tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8960423493307750482024-03-19T13:26:24.024-07:00Shearin Group Training ServicesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-72125308027954832202015-03-23T16:31:00.002-07:002015-03-23T16:31:33.057-07:00The Shearin Group Training Services: Are schools becoming 'exam factories'?There has been growing concern in the UK about evident drawbacks of the current <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news">educational system</a> being dubbed as "exam factory".
<br><br>
Hundreds of parents, teachers and children's writers expressed their concern that children are getting burdened by ever-increasing pressure in today's schools.
<br><br>
"We are concerned to hear of children crying on their way to school, upset that they will not be able to keep up: of parents worried that their 4-year-olds are 'falling behind' or of 6-year-olds scared that 'they might not get a good job' ... And we wonder what has happened to that short period in our lives known as 'childhood'," says the letter signed by over 400 concerned teachers and parents.
<br><br>
It's certainly one proof that the current model of education needs to change so students can get a more "grounded and rounded education" -- for their own good and for that of the country.
<br><br>
According to The <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">Shearin Group Training Services</a>, the letter went on to touch on the ill effects on teachers and children of numerous exams dominating most of school time. Worse, some students who are under pressure would tend to switch off and just stop trying altogether. Even the so-called cream of the crop are obviously struggling to keep their place.
<br><br>
It's as if education is all about students passing an exam, something that doesn't obviously translate to real learning all the time. They are told to retake exams countless times until they pass -- as if the act of passing itself is supposed to mean everything.
<br><br>
As noted by The Shearin Group Training Services, such system does not help at all in preparing students for the future or in equipping them with the all-important critical thinking. In the end, this is not "teaching" children but merely "drilling" them.
<br><br>
Another signatory to the letter who is a senior official of Pre-School Learning Alliance warned, "The current focus on formal testing and measurable outcomes risks encouraging a 'tick-box' approach to early education, a shift that would undoubtedly have a detrimental impact on children's early learning experiences."
<br><br>
Moreover, it's not only frustrating for students but for teachers as well. For instance, statistics from the Department of Education revealed that most teachers are working more than 50 hours per week on average, most of it spent on "unnecessary or bureaucratic" activities.
<br><br>
Michael Rosen, popular novelist and poet, said it succinctly when he commented: "You can sit in a bookshop and see people buying books full of mock tests and blank pages to fill in -- and ignoring the real books."
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-46549584552221376832015-02-22T16:55:00.001-08:002015-02-22T16:55:38.165-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training in Hong Kong on Tips for Passing Practical Assessments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/2/4/1423065333501/12a40cec-8864-465a-a465-909bda2c3c13-1020x612.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2015/2/4/1423065333501/12a40cec-8864-465a-a465-909bda2c3c13-1020x612.jpeg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/feb/05/job-senior-leadership-team-teaching-schools">10
tips for passing practical assessments when applying for a senior teaching job</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Your CV
has made the cut, now it’s time for presentations, demonstration lessons and
psychometric tests. Here’s how to prepare for success<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Interviews for <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">teaching jobs</a> used to involve a
half-hour chat to a panel of well-meaning governors. But these days, they are
more like physical and psychological assault courses with presentations,
demonstration lessons, psychometric tests, observations and in-tray exercises.
And if you’re applying for a senior teaching job, you need to prepare yourself
for the practical tests as well as the formal interview.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Demonstration
lessons<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Give a lesson plan to the observers beforehand
so if it all goes horribly wrong at least they know what you intended to
achieve. Detail how you plan to differentiate and show progress, even if there
wasn’t time during the demo lesson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mary Glynn, candidate development manager at
Prospero Teaching, says: “The first question the panel are likely to ask at the
formal interview will be about evaluating your performance in practical things
like the demo lesson. Focus on answering this well – show you are a reflective
teacher and can justify the decisions you made.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Be ready to explain at interview how you
differentiated, especially for EAL or SEN, how you planned for progress,
justify why you changed tack or improvised and acknowledge any mistakes you
made.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Don’t expect parity, though. You could get a
tough year 9 group when another candidate gets sweet little year 7s. Your
lesson might have to be taught after the formal interview while another might
be interviewed before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Presentations<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You are likely to be asked to do a 10-minute
presentation on the role you are applying for. You might be asked about your
vision for the English department or how you would take forward safeguarding,
pastoral care or behaviour in the school. Here’s how to deliver a cracking
presentation:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Plan a beginning, middle and an end – basically
tell a story in about why you are right for the job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- <b>Your
beginning</b> (maximum two minutes). Think A,B,C and D: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A is for attention – get the panel’s attention
with an arresting quote or statistic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">B is for benefit – what is the interview panel
about to learn from you in next 10 minutes? Summarise it in 15 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">C is for credentials – tell them (again in 15
seconds) what your credentials are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">D is for direction – give them a 20-second
outline of the structure of your presentation so they’ll remember it once you
have finished.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- <b>Your
middle </b>(maximum seven minutes). This is your content, the meat in the
sandwich. Give a compelling outline of your vision supplemented perhaps by a
diagram or infographic, maybe a few stats, a very short video clip all on half
a dozen PowerPoint slides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- <b>Your
ending</b> (maximum one minute). Finish with a call to action or an inspiring
line that sums up you and what you will do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lesson
observations<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You are required to observe someone else’s
lesson to test whether you can identify outstanding teaching. They’ll be
looking to assess the quality of your written and oral feedback, your
confidence to assess what you observed or a coaching tip to develop skill and
technique. You also need to show a wider appreciation of your subject knowledge
or <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">leadership</a> potential.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In-tray
exercises<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">These test your ability to prioritise and cope
under pressure. Can you deal with a dozen things coming at you at once? How will
you prioritise urgent matters like multiple staff absences, coursework
deadlines and the school boiler breaking down all on the same morning? You can
prepare for these by searching for examples on the internet. Search for
“in-tray exercises for teachers” – Exeter University and @TeacherToolKit has
them. There are no right answers but practising helps you prepare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Psychometric
tests<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">These are a harder to prepare for because they
are supposed to objectively test your mental ability, aptitude and personality.
You may be asked to engage with a variety of exercises that test your verbal
and numerical ability or your abstract, spatial or mechanical reasoning. I did
one for a headship with the three other candidates for the job that involved
building a three-foot high tower with paper clips and sheets of A4. It was
worse than an episode of The Apprentice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-67621253337674671772015-02-17T17:38:00.000-08:002015-02-17T17:38:28.026-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training in Hong Kong: Sushi Maki CEO’s five tips for growing your business<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/1ZPUwqZ.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" /></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The success of South Florida’s popular local restaurant chain
Sushi Maki didn’t come overnight. Its founder and CEO, Abe Ng, suffered the
failure of another business before figuring out how to stay afloat in Miami’s
local economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ng’s first restaurant endeavor lasted just two years. Though he
and his former business partner are still friends, Ng said the partnership
didn’t work. Now he tells his mentees to ask themselves, “Does this person see
the world in the same way I do?” before choosing a business partner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ng’s parents immigrated to Miami from Hong Kong and started the
local Canton Chinese restaurant chain when Ng was a child. He grew up in the
family business, learning the lifestyle and business savvy necessary to become
an entrepreneur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Now he runs Canton, as well as Sushi Maki, which grew from one
restaurant in Coral Gables to 15 locations all over Miami, including one at
MMC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">On Jan. 28, in a speech sponsored by the Center for Leadership as
part of their 2015 Leadership Lecture Series, he gave FIU students his <b><a href="http://news.fiu.edu/2015/02/sushi-maki-ceos-five-tips-for-growing-your-business/84491"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">five best tips for starting a
small business</span></a></b> in Miami:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">1. Dream Big, Be Frugal<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Sushi Maki was born on a low budget; the company’s first logo was
made on Microsoft Word, and its only delivery van was jokingly labeled “008” to
give the impression there was a fleet of vehicles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“If you have a vision, don’t spend your money. Survive,” said Ng.
“Some of the best businesses come when you have no money and your back is
against the proverbial wall.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2. Chief Energy Officer<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Being CEO is about more than just running the company. Instead of
chief executive officer, Ng sees the CEO’s role as the “chief energy officer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">At Sushi Maki, Ng takes the time to make sure his employees are
happy, even when they have to work on holidays. Ng makes sure to get out on
Christmas with his family in tow to visit employees and thank them for working.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“You need to love the journey you’re on and love building teams,”
said Ng.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3. Best-in-class Partnerships<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">FIU’s Sushi Maki, located in the Graham Center, represents the
“power of great relationships” as many of Ng’s employees, including his
sister-turned-business partner, are FIU graduates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Sushi Maki has a diverse range of partnerships, from a restaurant
at Miami International Airport to his newest endeavor, sushi stations inside
South Florida Whole Foods stores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ng’s advice to young entrepreneurs: “Be in a good partnership for
the long haul.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4. Open Networks<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“Make yourselves available to be mentored,” said Ng. Outside of
the support and training he received growing up in a family that owned a
restaurant, Ng found a mentor in FIU graduate and Pollo Tropical founder Larry
Harris. Now he sees it as his responsibility to offer advice and support to
people trying to start a business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ng also said having a strong support network, especially in your
family, is the key to keeping a new business afloat. His whole family works for
Sushi Maki.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“When you jump into a business, you need everybody on board,” he
said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">5. What’s Next?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A good businessperson always has the future in mind. Ng said his
goal for Sushi Maki is to get “better before bigger.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">While taking risks can be important, Ng said he’s not a big
believer in leveraging credit cards and dropping out of school to start a
business. Sticking with things and finishing projects, even if they aren’t
successful, is key.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“You can’t learn everything in one year,” said Ng. “Don’t
overvalue the next opportunity and undervalue the opportunity that you have
today.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For more tips and guide for
leadership, <b><a href="http://theshearingroups.org/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Shearin Group Training Services Inc.</span></a></b> will
help you. <b><a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Shearin Group Training Services</span></a></b> leadership
programs have been assisting companies in France. With leaders at different
levels have availed of our leadership training programs.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-79872201975798427992015-02-15T16:26:00.002-08:002015-02-15T16:27:52.334-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training in Hong Kong: Are you a hack waiting to happen? Your boss wants to know<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6vVeUshlnfqL3iYQ3Hb4AyfmiQeNomIeoGM2FaJojTJESDUAaRnu7Urm76UnSBJUyOt6aFpg5q1upn93jFp__7WVhfrXhISNwtaXGmDHNjbidhDAF7pet-Zv9COMCBi0KJEb8sPhb9Ve/s1600/6701385_G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6vVeUshlnfqL3iYQ3Hb4AyfmiQeNomIeoGM2FaJojTJESDUAaRnu7Urm76UnSBJUyOt6aFpg5q1upn93jFp__7WVhfrXhISNwtaXGmDHNjbidhDAF7pet-Zv9COMCBi0KJEb8sPhb9Ve/s1600/6701385_G.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The next phishing email you get could be from your boss.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With <a href="http://www.wfmj.com/story/28089207/are-you-a-hack-waiting-to-happen-your-boss-wants-to-know">high-profile
security breaches</a> on the rise, from Sony Pictures to Anthem, companies are
on the defensive. And they want to make sure their employees are not a hack
waiting to happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Data show phishing emails are more and more common as
entry points for hackers. Unwittingly clicking on a link in a scam email could
unleash malware into a network or provide other access to cyberthieves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So a growing number of companies, including Twitter Inc.,
are giving their workers a pop quiz, testing security savvy by sending spoof
phishing emails to see who bites.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"New employees fall for it all the time," said
Josh Aberant, postmaster at Twitter, during a data privacy town hall meeting
recently in New York City.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Falling for the fake scam offers a teachable moment that
businesses hope will ensure employees won't <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">succumb to a real threat</a>. It's even a
niche industry: companies like Wombat Security and PhishMe offer the service
for a fee.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Phishing is very effective, according to Verizon's 2014
data breach investigations report, one of the most comprehensive in the
industry. Eighteen percent of users will visit a link in a phishing email which
could compromise their data, the report found.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Not only is phishing on the rise, the phish are getting
smarter. Criminals are "getting clever about <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">social engineering</a>," said
Patrick Peterson, CEO of email security company Agari. As more people wise up
to age-old PayPal and bank scams, for example, phishing emails are evolving.
You might see a Walgreens gift card offer or a notice about President Barack
Obama warning you about Ebola.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The phishing tests recognize that many security breaches
are the result of human error. A recent study by the nonprofit Online Trust
Alliance found that of more than 1,000 breaches in the first half of 2014, 90
percent were preventable and more than 1 in 4 were caused by employees, many by
accident.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Fake phishing emails are indistinguishable from the real
ones. That's the point. In one sent out by Wombat, the subject reads
"Email Account Security Report - Unusual Activity." The email informs
the recipient that his or her account will be locked for unusual activity such
as sending a large number of undeliverable messages. At the bottom there's a
link that, were this a real phishing email, would infect the recipient's
computer with malicious software or steal password and login information.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you click?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Up pops a web page: "Oops! The email you just
responded to was a fake phishing email. Don't worry! It was sent to you to help
you learn how to avoid real attacks. Please do not share your experience with
colleagues, so they can learn too." It also offers tips on recognizing
suspicious messages.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the 14 years since PhishMe CEO and co-founder Rohyt
Belani has been in information security, he says the industry has changed from
something a "geek in the back room" was supposed to take care of to
something companies now handle at the highest level of management. The nature
of the intruder also has changed, from pranksters to criminal organizations and
nation-states.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As the security industry developed, he said, so did the
idea of the user as "stupid" and the "weakest link,"
destined to continue to fall for phishing attempts and other scams. Belani
disagrees with that, faulting the security industry for not better training
workers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
"We posted posters in hallways, gave out squishy
balls, (made) screen savers," he said. "When was the last time you
changed your password because of a squishy ball?"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
While phishing training emails are a "good
cautionary measure," they aren't "actually going to strike at the
core of the issue," believes Agari's Peterson. He, along with large
Internet companies such as Facebook Inc., Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp., support
establishing a standard that makes it impossible for scammers to impersonate
your bank, social network or other business in an email. Think of it as a
verification system for emails. For now, though, this seems a long way off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, at Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville,
Tennessee, employees will continue to receive fake phishing emails, about one a
quarter. The results are reported to the company's audit committee and board of
directors, said Chief Information officer Randy Withrow. Since the 800-employee
company started the Wombat program Withrow said it has seen a 25 percent drop
in successful phishing attempts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Workers "take it very personally" when they
fall for it, he said. "They become apologetic and wonder, 'how did I miss
it?'"</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Luckily for Pinnacle, it was only a test.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-84739716765580097622015-01-06T16:37:00.001-08:002015-01-06T16:37:36.340-08:00How Shearin Challenges the Individual to Become a Leader<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">Leadership</a> is a function of all humans.
The father is the leader of the family. The wife also shares that role within
her own capacity without taking away or destroying the main role granted to the
man. The family, in a most fundamental way, leads the way for all members of
society. It provides the values and role models that growing children must have
in order to sustain the cycle of order and harmony in the community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In business,
the specific form of leadership applied bears general parallelism with the
basic principles that govern the family and the community. After all, business
cannot exist and operate outside of </span><a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">society</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">.
And it is for the benefit and the welfare of the family, ultimately, that
business must exist and operate; otherwise, business becomes nothing more than
a money-making venture devoid of practical , cultural and spiritual use for
humans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Shearin Group
Review believes in the importance of
leadership at all levels of society, much more so within the organization of a
company. Yet, it begins with the individual who forms the basic unit of any
social or economic structure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Shearin's
Individual Leadership Program aims to fortify the principle that every level of
supervisors has the purpose of producing a culture in which people will become
aware of what is expected of them. To
achieve this goal, leaders must be effective communicators to those under their
supervision, allowing them to participate in the decision-making process and
leading them to take responsibility for the tasks entrusted to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This, then, is
the overarching principle in Shearin's leadership training program:
Productivity can only be achieved when everyone shares the responsibility and
accountability of the required work and the common goals set for the team. Without this challenge ever put in front of
every person in the firm, the whole organization will not function as
completely as it should. There will
always be setbacks and obstacles that will drag down progress of the company,
as there are external factors that we all cannot control. However, when the
risks and opportunities are recognized beforehand by the team, the whole
organization can learn to adapt and still function through difficult times
without any major hindrance. When the
leadership is strong at all levels, there is not a crisis or problem that
cannot be properly handled and resolved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Achieving a
person's highest potential involves allowing each participant to have hands-on
training in realistic situations tha twill measure their capacity to withstand
the rigors of leadership as well as the nuances of cooperating with others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The program
intends to attain the following goals:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">- Improve
profitability and results<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">- Inspire
people and to develop workers' overall satisfaction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">- Enhance
cooperation among workers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">- Increase
levels of achievement of goals<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">- Reduce
conflict, undisciplined behavior and crisis management<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">- Be counted
among the over 2500 supervisors who have completed the program in the last 16
years!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Shearin has
shown the way to accomplish the challenging task of improving individuals that
they may attain their full potential and find satisfaction on a daily basis
until they reach a ripe old age. This is not an impossible task and it is an
ideal that is worth achieving for everyone who is given that opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-10302455328390669122014-12-15T16:04:00.001-08:002014-12-15T16:04:23.298-08:00The Shearin Group Training Services: Can E-learning Replace a School Day?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
E-learning has been gaining traction in some parts of the US
particularly in public schools as a learning option for when weather gets so
bad that schools had to suspend classes. Then students at home are supposed to
use their school-issued netbooks or tablets to work on the virtual lessons and
communicate with their instructors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Educational institutions have been slowly opening up to
alternative routes of learning such as said online courses. And what is now
termed "adaptive learning" could be leading the way of personalized
and tech-driven learning process for students.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Virtual lesson plans are customized to enable a student to
study at home on key subjects. Ideally, they can also communicate with their
teachers via Google Hangouts or Chat. It works even if there's no internet
connection because the lessons are supposed to be available to work on offline.
Another bonus is that students won't have to do detention for failing to submit
a homework -- because of possible connectivity issues no doubt.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">The Shearin Group
Training Services</a>' platform enables an instructor to create adaptive and
customized tutorials using any of the included coursework. For instance, once a
student has demonstrated enough knowledge on a certain part of the course, the
lesson can adapt by allowing him to skip through other content. On the other
hand, a student who still needs more instructions based on his responses will
be provided with additional resources to aid his understanding of the topic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It gained popularity last year when snow fall forced most
institutions to suspend a few days of school, eventually causing them to
shorten the vacation time to complete the required number of days of
instruction. Now, there's a contention of whether e-learning should be
considered as a day in class. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Sure students can still do some schoolwork even when classes
had to be suspended due to bad weather, but it is doubtful if they will really
appreciate or follow this instead of, getting extra sleep, for example. But as <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">The Shearin Group Training Services</a>
said, virtual lessons meant class suspensions don't have to eat up everyone's
vacation time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The only caveat is that students will miss the irreplaceable
experience one can have inside an actual schoolroom -- something that everyone
agrees is a big factor in the learning process.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Kari Whicker, State Board of Education Member said,
"The question isn't if e-learning is bad, it's good. And the people who
are doing it well are doing it very well. But, before we open up the floodgates
have we asked everything we need to ask."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Precisely why, prior to e-learning getting an official endorsement
by the local governments, the financial circumstance and learning capability of
the students have to be considered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
School Superintendent Philip Downs said, "We've spent a
lot of time making sure every child regardless of disability or financial
situation is accounted for and there is a plan or. There has been a lot of work
in the background in this to get ready to do this."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Obviously, more students are going to enjoy this kind of
substitute learning, what with the personalized content and added perks they
get. Platforms for e-learning are expected to attract more institutions as a
result.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-75006960693791584712014-12-05T17:17:00.001-08:002014-12-05T17:19:30.822-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Top 10 Tips for Building a Flourishing Company Culture<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/KHPOsnY.jpg" height="419" style="-webkit-user-select: none; cursor: zoom-in;" width="575" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Culture cannot flourish if individuals do not sustain it. Whether
it’s a beautiful or horrific culture, it does not exist without one individual
after another choosing to support it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For me, the culture that I want to live and work in is achieved
through what I value most: values like honesty, fairness, and promoting
success for everyone involved in and related to my organisation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">These are among the values that guide me to my purpose, which is
helping people realize their best selves. What follows are <b><a href="http://www.businessrevieweurope.eu/leadership/302/Top-10:-Tips-for-Building-a-Flourishing-Company-Culture"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ten steps you can use</span></a></b>
to create a similar culture for your organisation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 1. Create Stakeholders: It
Begins and Ends with You<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you are recruiting people into an organisation that reflects a
carefully articulated purpose and set of values, you’ve got to begin and end
your day thinking about and acting on those values.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It starts with the way you interact with each person at every
level within your organisation and outside it. Make sure your values and
purpose are known to everyone and that they provide a core framework for daily
operations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 2. Create Stakeholders: It’s
Not Enough to Bring People on Board<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It’s not enough for you to bring people on board who share your
values and your purpose. You need to keep these people on board. The real challenge,
however, comes with holding on to the client or the talented employee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">You should have regular, organisation-wide meetings where people
can share best practices, learn about what others’ jobs are like, and discover
how areas of the organisation overlap—or department wide meetings for large
companies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Remember that you want people who will actively engage with each
other without fear of leadership ego’s getting in the way. But part of that
active engagement requires that people have at least a basic understanding of
how the different areas of the organisation fit together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 3. Promote Accountability:
Freedom, Transparency, and Responsibility<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Eleanor Roosevelt said, “With great freedom comes great
responsibility.” When you create the sort of culture that encourages people to
share and challenge ideas, you create a culture in which people feel free to
innovate and be creative. This also means that people are responsible for what
they say and what they do. We all are agents of our actions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you are going to create an environment and a culture of trust,
transparency, and honesty, you must live it every day and not just preach it.
You must say the things you believe are true, and you must do the things you
say you will do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 4. Create Dialogue: Listen<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Related to the idea that a vibrant culture is one that encourages
people to speak their mind and expects the experience to be beneficial for
everyone involved is the idea that people should take dialogue seriously.
Believe it or not, many people don’t know how to have a conversation that
actually produces good ideas. Lots of times, we don’t listen to each other but
rather simply wait for our chance to get our point across. The point of really
listening is to understand and, more often than not, to take action on what you
hear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 5. Create Dialogue: Confirm
or Correct<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ask the person you’re speaking with to confirm that your
recapitulation of their meaning is accurate, or to correct you. After all, the
ideas you’re trying to get right are theirs, not yours. Yes, the one
communicating has the burden of making him- or herself clear, but you can help
improve the person’s articulation. In addition, since you want people to take
responsibility for what they say and do, you need to know you’ve got it right,
and you need them to know that you care about that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 6. Create Dialogue: Situate
the Conversation<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">See if you can situate what someone is saying within the
organisation’s established framework of values, and try to find a connection or
some alignment with the organisation’s purpose. Doing so will help keep the
focus on why everyone showed up for work!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 7. Create Dialogue: Consider
Assumptions<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Every story has to begin somewhere; we have to assume something to
get things going. Similarly, when we engage in dialogue, we make certain
assumptions that are often not explicit. They’re simply the givens we take to
be true for the purpose of starting. Just as you do when you reformulate in
your own words, check with the speaker to see if what you believe they have
assumed is, in fact, what they assume!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As with verbal disputes, it’s often the case that our
disagreements occur because of what is not said. In other words, we don’t state
our assumptions, and we believe we know what others’ assumptions are, but we’re
wrong!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 8. Disagreement Does Not
Mean Stalemate: Give Others’ Ideas a Try<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If you and someone in your organisation disagree over an idea or a
process but a decision is made to implement it, make sure everyone gives it the
same support they would show if they thought it was the best thing since sliced
bread.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It’s your job to get people on board and excited about the
direction of a program, process, or policy, whether it was your idea or not.
It’s easy to help things fail; it’s a lot harder to see them succeed. Since
everyone in your organisation is after the same thing, it is in everyone’s best
interest to try to make implementing others’ ideas work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 9. Change: Manage It<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Change is a scary, scary thing for most people. They don’t know
where they fit in with this change, or if they’ll be left out. It’s important,
therefore, that whenever change is on the horizon, those who are responsible
for deciding to implement it communicate their reasons clearly and thoroughly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">People need to understand the context for change as well as how
change will impact their workload, workflow, planning, and so forth. Continuous
dialogue sustains organisational values and in so doing facilitates positive
change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Step 10. Values: You’re in the
Relationship Business<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Never forget that human interactions are always meaningful at some
level. You’ve probably had interactions that, for some reason, were really
meaningful to others, though you thought them to be rather pedestrian. And the
shoe has likely been on the other foot, too. You can never anticipate what is
going to impact someone else’s life in a really meaningful way, but be aware
that it’s always possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If your interactions reflect your values, then you can always be
confident that you have contributed to creating a meaningful culture wherever
you go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">You need more tips? <b><a href="http://theshearingroups.org/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Shearin Group Training Services</span></a></b> will help
you. Our leadership programs have been assisting companies in France. With
leaders at different levels have availed of our leadership training programs..
For more topic and tips, just visit <b><a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">our page here</span></a></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-36923194309720544922014-11-30T16:16:00.000-08:002014-11-30T16:21:28.068-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips to Keep your Company Task Force on Task<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIWlS7QonMwLVvdJtFg14FWoyqYdrnb5Fq6MjDfZxefoMFXmJW_6mkIr7J3OlK5E6z6lIPfvDHpnzNdD7qcWvDWI_BvKLa3yEZfAfp7Iq0E619Xcs6rbxewvJeV30I14rfgY0VBKCmFLY/s1600/rb-ca-meeting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIWlS7QonMwLVvdJtFg14FWoyqYdrnb5Fq6MjDfZxefoMFXmJW_6mkIr7J3OlK5E6z6lIPfvDHpnzNdD7qcWvDWI_BvKLa3yEZfAfp7Iq0E619Xcs6rbxewvJeV30I14rfgY0VBKCmFLY/s1600/rb-ca-meeting.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Five tips to keep
your company task force on task.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>As private and public
sector organizations grow and change, internal committees become an
increasingly important way to integrate different parts of the business and get
things done.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While internal committees come in many forms, and can be
called task forces or working groups or committees, they are essentially a way
to bring together a mix of people with different skills and perspectives to
address corporate-wide priorities and cut across departments and geographies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Internal committees are commonly used to co-ordinate and
manage projects, lead strategic priorities, integrate multi-business unit
operations, improve employee engagement, or quite simply manage the overall <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">leadership of a business</a>. When
managed well, internal committees can add significant value, strengthen
communications, and serve as an agile organizational design practice that most
businesses can’t do without.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Unfortunately, for many larger, more complex organizations,
internal committees are not well managed, resulting in wasted time and energy –
and lost opportunities.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In fact, many organizations don’t even know how many
internal committees they have, let alone what they do and what resources they
consume. In the worst of cases, internal committees trip over each other,
duplicating and confusing the efforts of other committees as well as core
business units.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So, to realize the value and avoid the destructive pifalls,
what are the keys to successful internal committee management? <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/five-tips-to-keep-your-company-task-force-on-task/article21770209/">Here are
five tips.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>1. Know what exists<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Have an inventory of your committees, task forces and
working groups, and know how they support the business and complement each
other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Not doing so will run the risk of perpetual confusion,
fragmentation and duplication, unknown and misaligned resource allocations, and
muted or failed outcomes. To actively manage your company’s range of committees,
you need a dedicated point-person accountable for their oversight, and
responsible for co-ordinating their internal governance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
At one progressive client, this role was actively led by the
chief human resources officer, and included quarterly updates to the executive
team.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>2. Make it clear how
committees are formed<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It’s essential to have clarity through the company as to how
committees get created in the first place. Have guidelines for their creation,
structure, composition – and how they come to an end. Anything less could
result in a “wild west” culture where managers can create committees at any
time, with increasing levels of internal dysfunctionality and resource drains
as more committees get added to the mix.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One Saskatchewan-based energy company has instituted a
simple but formal set of protocols to guide committee creation, resource
deployment and performance expectations.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>3. Have a clear
mandate<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
To reduce redundancy and improve productivity, committees
must be clear about their mandate, roles and responsibilities, and how their
recommendations and decisions connect with management processes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Ideally, each committee should have simply documented terms
of reference specifying its objectives, how it works, how it measures its
performance, and, most importantly, how it fits into the broader organizational
structure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>4. Track performance<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Taking the time to plan, measure and understand the level of
effort and cost of each committee and of the collective portfolio of all the
organization’s committees will serve you well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When this tracking is done, most organizations are initially
surprised to see how much time and financial effort they are putting into
internal committees. Invariably, these profiles result in portfolio
streamlining, better balancing of individual commitments and resource
allocations, and greater clarity of committee mandates. In other words,
committees suddenly become more efficient and effective, and better complement
the broader corporate structure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>5. Hold committee
members accountable<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Key to the success of your internal committees is formally
recognizing and holding people individually accountable for their committee
commitments and results. This is especially important since committee
participation is usually a part-time effort over and above a staff member’s
full-time job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While most employees will have an interest in participating
on a committee, other competing priorities and commitments can be distracting.
Careful management helps to balance these competing interests and focus efforts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Companies can see an immediate benefit when they begin to
take a formal and practical approach to managing their internal committees.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In one particular client case, a newly appointed CEO
suspected that the number and mix of internal committees simply hadn’t been
managed, with the costs and complexities far outweighing the benefits to the
business.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
With a comprehensive inventory and an assessment of related
costs and benefits, the CEO quickly made changes. This began with the
recognition that while internal committees were useful, there needed to be
executive commitment to formally managing them as a strategic portfolio and as
part of the company’s organization design. While the transition to formal and
better portfolio management of internal committees took time, this company made
them a priority and is now reaping the benefits.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Internal committees can be a useful <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">organization strategy</a>, but
if poorly managed, they can create decision-making and organizational
confusion. Thoughtful and practical management of internal committees will
guarantee a higher rate of return.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-45121128683669858752014-11-27T16:45:00.002-08:002014-11-27T16:46:21.554-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips for Exceptional Leadership<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What makes a good leader? Looking at my own personal
growth at SAP, I have found that the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2014/11/26/5-tips-for-exceptional-leadership/">Holy
Grail of leadership</a> today is engagement. It’s only through truly engaging
customers that we’ve increased profitability, and only through employee
engagement do we increase productivity. I have been lucky enough to work with
an executive coach who truly understands how leaders can inspire teams and
foster engagement within both their organizations and their customers’
organizations. This is some of the insight I’ve gained from her on engagement,
people management, and leadership.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Build a team of
your own personal challengers<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A recent article in the Economist claimed that as
technology continues to become more intelligent, the role of the leader will
center more and more on <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">innovative
thought leadership</a>. In order to prepare themselves for this reality,
leaders must continually nourish their minds with complex problems, new ideas,
and divergent perspectives. To this end, everyone needs their own group of
personal challengers; external experts who fulfill that part of their
development and growth on an ongoing basis. This could be mentors, coaches,
business advisors, or just friends who work in different industries. While it
takes some work to assemble and practice, it’s a critical element to developing
your breadth of thinking and continuing your growth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYXj4OnXz-1tKfqz2i7vONCxhlCX-MSjUMAnmFMCOW5msJ-aTEU46opP44KSAWNEOSy-pOjGkDEhit-eD5vzGVh-xVz3laDsThw32cOnQhIpx7fOjzImx7ccX32017U-UPWT5jLFlgs8W/s1600/leadership2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYXj4OnXz-1tKfqz2i7vONCxhlCX-MSjUMAnmFMCOW5msJ-aTEU46opP44KSAWNEOSy-pOjGkDEhit-eD5vzGVh-xVz3laDsThw32cOnQhIpx7fOjzImx7ccX32017U-UPWT5jLFlgs8W/s1600/leadership2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A very helpful leadership philosophy that I have learned
is to convene and intervene. On one hand, part of being a leader is cultivating
growth which entails convening people under a <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">common purpose and allowing ideas to
flourish</a>. On the other hand, it’s about knowing when to jump in and steer
the ship which entails helping the team take their ideas and shape them into
something meaningful and executable. The leadership philosophy of convene and
intervene allows you to be more present in a meeting by taking the onus off
getting to the answer and instead focusing on the process of watching ideas
grow and then simply shaping them. Not only does this help people feel engaged
in the process, it also helps you learn a lot about the people you work with.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Two-to-one<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Traditional thinking says that when coaching people, be
sure to balance things that are working (positives) with lessons to be learned
(negatives). Recent thinking suggests that the magic ratio is not 1:1, but in
fact, 2:1. The 2:1 theory is that by emphasizing the positives, you create more
buoyancy, leaving people feeling bullish and supported while at the same time
having something constructive to work on. It’s so easy to jump right into the
issue, especially in a company like ours where urgency can sometimes rule the
day. I find myself needing reminders to adhere to this simple 2:1 rule of
thumb, but when I do, I am stunned by the results.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Flying high and
diving deep<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Leadership in a sales driven organization requires an
interesting balance of skills: the ability to help refine the details while
simultaneously understanding the business with enough breadth to shape the
strategy. The balance of knowing when to ‘fly high’ and ensure the overall
health of the business, and when to ‘dive deep’ and run right alongside the
teams, is a careful balancing act that is imperative to master for the
sustainable health of both the business and the team. It can be really unnerving
for people when a leader moves from one to the other quickly, which happens
when leaders have both skills. Over time, and with amazing support, I have
learned that announcing the switch – in a deliberate way – can help people
understand what you’re doing. It ensures that people know they’re still trusted
even though you need to understand the finite detail, and it allows them to
understand that you also see the big picture and are looking out for their long
term wellbeing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Give, give, give,
gone<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Because there is never enough of it, time is the most
valued gift we have to give. I’ve learned that when you have time with someone,
give them everything you’ve got – your absolute undivided attention. If you say
you’ll do something for them, do it there and then. Make the phone call, find
them the document, send the email – but when they leave, move onto the next
thing. This means you can always be true to your word, people get from you what
they need, and you’re fresh and available to do it again when you move on to
your next meeting.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-15731354409671983272014-11-25T17:01:00.001-08:002014-11-25T17:01:24.070-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips to Help Put "Thanks" and "Giving”<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">5 Tips to Help Put "Thanks" and "Giving" Back
In Thanksgiving<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It’s that
time of year again. So, why is this money expert, who <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">provides financial advice</a> to Baby
Boomers and their offspring, writing about Thanksgiving? Because the “giving”
part of money is key to any money discussion (and I love Thanksgiving and this
is my blog!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I’m not
alone when it comes to my love for the Thanksgiving holiday. According to
CNN.com, Thanksgiving is America’s second favorite holiday after Christmas.
And, thanks to editor of Ladies Magazine, Sarah Josepha Hale’s 36 year
advocacy, Thanksgiving is a national holiday that falls on the fourth Thursday
every November as proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It’s a day
of indulgence for approximately 88 percent of Americans who will consume over
45 million turkeys (not including the one that President Obama will spare). But
what about the remaining folks who are not as lucky to be stuffing birds and
their faces with friends and family?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Thanksgiving
is my favorite holiday because it really is integral to the American culture,
non-commercial and inclusive. (I will note that “non-commercial” takes on a new
twist when you see the number of stores opening on Thanksgiving.) My hope is
that families are celebrating the same thoughts of gratitude for our collective
bounty. It should also be a time to reflect and to give thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To be
honest, I’ve always felt sorry for Thanksgiving being “stuffed in” between
Halloween, the scary costume and sugar holiday, and Christmas the holiday of
joy that has morphed into the holiday of the shopping spree. Now it’s time to
revive the essence of Thanksgiving and turn it into “Thanks” and “Giving” for you and your next
generation. Here are five <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">tips</a>
to reclaim the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tip #1 – Tell The Story<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In my home,
we start the meal by designating a family member as the storyteller to tell the
grandkids about the origins of the holiday. It’s not only about football,
parades, turkey, cranberry sauce and my way too sweet, sweet potatoes. I’ll
make it easy for you: Thanksgiving has its roots dating back to the Pilgrims
celebrating their first harvest in the “New World” in 1621. (Obviously, the
harvest took place earlier, but you know how hard it is to nail down the origin
of a holiday!) This feast was said to last for three days and to be attended by
90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. The holiday was religious in nature and
thanks was given to God for survival and the prosperity that was enjoyed. The
Pilgrims didn’t have it easy their first few years in this country. They made
seven times more graves than houses, but still they were able to set this time
aside to give thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tip #2 – Share Your Family<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Welcome a
person or family to your Thanksgiving dinner. It is a simple, but powerful
gesture. It’s also a great way to establish a family tradition of real unity
behind a common purpose and to set the example to share your family and its
good fortune. As William Shakespeare said, “Small cheer and great welcome makes
a merry feast.” Each year, we try to invite someone who doesn’t have family
with whom to share the holiday. Get the
kids involved in that discussion prior to the meal. It may be one of their
teachers, who is far from home, or a neighbor, or someone from a foreign
country who has never experienced the holiday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tip #3 – Share With Others<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Sharing
needs to be built into a ritual for this holiday. It’s a core component to the
celebration. Celebrate what you, as a family, have done this year. There are
many great causes to which to donate. There are local shelters, food banks, and
even organizations like Amp Your Good, where you can go online to make
donations that will be turned into food for those in need. The big thing is to
get the kids involved in the donations. If you can fit in the time, take your
offspring to a shelter and have the whole family donate, prepare, and serve
food. The experience is invaluable and it will be incredibly empowering for
your kids to directly give their time, as well as money to those less
fortunate. Frankly, recognizing that others are less not well-off, and doing
something about it, is a key element in this celebration—I firmly believe, in
fact, that the celebration is hollow without it. Teddy Roosevelt said it well,
“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from
us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and
shows itself in deeds.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/nealegodfrey/2014/11/16/5-tips-to-help-put-thanks-and-giving-back-in-thanksgiving/">See
More Tips Here</a></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-87543765423950080482014-11-23T16:40:00.001-08:002014-11-23T16:40:22.990-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips For Thought On A Startup Budget<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">7 Tips For
Thought Leadership On A Startup Budget<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">This summer,
I recently participated in a thought leadership workshop for Arizona CEOs (from
which I was inspired to write an article for Upstart Business Journal on “3
Lessons Startup Founders Could Learn from Corporate America“). Molly Castelazo
of Castelazo Content led this event at the annual Arizona Technology Council’s
CEO Retreat. The audience was comprised of mainly well-established companies.
However looking around the room, I thought of how thought leadership can still
be achieved on a shoestring or startup budget.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Here are
seven components to advance your thought leadership early on:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">1. Use HARO (Help a Reporter Out)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">HARO is an
awesome tool that makes it easy to include your <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">company’s ideas or opinions</a> in
someone else’s story. It is free—a clear appeal for startups—and only requires
time to prepare the pitch. The trick is to be very succinct and answer the
reporter’s query precisely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In our early
days, we answered the queries of others and successfully used HARO to appear in
Entrepreneur several times. Today, we are posting our own queries on HARO as a
way to gather IP Horror Stories from others (a big thanks to Stephanie Burns
from CHIC CEO for that tip). There is a prerequisite that you have to have a
top million ALEXA rating and we are finally there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2. Enter Contests<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Enter early
and often. Honing your pitch is critical to your success and winning some cool
prizes along the way is not bad either. Contests or competitions often require
support and can be a good way of spreading your name around. We gained momentum
from winning a few contests early on and this helped us to refine our message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3. Use LinkedIn<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Do not sell
your business on LinkedIn. Period. End of story. Your LinkedIn posts should be
informative or educational only. At the top of my list of pet peeves are those
who post spam on LinkedIn as if it were something we all need to read. We used
posts that prior to our software launch as a way to spread the word on <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">our company</a> and provided education on
the value of IP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4. Blog Regularly<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Some sites
blog daily and others blog weekly; more posting is definitely better but
regular posts are best. Pick a cadence and stick to it. We learned this first
hand when our website traffic fell when we stopped blogging.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To shake
things up a bit, we like to exchange blogs with other sites and invite guest
bloggers to write relevant content to share with our readers. We have found
that sharing quotes and linking to others is great for raising our profile and
providing legitimacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">5. Social Media Strategy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Like
blogging, it is important to be consistent with social media posting and
follow-up with engagement. Re-purpose and recycle old blogs by linking to new
articles and sharing on social media. Ask others to share your content. It can
lead to guest blogs and that help establish you as an expert.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Chect this
Out..</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">
6. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/maryjuetten/2014/09/25/7-tips-for-thought-leadership-on-a-startup-budget/">Read,
Write, Read, Write</a></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-32095704523764702222014-11-21T16:17:00.002-08:002014-11-21T16:17:24.227-08:00The Shearin Group - Engaging the mobile work force<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/engaging-the-mobile-work-force/article21639691/">Our
primarily mobile health care team does 11,000 visits</a> every day to care for
people and allow them to remain in their homes. With 6.4-million visits
annually, we have an almost unheard of opportunity to collect data, test and
prototype, and improve quality. But from a business standpoint, there are some
real challenges for leaders of mobile staff when it comes to communication. It
can be difficult to share your vision, build strong bonds and encourage engagement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite my occasional longing to be able to see everyone
all at once, there are <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">untold advantages
to a mobile work force</a>. I believe that harnessing the strengths of these
independent problem solvers may just be the secret of innovation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Let me share with you some of the strategies we’ve
implemented. I hope they get you inspired and energized.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Love the one
you’re with<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Are you spending time hoping your mobile workers will
magically check the company intranet more frequently? Or come to the head
office more regularly to connect? News flash – they won’t. The key we’ve found
is to work with the inherent strengths these dynamos bring to your team. Think
independence. <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">Agility.
Adaptability. Empowerment.</a> Develop ways to tap into their natural talents.
We recently implemented SoapBox – to gather and share ideas in a virtual way.
It builds on our pre-existing virtual community and taps into the insights of
staff who see clients every day. We’ve allowed the community to grow
organically, and although it has been an investment, we believe we will see
better results based on this strategy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Video killed the
radio star<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s obvious that technology can bring people together to
socialize in ways we never thought possible. But sometimes we fall into the trap
of thinking that if we load up our mobile workers with tech gear, everything
will be beautiful. There are so many components to technology and the mobile
worker: Will they use it? How long will it be relevant? How much does it weigh
when you are dragging it around?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But perhaps more importantly is the idea that we cannot
ever lose sight of the fact that technology is an enabler and not the outcome.
True innovative technology can transform human interaction for the better. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>We are the world<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To truly connect and galvanize your work force, you need
an anthem – a mission – a bandwagon everyone can jump on and feel great about.
Exceptional leadership takes people on a journey to a better place. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Finally, we recently held a company event where we
brought everyone together. We offered employees three different ways to
participate: in person at movie theatres across the country, via live webcast,
and we made it available immediately afterward so anyone who missed it could
watch it later. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-46140565152478135032014-11-03T16:41:00.000-08:002014-11-03T16:41:21.659-08:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips - Finding Balance: The Four Questions You Need to Ask Yourself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ouGncJThM5zGyWEaF3DfAivwy5kZ8_dZOisdMHaGbE4ydX8kYHKQy3Qh4ITztaX-zQNheY7HzplSvOydNhFhQbGU4Q6TPPXKM9Tze8kmdQAvLNgWq7G-b6pYB0mP9uDQD60syxrjOKf8/s1600/n-WORK-LIFE-BALANCE-large570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ouGncJThM5zGyWEaF3DfAivwy5kZ8_dZOisdMHaGbE4ydX8kYHKQy3Qh4ITztaX-zQNheY7HzplSvOydNhFhQbGU4Q6TPPXKM9Tze8kmdQAvLNgWq7G-b6pYB0mP9uDQD60syxrjOKf8/s1600/n-WORK-LIFE-BALANCE-large570.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Like the proverbial saying,
putting all your eggs in one basket, many of us focus on just one thing --
usually our <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">career</a> -- and ignore the
other aspects of our lives. Even in my own life I have found that it's easy to
just delve into my work or training, maintaining a very single-minded focus
that can be an advantage for what I'm doing at the present moment but at a
disadvantage to the rest of my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
You do want to be "<a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">in the zone</a>" and focus your
attention on what you're currently doing. But problems occur when you only
focus and do one thing all the time. That creates an imbalance that affects all
areas of your life. Those areas, which I believe are essential to a <a href="http://theshearingroup.blogspot.com/">balanced life</a> are career,
relationships, health, spiritual, financial and well-being. You want all these
areas to be in harmony with each other, and your core beliefs, so you live a life
that's authentic to you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A quick exercise to bring these
areas in sync: Ask yourself these four questions across all six key areas of
your life. You'll discover which areas are unbalanced so you can bring them --
and yourself -- back into balance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What are your goals? For each
area, write down what you really want. Putting your goals in writing is the
first step in success. Be as specific as possible, do you want to learn a new
skill to be eligible for a promotion or do you want a new job by the New Year?
Putting your goals in writing focuses your intention on achieving your goal,
and holds you accountable. I did this with a group of children and their
parents in my leadership class over the course of a year, and the results were
amazing -- from better grades to improved diets, everyone reached (or were well
on the way to reaching) their goals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Where are you? Notice which areas
are currently out of alignment. Maybe your career is on track, but your
relationship with your spouse could use some nurturing. Brainstorm ways you can
better align future actions to meet your goals. Starting a new ritual with your
spouse, such as a weekly date night or meeting for lunch one day during the
workweek, may be all it takes to reconnect. Even catching up throughout your
workday with texts can bring you closer. You can never communicate enough.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What can you do now? I'm sure
you've heard the Lao-tzu quote, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with
a single step." By taking even the smallest of steps you will be one step
closer to reaching your goal. Start where you are, and take action. If you feel
disconnected from your faith, perhaps you can devote a few minutes each morning
to read inspirational stories, meditate, or pray. If you want to better manage
your finances, schedule some time on your calendar this week to create a
budget. What about your sense of well being? Is there something you can do
right now, in this moment, that will make you a happier person? Calling a
childhood friend, writing a thank-you note, petting your dog.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What can you do later? Not every
goal is a short-term one, and not every step you take is going to yield
immediate results. Think about it, making healthy changes such as quitting
smoking or losing weight, are not going to be one-and-done tips or tricks. They
may be long journeys with setbacks and you'll need different strategies to
continue moving forward. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One thing to remember: there will
be times when one area needs more attention than another, but you can't neglect
one completely. They work as a whole to keep you balanced, happy, and living an
authentic life.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-16579167779956545862014-10-30T17:15:00.001-07:002014-10-30T17:24:44.883-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips: One Simple Concept That Will Infuse Your Leadership With SuccessSearch <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">“Leadership”</a> online, and you’ll find a million articles offering advice on how to be a better leader. Eleven simple steps, nine strategies, five leadership tips – we’re inundated with so-called education and training about how to lead well. The question remains, if the road to great leadership is so easy and accessible, why are there still so many ineffective, demotivating leaders who crush the potential of their employees and organizations?
<br><br>
Eight years ago, I met <a href="http://theshearingroups.org">“courage in leadership”</a> expert Bill Treasurer, at an author retreat of Berrett-Koehler, the publisher of my first book Breakdown, Breakthrough, and was immediately impressed. I watched him quietly lead, and build a collaborative and open space for discussion, feedback, and dialogue among a diverse group of authors and publishing professionals. I liked him instantly and felt this man truly walked the talk. So I was excited to learn he has a new leadership book out called Leaders Open Doors out this week.
<br><br>
Bill is Founder and Chief Encouragement Officer of Giant Leap Consulting, and the author of Courage Goes to Work. In his books, he shares his pioneering work in the new organizational development practice of courage-building. Bill insights have been featured in over 100 top publications, and he draws on his experience as a former member of the U.S. High Diving Team, during which time he executed over 1,500 high dives from heights that scaled to over 100 feet, requiring intense levels of courage every day to succeed as a top athlete.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tD7qwibAs2K9cTVbLVDa-GHtCb-yNbLQNrf1WD03MFi6YlUMZzZDLUnd7JTymJIr1oKkYN0lWLIr3lXPSeKgR5wg4j-vZ37vqZTWP1Hne0dAB4seyal9qPWAWxzhToygNX9v8C0dIqpo/s1600/key-96233_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tD7qwibAs2K9cTVbLVDa-GHtCb-yNbLQNrf1WD03MFi6YlUMZzZDLUnd7JTymJIr1oKkYN0lWLIr3lXPSeKgR5wg4j-vZ37vqZTWP1Hne0dAB4seyal9qPWAWxzhToygNX9v8C0dIqpo/s320/key-96233_1280.jpg" /></a></div>
<br><br>
I caught up with Bill to ask him about his courage-focused brand of leadership, and what he teaches leaders to help them inspire, motivate and lead individuals and organizations forward.
<br><br>
Kathy Caprino: Bill, we read so much about what makes a great leader today. What do you think is missing in all this advice we’re inundated with?
<br><br>
Bill Treasurer: Despite the volume of leadership advice, and maybe because of it, leadership is the most over analyzed, thoroughly dissected, and utterly confused topic in business. Too many leadership writers, myself included, have spent too much time complexifying the idea of leadership, and not enough time offering down-to-earth ideas that everyday leaders can use every day. We’ve become the Legion of Leadership Complexifiers (LLC). We’ve nuanced the topic so much, and inflated the standards for what it means to be a leader so high, that hardly anyone can be deemed a leader anymore.
<br><br>
Two years ago, after a conversation with a very wise person, I resigned my membership in the LLC. I had a conversation with my five-year-old son, Ian. He had been selected as the “leader for the day” at his pre-school. I gave him a big high five and said, “What did you get to do as class leader, little buddy?” His reply? “I got to open doors for people.”
<br><br>
Those seven words helped me cut through the clutter and get back to what’s most essential about leading others: creating opportunities for growth and development. I wrote Leaders Open Doors to help lighten the leadership load by getting back to the most essential aspects of leading others.
<br><br>
Caprino: What’s the biggest failing that unsuccessful leaders suffer from?
<br><br>
Treasurer: At first blush it’s easy to think that the biggest failing is oversized egos. But I think it’s what’s under those oversized egos that’s the real problem. FEAR. So many leaders carry (and convey) a great deal of fear, which contorts behavior. Fear can drive a leader to be ill-at-ease, hyper-controlling, and overbearing. At a certain saturation point, those fears get transmitted to the people being led, and everybody becomes anxious and frazzled. Over the long-term, it kills performance, morale, and ultimately the leader’s career.
<br><br>
Here’s a phrase I wish leaders would stop using: “What keeps me awake at night is…” Why do leaders continuously need to remind people what gives them anxiety and insomnia? Employees don’t want to know why a leader can’t sleep at night. They want to know what gets the leader up in the morning. Leaders should stop showcasing fears and start highlighting opportunity. Who would you rather be led by — someone who is squirrely in his or her own skin, or someone who is so confident in their role that they sleep soundly at night?
<br><br>
Caprino: Your new book talks about leaders opening doors. Why is this so important, and why is it left out of standard, non-effective advice for developing leaders?
<br><br>
Treasurer: Einstein said, “All that is valuable in human society depends on the opportunity accorded the individual for development.” In other words, the one of the smartest people who ever lived is saying, “Hey, you know what moves society forward? When everybody has a chance to grow and develop.”
<br><br>
Einstein isn’t alone. Peter Drucker, the father of management consulting, was clear, “The focus of the organization must be on opportunities rather than on problems.” Yet a lot of advice for leaders focuses on sharpening their problem-solving skills.
<br><br>
Leaders Open Doors gets leadership back to the essential idea that, first and foremost, leaders have to be creators of opportunity. Leaders need to be continuously focused on identifying and creating opportunities for people and organizations to grow and develop. Leadership, in this sense, isn’t about the leader…it’s about those being led. Open-door leaders intensely focus on bettering the lives, conditions, and skills of others. By focusing on the individual, the collective (i.e., the organization) is strengthened. Companies grow when people grow.
<br><br>
Caprino: For new and emerging leaders (and veterans), what are the top 5 ways leaders can open doors, and why are these important strategies
<br>
Treasurer: Here are my top 5 recommendations:
<br><br>
Use opportunity to motivate, develop, and engage people.
Even small opportunities can make a big difference. Involve employees when you’re grappling with a big or risky decision. Invite an employee to join you when you’re presenting to your boss. Let an employee lead a meeting in your absence. Open doors for your employees to engage, present, create, innovate, and even fail.
<br><br>
Start by meeting with each person you lead and ask them about their career aspirations. What, for example, are they hoping to get out of the experience of working for the company? What skills are they hoping to strengthen or deepen? What contributions do they hope to make beyond the ones they’re already making? In other words, have a conversation with each of them about them, not just what you’re wanting them to do for the organization. Once you know what each person you’re leading wants and need, you’ll be in a better position to identify opportunities within the organization that can help them get what they desire while also furthering the goals of the organization.
<br><br>
Coach people to value and embrace discomfort.
Virginia “Ginni” Rometty, the CEO of IBM, put it best: “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” The opportunities you provide people should give them sweaty palms. Nudge people into their discomfort zones, but not so far out that they choke with fear. Ask them what aspects of their jobs are getting boring. Then, set stretch goals. Have them take on tasks outside of their current skillset.
<br><br>
Promote courage by creating safety.
If you want people to take on challenges or do uncomfortable things, you need to create a climate where people who make mistakes–or even fail–aren’t fired. Sara Blakely, the billionaire founder of SPANX, said, “When someone makes a mistake at SPANX – especially when those mistakes key us on to a new insight – I am never disappointed. In fact, I go up to them and give them a high five.” Imagine what that attitude does to promote a positive environment where people feel free to be innovative and take risks.
<br><br>
Say, for example, you’ve shifted the role of one of your direct reports. Ways to create safety might include giving them lead time to learn the new role, scheduling one-on-one time coaching time with them, providing “air cover” from those who may get impatient with the direct’s learning curve, and having tolerance for early mistakes.
<br><br>
Broaden people’s view.
People can get narrow and habitual in their thinking. Open-door leaders help shift people’s perspective and help them think more broadly. Sometimes even small shifts can make a big difference. One CEO I work with was frustrated that he wasn’t getting enough leadership from the managers of the company’s business groups. They spent too much time being operational and tactical, and not enough time being strategic and innovative. In other words, they were managing, not leading. So the CEO changed their titles from Business Group Managers (BGMs) to Business Group Leaders (BGLs). The expectation shift was clear, and their behavior changed because of it.
<br><br>
Open up.
Too many leaders get all wrapped up in their “role” (and ego) as leaders. But employees want to know that their leader is real and not just performing a function. People need to see the person behind the role. They want to know that you remember where you came from, that you’re in touch with your roots, and that you can relate to their lives. Show them some of your authentic non-work identity and interests. Let them know what you care about beyond the goals and objectives of the department or organization.
<br><br>
* * * * **
Strategies like these are important because they are not complex or hard to understand. Leadership is hard, but it doesn’t have to be complex. Your life as a leader, and the lives of those you impact, will be far more rewarding, successful and productive if you bring your behavior back to the essential approaches above.
Simply lead by keeping leadership simple. Above all, be an opportunity-creator.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-29187084500444587822014-10-27T16:59:00.002-07:002014-10-27T16:59:33.791-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips: Try 4 Tips From Leadership CoachesThe old top-down, command-and-control style of <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">leadership</a> seldom works in today's organizations, where the goal is often to promote cooperation in the midst of rapid change.
<br><br>
To succeed as a leader you must know how to communicate a vision, build a network of relationships, and foster group <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news">learning</a> and decision-making. This is true whether you're the big boss or are just learning how to guide a team.
<br><br>
<a href="http://woub.org/2014/09/23/try-4-tips-leadership-coaches">Leadership coaching</a> has become a key tool for facilitating change in individuals, teams and systems. And in places where the traditional hierarchical model of management no longer works, leaders who know how to act like coaches are building cultures that allow collaboration and innovation to thrive.
<br><br>
Working with a coach is one way to broaden your leadership skills and deepen your understanding of modern workplace dynamics. But even if that's not an option, these strategies from the field of coaching can help you grow:
<br><br>
<b>1. Know yourself.</b> Research shows that self-awareness is a vital characteristic of successful leaders. The more you understand about your own internal dialogue, the better you are at engaging with other people. And the more you notice about the impact of your behavior on others, the better are your choices for next steps. Coaches use open-ended questions to help clients notice their inner voices and daily decisions. Another way to promote self-exploration is to keep a journal or regularly engage in some other form of expressive writing. Write answers to questions like, "what would I do here if I knew I couldn't fail?"
<br><br>
<b>2. Listen more actively.</b> When people turn to you for guidance or assistance, there are many times when you have no idea how to help. But offering expertise is not the only way to give support. Humans have an innate need to be heard and acknowledged. And by listening deeply to another person, you can let them know they do matter and at the same time provide a way for them to come to terms with some of their issues.
<br><br>
<b>3. Try peer coaching.</b> Consider finding a partner or small group with whom you can trade coaching time. Create a structure in which each person has a designated to time to talk about current activities and challenges. When you play the role of the "coach" it's your job to ask questions and listen compassionately to the answers. Then when you are the "client" you can talk about what's been happening lately and how you feel about it.
<br><br>
<b>4. Try some training.</b> An enjoyable and effective way to become more adept at conversations with your colleagues can be to take an introductory coaching course. You'll build your "listening muscle" and have opportunities to practice asking questions that lead others to new insights. For a training option that would work for you, visit the International Coach Federation website.
<br><br>
Coaching comes in many forms, but the broad theme is always to help you be the best version of yourself as a professional, a leader and a whole person. By learning a bit about how coaching works, you can build your self-knowledge and at the same time become better at assisting others to fully engage in their work.
<br><br>
<b>Read about what coaching can do</b>
<br><br>
If you want an insider's view of what coaching actually looks like, I can recommend a new book: "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615975151?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0615975151&linkCode=xm2&tag=clearwayscons-20">Being Coached – Group And Team Coaching From The Inside</a>."
<br><br>
"Being Coached" is written by two accomplished coaches – Holly Williams, my pal from the Georgetown Leadership Coaching community, and her colleague, Ann Deaton. The authors don't offer a how-to guide or academic discussion, but instead tell us a tale from the perspective of individual managers who are going through a group coaching exercise just as their company is faced with the need for a drastic change in strategy.
<br><br>
While the plot involves group coaching, the real story is about what coaching is like for each of the participants. For example, there is Ellen, the Chief People Officer, who faces the fact that she can't manage all the company's human resources by herself. During coaching she learns how to ask for help, and challenges her colleagues to either "work together or fall apart."
<br><br>
Another new book touching upon the impact of coaching is "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0986080004?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0986080004&linkCode=xm2&tag=clearwayscons-20">A Whole New Engineer</a>," by David E. Goldberg and Mark Somerville. If you are interested in the cutting edge of higher education, you'll find this book particularly interesting.
<br><br>
The authors — two highly accomplished academic leaders whose field happens to be engineering — describe how each grew beyond the traditional university path to lead in the creation of science/engineering programs that also foster self-awareness and empathy. The book is an intriguing and readable mixture of anecdotes and current thought about how growth and learning happen. As a leadership coach, I am particularly interested in the suggestion that a more conscious element of coaching can enrich the classroom experience.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-78084004270978709972014-10-24T18:48:00.000-07:002014-10-24T18:49:29.098-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips: Essential Tips for Managing Employees Who Don't Aspire to Be Leaders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/5kbcEquIROqG7iMgnCYzig--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTM5MDtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz02MTA-/http://globalfinance.zenfs.com/Finance/US_AHTTP_ENTREPRENEUR_H_NEW_LIVE/1413385958-essential-tips-managing-employees-who-dont-aspire-be-leaders-chess-pieces_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/5kbcEquIROqG7iMgnCYzig--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTM5MDtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz02MTA-/http://globalfinance.zenfs.com/Finance/US_AHTTP_ENTREPRENEUR_H_NEW_LIVE/1413385958-essential-tips-managing-employees-who-dont-aspire-be-leaders-chess-pieces_original.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">For
some employees, working toward a promotion or leadership position is a natural
transition in their careers. Yet some individuals just aren't interested in
climbing the corporate ladder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">According
to a new CareerBuilder survey, only one-third of the American workers surveyed <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/essential-tips-managing-employees-dont-181500212.html">aspire
to become leaders</a>. Additionally, only 7 percent said they seek C-level
management roles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Employers
should, however, continue to develop these employees and provide them
incentives, regardless of their career goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Employee
engagement is essential at all levels of an organization. Here are some ideas
for managing those who don't aspire to become leaders and keeping them engaged
and happy at work:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">1. Provide professional-development
options.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When
<a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">professional-development</a>
opportunities are offered by an employer, employees may become more engaged
while involved in something not requiring their active pursuit of a leadership
role.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">And
employers can do a number of things, I believe, to develop their employees’
skills. They can pay for memberships in a professional organization, host
skills-development workshops or send staffers to industry conferences. In these
ways employees can keep their skills up-to-date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">2. Give the option of shifting
departments.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I
recommend that if an employee wishes to gain more experience but not through
taking a leadership role, move him to another department where his skills and
experience will be tapped in a different way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">For
example, say an associate at a public relations agency wants more experience
but isn’t ready to take on a higher position. Give her the opportunity to work
with different clients to broaden her experience and skills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">3. Provide ongoing training.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">According
to the <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">CareerBuilder survey</a>,
more than half of the employees surveyed don’t seek leadership positions
because they are content with their current roles. Ongoing training, I believe,
will help such employees learn how to become more productive and perform better
at their jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A
recruiter in an HR department might be perfectly happy in her position but wish
to expand her range of skills. Train her in the latest HR technologies and
teach her to use big data to recruit the best candidates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">4. Help employees advance their
education.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Nearly
20 percent of the employees surveyed by CareerBuilder said they avoid climbing
the corporate ladder because they think they don’t have the necessary education
to advance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Employers
should help out those employees who wish to seek more education, I believe.
Although not all employers or entrepreneurs can afford to fully fund staff
education, they can ease the way. Employers can create some sort of
tuition-reimbursement program or pay for an online class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">5. Offer competitive perks and bonuses.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Although
employees may decide to not seek a promotion, this doesn't necessarily mean
that they will stop going above and beyond at work, I believe. Reward dedicated
and productive employees by offering monthly bonuses, recognition in the
workplace or additional vacation time. This will lead to employees feeling like
their work and dedication are truly valued.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">How do you keep employees who don’t seek
leadership roles engaged at work?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-34761630017841717202014-10-22T17:24:00.000-07:002014-10-22T17:24:30.734-07:00The Shearin Group - Lederskab i erhvervslivet i dag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8MelX8X7Ry7XJPcltBr350T4GfWbtzg2dVaUc4vFOQJHbm0Nn9w_ZJPLYYtvsTlu2XcnmhuquQmz1NPafSOCYPtR1zrMCSdVPkj1IPhtWD7a9HkRsfywTyL7yme-scgH8R7GJsqEuPb2/s1600/The+Shearin+Group+-+Lederskab+i+erhvervslivet+i+dag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8MelX8X7Ry7XJPcltBr350T4GfWbtzg2dVaUc4vFOQJHbm0Nn9w_ZJPLYYtvsTlu2XcnmhuquQmz1NPafSOCYPtR1zrMCSdVPkj1IPhtWD7a9HkRsfywTyL7yme-scgH8R7GJsqEuPb2/s1600/The+Shearin+Group+-+Lederskab+i+erhvervslivet+i+dag.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hvis du ser på de fleste forsøgsrapporter en virksomhed ser meget hierarkisk, med et bord afbildet øverst, en executive management <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">group</a> og derefter forskellige afdelinger (land eller produkt eller funktion) som igen er ledet af en administrerende direktører, som styrer mindre afdelinger eller processer, eller steder igen med deres egne topledere.<br />
<br />
Hvis skemaet afspejler, hvordan en virksomhed fungerer, så vil jeg sige, at det ikke vil være i stand til at realisere sit potentiale og har en stor sandsynlighed for, at de ikke i dag.<br />
<br />
I praksis en moderne <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">global</a> virksomhed er mere som en levende organisme end en statisk skema. Det vil fungere som en plante eller væsen i et skovøkosystem, trækker på og bidrager til dets omgivelser, og tilpasning til omgivelserne. Det vil blomstre som dets økosystem trives og vil dø, hvis det bliver isoleret, erstattes af planter eller væsener som fungere bedre.<br />
<br />
De ældre modeller for styring stammer fra enten en militær struktur baseret på kommando og kontrol, eller en mekanistisk model. Denne model afspejler den industrielle epoke, der er så mange måder at omgås. Men alt for få virksomheder har erkendt, at de ikke eller i hvert fald ikke virker som en maskine i stedet for en levende organisme i et økosystem af andre levende væsener.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-14457765845119460482014-10-21T18:01:00.002-07:002014-10-21T18:02:54.643-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips: How to deliver successful diversity and inclusion results and benchmark your progress<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As leaders in the <a href="http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/News/201411114.htm">accounting
profession</a> come to understand the business case for diversity and
inclusion, they often have a similar quandary.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“The next natural question is, ‘So what do I do about
it?’ ” said Kenneth Bouyer, CPA, chairman of the AICPA National Commission on
Diversity & Inclusion and EY Americas director of Inclusiveness Recruiting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
New tools released Monday at the AICPA fall Council
meeting are designed to answer the question of how to <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">expand diversity and inclusion</a> at a
business or firm—and across the accounting profession as a whole. Both tools
are available at aicpa.org/diversity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The Accounting Inclusion Maturity Model gives firm and
business leaders an opportunity to perform a comprehensive self-assessment of
their progress in fostering diversity and inclusion. Firms and businesses can
use the model to assess their practices in the workforce, workplace, and
marketplace, and in <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">community and
supplier relations</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A second offering, the Recruiting and Retention Toolkit,
highlights best practices for attracting, recruiting, and retaining a diverse
workforce.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The National Commission developed the tools using the
input of accounting leaders and others. The tools are part of Institute-led
efforts to help the accounting profession better reflect the diversity of the
clients and public that CPAs serve. In 2012, 11% of the people employed in the
United States were black or African-American, and 15% were Hispanic or Latino,
according to Bureau of Labor Statistics research.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In that same year, blacks or African-Americans accounted
for 4% of the accounting employees and 2% of the partners at CPA firms,
according to the most recent AICPA Trends supply and demand survey. Hispanics
or Latinos made up 5% of the accounting employees and 2% of the partners at CPA
firms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
While the maturity model will help leaders understand
where their businesses and firms stand with relation to diversity and
inclusion, the toolkit describes specific methods for improving their diversity
and inclusion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“This is going to answer the ‘Now what?’ question,”
Bouyer said. “This toolkit will be a playbook to help you devise a strategy and
a focus.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The toolkit describes the business case for focusing on
diversity and inclusion in the accounting profession, and provides steps businesses
can take to improve their diversity and inclusion. It includes best practices
for:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Attracting
diverse candidates</b>. This section discusses how organizations prepare
themselves to be attractive to under-represented minority candidates by doing
such things as obtaining leadership buy-in, setting clear short-term and
long-term goals, and assessing employee engagement around current opportunities
for creating a more inclusive work environment. “What does your brand look
like?” Bouyer said. “How are you positioned to be successful? How well do your
folks in your organization understand the need and why you’re focusing on this
space?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Recruiting
a diverse workforce </b>by perfecting job postings to better define how
candidates will fit into the larger picture, developing recruitment plans,
training recruiters and human resources professionals to recognize the obstacle
of unconscious bias, and delivering consistent interview experiences for all
candidates. Bouyer uses a fishing analogy, saying that leaders and recruiters
may need to fish in a different pond to catch different kinds of fish. “You
have to do different things to attract diverse talent,” he said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Retaining
under-represented minorities at an organization.</b> Tips include conducting
“stay interviews.” Turning exit interviews on their heads, these give employees
an opportunity to share what’s working for them—and what can be done to improve
the overall workplace culture.“You’re not the only organization that’s
interested in the power of diversity and inclusion and diverse talent,” Bouyer
said. “So your folks will be highly sought after in the marketplace. You have
to think about different retention strategies to retain and ultimately advance
this really talented group of people that you’re spending a fair amount of
effort to get into your organization.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As more organizations use the maturity model, an
anonymized database will be built to allow them to benchmark where they stand
on diversity and inclusion compared with similar organizations.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-41393117344907351212014-09-28T21:32:00.000-07:002014-09-28T21:32:07.795-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips for Becoming More Productive At Work<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Low productivity can
cost businesses millions of dollars each year. With so many distractions
however – like social media, the internet, other co-workers and our own lack of
motivation – it can be hard to regain your <a href="http://www.businessreviewaustralia.com/leadership/1271/Tips-for-Becoming-More-Productive-At-Work">productivity
streak</a>. Although there are several articles out there touting different
time management fixes, these four tips are off the beaten path and will
hopefully grant you a renewed kick in your step the next time you sit down at
your desk to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Don’t
Multitask<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">There was a day not too
long ago that added “ability to multitask” to a resume or CV was seen as a
positive attribute to have in a <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">work
environment</a>. Recent research however suggests differently. If we try to
juggle too much at once, adults can experience severe stress or rage – two
things that are not conducive to a good work environment. Ninety-eight percent
of us can’t multitask effectively, and we can work nearly twice as fast if we
only do one thing at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Make
a To-Don’t List<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Many people find that
making <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">to-do lists</a> or writing
down plans and tasks in a diary help keep them organized and productive. But
have you considered penning a “to-don’t” list? Bad habits influence the way we
work just as much as good habits do. How often do you check your mobile
throughout the day? Do you spend a lot of time surfing the internet? Are you
always late? By laying your productivity-killing habits out on paper, you will
be more conscious of them and maybe even more willing to put an end to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Track
Time<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Spend a whole day
tracking how you spend your time at work – reading and responding to emails,
researching, talking to co-workers, and other activities. Make sure to log both
the good (like working on this article for an hour and a half) and the bad (and
then promptly reading a few news stories for 15 minutes). Once you realise the
work that takes up the most of your time, you’ll be able to better budget and
prioritise to get the most done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif";">Look
Back<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">How did your week go?
Do you even remember your busy Monday morning? If you made a to-don’t list and
were able to track you time in the same week, look back and see all that you
accomplished, and where you can make improvements for your future productivity.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-17735032657589096972014-09-26T17:32:00.000-07:002014-09-26T17:32:57.230-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips: How To Make Your Numbers, Every Time?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBszgPIXNPd83KW8QHPX3LQSRp807X6i2j1_T1FerR_2FmwxK_d7r9vN6F1sQrfzYZt5frEyVQtumgm7Cfpqb-kVfz8C88mind6_t9eea4n-ibcVpTw3sIXx_6kQKTy8kleoNoBeLHuQP/s1600/Listen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBszgPIXNPd83KW8QHPX3LQSRp807X6i2j1_T1FerR_2FmwxK_d7r9vN6F1sQrfzYZt5frEyVQtumgm7Cfpqb-kVfz8C88mind6_t9eea4n-ibcVpTw3sIXx_6kQKTy8kleoNoBeLHuQP/s1600/Listen.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanstolle/2014/09/17/on-sales-leadership-how-to-make-your-numbers-every-time/">On
Sales Leadership: How To Make Your Numbers, Every Time</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Not all startups will employ a direct sales
force, but many will. When they do, the
value of <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">the company</a> and its
ultimate success or failure often hinges on how well that distribution channel
is built-out. In a prior blog, I
described how companies can go astray by building out the sales team too early
or in the wrong way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">This post addresses some core values or <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">best-practices for sales leaders and
individual sales reps</a>. They are also
very useful for the entrepreneur CEO to understand and embrace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The list actually comes from an informal
mentor and long-time Silicon Valley executive, advisor and investor, Joe
Schoendorf, a consummate salesman to be sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Joe’s Rules
of Sales:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">LISTEN<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Know Your Competition Personally<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Take a Consultative Approach<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The #’s Are Sacred – Make Your Numbers, Meet Your Goals<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Keep The Customer<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Taking each
in turn:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">1. LISTEN<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Listening is one of the most difficult skills
for people in general, but it’s a critical skill for a salesperson, at least
one that wants to actually address a customer’s needs and concerns. Yet, it’s remarkable how many sales people
actually score poorly on this attribute, as I’m sure many of you in both the
customer and co-worker camps can attest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A great salesperson is a lot like a detective
or investigative journalist. It’s all
about getting the facts and understanding the situation or problem the customer
is trying to address. In that effort,
the most powerful question a salesperson can ask is “<b>why</b>.” To illustrate the use of these most important three letters,
consider this hypothetical dialogue below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Customer</b>: I need a CRM system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Salesperson</b>: Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Customer</b>: I want to track my customers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Salesperson</b>: Why is that important?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Customer</b>: So I can better understand what
they have bought, and what they might want to buy next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Salesperson</b>: Why will that make a difference?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Customer</b>: If I better understand what they
want to buy, I can do a better job of ordering and making sure I have it in stock
when they place the order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Salesperson</b>: Why does that matter?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Customer</b>: I will have fewer abandoned sales,
and I won’t be ordering inventory I can’t sell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Salesperson</b>: Why is that a priority?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Customer</b>: My gross margins are 40%, and my competitors
are north of 50% — I need to get my financial metrics in-line with or to be
better than my competitors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As a salesperson, how much better able is the
one who asked “why” five times going to be in addressing the customer’s
ultimate objective and win the business, than the one that said, “Oh, you need
a CRM system? Let me tell you why mine
is so great.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2. Know Your
Competition Personally<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Few sales people have the luxury of selling a
truly unique or monopoly product. All
too often, there are competitors with decent to even better features, who have
good reference customers, and who command a decent share of the market. Knowing your competitor personally makes you
far better able to anticipate their moves, know how they are going to attack
you, and how you can best thwart them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A favorite sport of great salespeople (and
great marketers) is to lay landmines or traps for competitors. In essence, you set a customer’s expectation
and desire for a product feature, supplier quality, or other attribute that is
unique to your product, and, most importantly, that the competitor lacks. When the competitor walks in the door, the
customer wants to see or hear about things that the competitor doesn’t have or
is notably weak at.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3. Take a
Consultative Approach<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A more systematic approach to the “listen”
attribute, being consultative means being authentically focused on
understanding and solving a real customer need, not simply jamming your product
in where it may or may not actually solve the real problem. It also means being logical and quantitative
to the greatest extent possible about the ROI of the product.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">At my last company we implemented two
different tactics to enhance the success of our sales team’s consultative sales
approach. First, we hired MBA’s in our
existing product development operation in India, to build quantitative and
qualitative profiles on every major prospect.
They would peruse prospect’s 10-Ks and 10-Qs (annual and quarterly SEC
filings for public companies), analyst conference calls, press releases,
articles written about the business, its financial performance and health,
etc. They would then look for specific
product-related challenges and metrics, and build models tying those challenges
back to the prospect’s financials, and finally deliver that analysis to the
sales rep who owned that account.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Then, once actively engaged with the
prospect, we would perform an in-depth benchmarking and ROI analysis of their
product operations to understand the prospect’s key business objectives and
financial metrics. This allowed us to demonstrate quantitatively how our
products could move the needle on their key business metrics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4. The #’s
Are Sacred<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Make your numbers, meet your goals. Salespeople are hired for one reason – to
drive revenue. If they fail, the company
fails (a fact product folks can sometimes lose sight of). Salespeople must always be disciplined and
goal-oriented, relentlessly moving current sales opportunities forward to the
next step or stage, while also consistently prospecting for new business to
keep the pipeline full. Salespeople must
also be thoughtful about both their opportunities and their pipeline, ensuring
that they are asking all the hard questions (no happy ears!), looking under the
rocks before the customer (or a competitor) does, and employing limited company
resources wisely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Great salespeople also need to be
transparent. An overly optimistic
forecast (intentionally or not) means resources may get added that aren’t
needed, decisions may be made that aren’t based on reality, and of course,
revenue numbers are missed – a painful occurrence that the entire company
feels. On the flipside, an overly
pessimistic forecast is also harmful.
The resources required to support the additional unforecasted business
may not have been hired, unnecessarily stressing the professional services and
support teams, perhaps even the product teams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Be honest and accurate in the forecast, and
then work like hell to deliver them.
It’s your sacred commitment to the company as a star salesperson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">5. Keep The
Customer<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It is far easier, cheaper and faster to sell
to an existing customer, than a new one (here’s a good infographic on the
costs). It takes significant marketing
and sales efforts, company resources, and time to win a new customer. Selling
to an existing customer has a lower barrier to entry (you don’t need permission
to call on an existing relationship).
You should also have far greater insight into an existing customer’s
needs and future plans, giving you the opportunity to help them plan your
offerings into their information technology roadmaps, which can provide a
significant, long term advantage. And
most importantly, an existing happy customer is a brand advocate that will
create leverage and network effects for future sales to new customers. In short, you worked hard to gain the
customer’s initial business and trust – don’t lose it – it’s far too valuable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As an entrepreneur/CEO, you will never go
wrong embracing these values, as well as instilling them in your sales
leadership and sales teams!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-60852155313589951672014-09-24T23:07:00.001-07:002014-09-24T23:07:22.233-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips on How To Find A Great Mentor<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2014/09/21/how-to-find-a-great-mentor-first-dont-ever-ask-a-stranger/" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
To Find A Great Mentor -- First, Don't Ever Ask A Stranger</a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Today I heard from a lovely new connection on
LinkedIn LNKD +2.63%, who responded to a recent post I shared about Why Your
Job Search Has Stalled Out. He asked a question I hear frequently from
professionals who know that <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">mentorship</a>
is important to their careers, but don’t know how to achieve it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">He asked:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“In my
pursuit of THE job (not just any job), I have so far addressed all your
recommendations but mentorship. This is the stage where I have stalled out. I
have found many professionals that have shared my dreams and are now big
successes in the industry, but find myself hesitant in approaching them and
asking for help. These hesitations may be due to me not wanting to come across
as needy, but I think they mostly stem from lacking the trigger words that
would inspire acceptance of such a request. I really need help in this area and
humbly ask for your help in the follow-through of this job hunting step.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’d love to tackle this question, because so
many people I speak to are struggling in their approach to finding mentors, and
are ending up disappointed, angry or confused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/kathycaprino/files/2014/09/iStock_000006884820Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/kathycaprino/files/2014/09/iStock_000006884820Small.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Below are the top 4 <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">tips</a> I can share about finding
fabulous mentors, and making the most of the help you receive:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1. There
are no “trigger” words that will help you get mentoring from a stranger. Don’t
bother.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, it’s critical to know that, to find great
mentors, you don’t want to reach out to strangers. That’s not how you’ll find
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sheryl Sandberg, in her book Lean In, likens
asking strangers to be mentors to the behavior of the main character in the
favorite children’s book Are You My Mother? The book is about a baby bird that
emerges from its shell in an empty nest, and goes in search of its mother. The little bird asks everything it sees (a
kitten, hen, dog, cow, steam shovel), “Are you my mother?” The answer is always the same. “No!” This is just like a professional asking a
stranger, “Will you be my mentor?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sandberg says:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“If
someone has to ask the question, the answer is probably no. When someone finds
the right mentor, it is obvious. The
question becomes a statement. Chasing or forcing that connection rarely works.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Instead, find great mentors through the
inspiring people you’re already interacting and working with now. They need to
be people to whom you have already demonstrated your potential – who know how
you think, act, communicate and contribute. And they have to like, trust and
believe in you already (why else would they help you?). They also need to believe with absolutely
certainty that you’ll put to great use all their input and feedback.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Strangers (especially people in the media and
the public eye who’ve become “huge” successes, as the individual above
mentions) will virtually always have to say “no” to mentoring requests from
strangers. Why? Because their time is
already spoken for, and they’re drowning in similar requests. Secondly, they don’t have a relationship with
you, and therefore can’t know how you operate or if it’s a great investment of
their time to help you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2. What
can you do to get on the radar of strangers whom you admire?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Don’t ask for mentorship, but follow their work,
and be helpful and supportive. Give, and
give more. Tweet out their posts,
comment in a positive way on their blogs, share their updates, start a
discussion on LinkedIn drawing on their post, refer new clients or business to
them, and the list goes on. In short,
offer your unique voice, perspectives, experiences and resources to further the
action and conversation that these influencers have sparked. Understand that you are able to be of service
to them, and go out and do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3. Be
someone who is enjoyable to mentor.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The third piece of attracting empowering
mentoring is in how you operate in your career and your life. Are you somebody you yourself would like to
mentor? Are you open, flexible, resilient, respectful? Are you eager to learn,
and committed to modifying how you’re interacting in the world so you can have
even more success, reward and happiness?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> - Be great at what you do</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> – while this sounds
obvious, it is the most important thing you can do to get noticed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Ask for
more responsibility</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
– be sure to have specific ideas for how you can contribute in deeper, more
expansive ways. Be creative/think outside the box.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Don’t be
a wallflower</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
– participate in all meetings even “optional” ones. Volunteer to represent your
team on important department or enterprise-level initiatives. Prepare ahead of
time so that you can meaningfully advance the discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Promote
the success of others</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
– your generosity and openness are critical to your success, and will be
remembered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Build
your support network</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
– reach out to groups within your company and outside your line of business.
Learn what they do and how you can help them succeed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4. Put
yourself in a potential mentor’s shoes.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, whenever you’re in a quandary about how
to get help from someone, put yourself in their shoes. If the tables were turned, what would you
want to see from this individual asking for help? If you were inundated with requests for help
every day, what type of person would YOU choose to assist, and why? Go out and
become that person that others would love to support and nurture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-45299166201624919522014-09-22T17:01:00.000-07:002014-09-22T17:01:19.225-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips: Five Tips to Sharpen your Leadership Focus<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
role of company chief executive brings with it all sorts of challenges, from
dealing with the nitty gritty of making decisions daily to <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">formulating strategies</a> to take your
company forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s
why it’s important to stay focused on the vital things which keep the wheels
turning and the whole enterprise on track. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.smartcompany.com.au/leadership/43680-five-tips-to-sharpen-your-leadership-focus.html">Here
are five things a CEO should stay focused on</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1. Real relationships<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Real
relationships with staff, with partners, with customers and with consumers all
start with your everyday interactions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As
both a leader and a manager it is important to establish real relationships and
engage your staff, starting with everyday interactions. How well do you know
your staff, their families, what really motivates and inspires them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
try to connect with members of the team each and every day and maintain an
openness and transparency which enables real relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After
all, you are really a caretaker in terms of your leadership of people, teams
and businesses and you want to ensure you grow and develop the team while you
are leading them and that your relationships with those team members transcends
your current role.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Every
CEO has at some stage in their career reported to a manager and in my
experience those managers/CEOs that have inspired and motivated me the most are
those I have had a real connection with. Not “tick the box” type stuff but the
real type – relationships which last and are based on mutual honest and
respect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Interestingly,
all of my business mentors today are previous managers and all exhibit great
integrity, openness and honesty – these are all based on foundations of real
relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fifty
per cent of employees have admitted they would leave their current job if they
had the opportunity to being better recognized elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2. Daily deep data<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
start every day with an extra hot coffee and a review of the previous day’s
figures. This is so important to understand how the week, the month, the
quarter and the year is really looking. Anecdotal evidence is simply not
sufficient in business today, and without being able to grasp the data you have
little else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
also expect my team to start the day with data (coffee optional), and find that
a shared sense of where we are leads to a far more productive team and business
and a more fulfilling work experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) analysis of the July
2012-June 2013 financial year indicated <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">poor strategic management</a> as the
highest cause of business failure, with 42.2% of failed businesses nominating
this as the key reason for closing their doors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3. Absolute accountability<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You
must focus on the most important things and ensure your team has total
accountability. While this is a common mantra, it is one which is often easier
said than done. Too often the focus is on less important pieces of the business
and we get too involved in areas where your team are more than capable (and it
is their role) to make a decision or take an action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Accountability
will enable the team to learn how to fail (fast) and develop their skills along
the way. While there are times where you may need to lend your expertise, try
where possible to enable explicit accountability as it will help achieve a more
scalable and successful business, and your team will be far more motivated,
passionate and productive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Understanding
what needs to be achieved to reach a goal is important but ensuring that
adequate accountability is in place is paramount. Too often I have seen
ambiguous team goals that don’t stack up to business success and have led to
underperformance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As
Stephen Covey noted, “accountability breeds response-ability” and I believe
that accountability really breeds ability. You must own it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4. Eat your own dog food<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Love
your product. You must know your product and use it – always!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
can always tell when I have a coffee from a barista who doesn’t drink coffee it
just doesn’t seem to taste as good. I am using our products we provide every
day, and businesses where the team use and love the products each and every day
have a deeper level of understanding and a more productive output.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My
pet hate is the team member who does not know our product in detail – there is
absolutely no excuse in my experience for this being the case. If you feel good
about your product, your consumers and customers will as well – which is great
for business. You’ll also be your harshest critic and ensure you continue to
move in a direction from mediocrity to perfection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I
had a recent example where we were working through a mobile solution and it
just wasn’t panning out – loads of bugs and issues. The team found out that
they were using a different advice to the majority of our users which was
quickly fixed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5. Enjoy yourself<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Life
is not a dress rehearsal. You must enjoy yourself and get the most out of work
and business as you spend the majority of your daylight hours at work. I have
been fortunate in that I have enjoyed almost every job I have had. When I
haven’t, I have made a conscious decision to proactively move on to find
something that I enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Enjoyment
in the role will also increase your team’s motivation and, ultimately, the
success of the business. I am yet to meet a successful leader who doesn’t enjoy
what they do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At
the same time, you need to maintain a work-life balance – this work-life
balance obviously differs by person – but at the end of the day family and
extra-curricular activities keep your life in balance. These are things to be
encouraged and promoted in the workplace rather than things to be guilty about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Statistics
show that happy employees stay twice as long in their roles as those who are
dissatisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-48432698133666655852014-09-03T22:43:00.001-07:002014-09-03T22:43:12.612-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips to become an Influencial Thought Leader<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
are five steps to take to help you build a strong thought-leadership campaign:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1. Clarify your purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
most successful thought leaders have a purpose and a clear definition of what
they want to accomplish. They also understand the time and dedication it can
take to become influential. Before embarking on a <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236417">thought-leadership program</a>,
consider your goals and what you want to achieve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2. Identify your voice.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thought
leaders have a strong, identifiable and distinct voice that sets them apart
from others. Their voice is their brand and their audience knows exactly what
they stand for and what to expect from them. Most important, they don’t stray
from their brand identity and instead look for <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">opportunities</a> to make it even stronger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3. Write.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One of
the defining characters of thought leaders is their ability to effectively
communicate their expertise and knowledge to their audience. A great way to get
your thoughts and experience noticed is by writing contributed articles, op-eds
and blog posts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
allows you to be a part of the conversation, establish your voice, demonstrate
your expertise and contribute to an ongoing dialogue. Writing gives you the
opportunity to not only demonstrate your abilities but also earn credibility
with your audience and other thought leaders in your industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4. Build an active online presence.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">Great thought leaders</a> have
mastered the art of sharing and putting their message and brand out there. A
good way to offer advice and tips is to actively share them on social-media
platforms. A great thought leader understands how instrumental social media is
in developing their voice. He or she looks for opportunities and groups to join
and uses different platforms to talk about his or her expertise and becomes a
part of relevant conversations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Building
an active online presence requires a social-media strategy that allows optimal
brand exposure and opportunities to actively connect with different audiences.
Therefore, provide relevant and interesting content, actively engage with
users, ask questions and offer feedback and insight on Twitter and Facebook.
Establish your credibility, offer your expertise and make yourself reachable by
participating in discussions on Reddit, Quora and LinkedIn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Be
strategic about your social-media profiles and always look for opportunities to
build your brand and spread your message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5. Be a mentor.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Great
thought leaders have strong ideas that live on through the people they have
influenced and helped out. These informal teachers understand the importance of
becoming a mentor and shaping the next generation of leaders in their field.
They want to share their experiences, lessons and knowledge so that others will
continue in their footsteps.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-11129335252731049612014-09-02T16:31:00.000-07:002014-09-02T16:31:00.432-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips: Three tips for leaving your customers ‘breathless’Satisfying your <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/three-tips-for-leaving-your-customers-breathless/article19822110/">customers</a> isn’t good enough in today’s competitive <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">markets</a>. Meeting their needs falls short of earning their loyalty. You need to dazzle them; leave them “breathless” whenever they touch your <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">organization</a>.
<br><br>
Here are three steps leaders can take:
<br><br>
1. Hire human-being lovers – people who have an innate desire to serve their fellow human beings. People who get absolute joy from serving and do whatever it takes to see someone’s eyes light up.
<br><br>
Customers can’t be delighted if an employee would rather be taking inventory.
<br><br>
You can’t train people to “love humans.” You can train them to “grin” with a smile in their voice, but that’s the extent of it.
<br><br>
To select the right candidate, the recruitment interview should always start with the question “Do you love humans?” If you get goosebumps from the answer, hire the person. If not, show them the door.
<br><br>
2. Trash dumb rules – policies and procedures that infuriate customers and drive them kicking and screaming to other organizations.
<br><br>
Rules have a legitimate management control purpose but if they drive business away because customers are unwilling to play by them, what’s the point?
<br><br>
Have fun with the idea. I struck a number of “dumb rules committees” to seek out and destroy senselessness; I made it matter by holding my leadership team accountable for implementing the changes.
<br><br>
Rules that serve the customer requires their engagement. Ask them for their input in rule design; they will be impressed that you are open to asking for their help.
<br><br>
Empower your front line to bend rules in special circumstances when they don’t make sense to a particular customer and their loyalty is in jeopardy. Not every policy will be acceptable to every customer, so allowing some flexibility is required.
<br><br>
Don’t worry, your employees won’t give away the farm. Provide them with the skills to balance the needs of both the company and the customer.
<br><br>
3. Turn “oops” into “wow.” Sure you do your best to avoid making mistakes, but they will happen. That’s life in any organization.
<br><br>
The good news is that if your service recovery is remarkable when you disappoint one of your customers they are more loyal than if the mistake never happened. So how to recover?
<br><br>
Fix the mistake fast and then blow the customer away by surprising them with something they don’t expect.
<br><br>
Surprise is magic. People expect the screw-up to be remedied but they don’t expect the extra personal attention you give them to atone for the mistake.
<br><br>
Speed is critical. A recovery succeeds only if it is delivered within 24 hours of the oops. After that, save your energy for the next one coming your way.
<br><br>
Leaving people breathless is not rocket science; it’s about delivering basic human needs. We want to feel special, treated as individuals and delighted by surprise.
<br><br>
Stand-out leaders understand this and create organizations to deliver.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-896042349330775048.post-11893387402097480292014-09-01T22:55:00.001-07:002014-09-01T22:55:14.600-07:00The Shearin Group Leadership Training Tips: Successful Leadership Transitions<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.grbj.com/articles/80297-successful-leadership-transitions-traps-to-avoid-tips-for-success">Successful
leadership transitions: traps to avoid, tips for success</a><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s never easy to step into a leadership role
from outside an organization. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Michael Watkins, an authority on <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/">leadership</a> transitions, has concluded
through his research that 40 percent of executive leaders hired from the
outside fail within 18 months. He estimates the cost to the company of a failed
leader at 14 times the leader’s annual salary. Watkins’ findings are especially
applicable to transitions in non-family leadership roles within a family
business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Think of the statistics on keeping family
businesses in the family for successive generations: Only 33 percent make it
from generation one to generation two, and just 11 percent make it to the third
generation. In an article on its website, thefbcg.com (“Transitioning from
Family Leadership to Non-Family CEO: Best Practices for Maintaining a Family
Enterprise”), Family Business Consulting Group observes, “As a family business
moves down the generations, the likelihood that it will need to turn to a
non-family leader increases.” Most family businesses ultimately will have to
hire outside leaders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before looking at three tips for a successful
leadership transition, it’s important to recognize two common pitfalls in the
process. Few would disagree that the first six months are critical to the
success of a new leader. So why do we put people in a position in which their
chances for success are slim? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1. We
don’t recognize the need for diligence. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The trap is to view the success of the previous
leader as an indicator that the job is easy because all it needs is maintenance
for a while: “Dad has run this organization well for 25 years. The team is
solid, and we’re a market leader. This job should be a snap.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The reality is quite different, as Family
Business Consulting Group observes (“Preparing Owners for a Non-Family CEO,”
thefbcg.com): “Ownership groups looking at a non-family CEO for the first time
often find they must change the informal ways in which they function and become
more structured. For instance, if Dad was the previous CEO, it cannot be
expected that the new CEO, who no longer shares the family’s last name, will be
given the same degree of trust and respect initially upon the transition.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2. CEO
equals business leader plus family therapist. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Whether it’s due to reputation or how much we’re
paying them, it’s easy to expect new leaders to have it all figured out right
out of the gate. Making the job too big is a trap. As Watkins’ research shows,
it’s not easy to step into a leadership role, especially in family businesses
with the added expectation of having to navigate — and often repair — complex
family dynamics. While the ability to steer through such complexities is
essential, making it the new leader’s job to rewrite the rules is a recipe for
disaster. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Families need to own the work of creating a
situation where someone from the outside can come in and be successful, not ask
a new leader to fix the family. How can a family-owned business maximize the
odds of success for its newly hired leader? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here are
three tips for making a transition successful:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1. Make
the culture rules clear. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Business culture can be a difficult thing to
define. In a closely held business, culture is often broad-brushed with
generalizations like “family-focused” or “people matter.” Leader Onboarding
Inc. (leaderonboarding.com) has developed an assessment, New Leader Culture
Snapshot, designed to help new leaders understand performance culture from
multiple perspectives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The survey asks two open-ended questions: What
is the most important thing for this new leader to learn about the
culture/performance climate in their operation? What are some potential early
wins for this new leader?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In family businesses, communications and
decisions are often informally executed. A Monday-morning breakfast to discuss
the week’s priorities can help to formalize the process. Getting feedback from
the team and the family around the important aspects of the culture and
performance climate is a good start in making the rules clear to the new
leader. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2. Help
the new leader to find company wins and family wins. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Trust is what successful leaders have and
unsuccessful leaders lack. A new non-family leader in a family business faces
additional obstacles in this regard. In any leadership transition, it’s
critical that a new leader build trust from the beginning and avoid situations
that can foster mistrust. One of the biggest mistakes I see is having a new
leader fire someone in the first three to six months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Company wins can range from devoting more
resources to professional development of staff to continuing traditional
employee gatherings or recognition programs. Family wins can range from the new
leader making a point to have informal lunches with key family leaders to
learning about the history of and relationships with key suppliers before
making decisions about whom to bring into a new project. Trust is built through
wins that matter to key stakeholders. In a family business, those stakeholders
include both employees and family members.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3.
Support, support, support. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Every transition will include mistakes and
complex situations that a new leader will need help to navigate to a positive
outcome. A mentor is an ally during transition who provides a second
perspective and an established reputation to help the new leader to remove
barriers and avoid fatal mistakes. Remember that family businesses are beset
with informal communication channels and family-centered traditions that can be
difficult for an outsider to see. Assigning a mentor to provide a safe place to
talk through some of these gray areas and help the new leader make good choices
is critical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Leadership transitions are inherently
challenging, and the dynamics of a family business make them especially
demanding. There are many steps that organizations can take to increase the
likelihood of success. The first steps are to recognize the need to be
proactive and deliberate with the transition, and to create realistic
expectations for the new role. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">For more
Leadership Tips from The Shearin Group, visit this <a href="http://theshearingroups.org/news/">site</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01962318952695242470noreply@blogger.com1