Cawood says it's important to get to the point quickly. "You should let someone know the real deal within three minutes of the start of the meeting," he says. "Don't worry about breaking the ice. There is nothing you can do that will make the message pleasurable."

After You Drop the Bomb

According to Weimelt, employees may have a variety of questions, including:

• Can you give me an example of what I did wrong?
• Will I get a reference from you?
• Can I file for unemployment?
• Are you going to tell other employees I am fired?
• Do I get any severance?

The best policy overall is to avoid being backed into the specifics trap and refer any questions regarding company policy to HR.

Managers need to keep sight of the bigger picture. "The important thing to remember is that your role as a manager is to ensure that certain deliverables are being met in keeping with the company's strategic direction," says Holland. "When someone fails to do that in his or her job, either because of lack of ability or bad judgment, you must draw strength in the fact that by terminating that person, you are fulfilling your obligations and doing the right thing."

It's also important to remember that your delivery can help soften the blow. "There is never an easy way to share hard information," says Cawood. "You can, however, be sensitive to the employee's need to process the data, be upset and avoid being embarrassed."