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My Career is Stagnating

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.
~Albert Einstein

Round and round, day after day, trudging around in the same old circle, ending up right back where you started. Does this sound like you? Cheer up, there are ways out of that career rut. You just need a little guidance finding ways to shine again.

Here Are Some Ideas to Get You Started

1. Reach Out

This is a vital first step. You need to know that others have felt the same way you’re feeling right now. Talk with a career coach, a mentor, or a co-worker. Sometimes what you need is a fresh perspective, and you can get that from someone who’s been there.

2. Learn Something New

Take stock of your workplace and find something that interests you. As an example, if you work in a print shop manipulating photos, ask the boss if you could learn how to run the press. “A change is as good as a rest” is more than just a tired old axiom.

3. Consider Your Strengths

You’re a resourceful person. You probably have talents that you could put to work in your job. Is there something you can do better than anyone else? Think about ways to rediscover pleasure in your job by putting your abilities to work in a whole new way.

4. Ask Yourself Why You’re Doing This

Is your job just a means to a paycheck? If that’s the case, then perhaps it’s time to move on. If you’re at the point where you’re saying, “This is not what I want to do with my life,” then you can either look for a promotion within your current company, or leave in favor of greener (or at least different) pastures.

I Could Do with a Bit of a Promotion

If you’ve reached what’s commonly known as a career plateau, then getting a promotion could be just the ticket. You’ve been successful in your career up until now, but it’s time to take the next step. It can be difficult moving up, but if you’re a hard worker with a fair share of ambition, it’s not impossible. Here are some good strategies to follow:

1. Improve Yourself

If you’ve been putting off upgrading your skill set, don’t wait any longer. Upgrade your education, or ask for additional training. This shows that you believe in yourself and your profession.

2. Network

Obviously, you should have a LinkedIn profile and make contacts outside your immediate frame of reference. But don’t neglect contacts within your company. There’s always someone who knows someone who could help you achieve your goal.

3. Ask for a Performance Review

Schedule a meeting with your immediate superior with the goal of identifying your strengths and weaknesses. You can’t fix what you can’t identify, and if you want to advance, you need to know what areas you have to work on.

4. Use the Resources Available to You

Talk with people in positions similar to the one to which you aspire. Find out what you need to know. Also, make sure your Human Resources department knows who you are and what you want.

5. If You Want It, Ask For It

Think about how you’d feel if your dream job went to someone else, and the explanation offered was, “Gosh, Lou, we didn’t think you’d be interested.” It’s easy to become occupied with networking, training and such, but keep in mind that if you don’t let your boss in on the fact that you’d like to move up, you’re not likely to be high on the list of people who will be considered when a position does open up.

I’m Just All Used Up – Time to Move On

If you’ve come to this state of affairs, go. But don’t use the opportunity to tell the boss exactly what you think of her and your mind-numbingly dull job. Leave on a high note. You might feel like burning the bridge, but rest assured that if you do, everyone in your field of work will know why the fire brigade had to be summoned.

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Promoted. Now How Do You Lead?

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.
~Warren G. Bennis

Some people are natural leaders. Others find themselves forced into the role. If you feel that you fall into the latter category, don’t despair – you’re in good company. Take heart from the knowledge that obviously someone saw something in you that led them to believe you’d be a good leader. Now your job is to dig deep within yourself, and identify your strengths.

Your Game Plan

Good leaders are made, not born, so let’s get to work. Here are a few tips that will help you develop the skills and techniques you need to become an effective leader.

1. Embrace the Challenge

To be an outstanding leader, you must grasp the proverbial bull by the horns. Be enthusiastic, energetic and passionate. Accept your role as the facilitator in helping your group to achieve its goals. Make this your way of life, and constantly strive for excellence. Be inspiring, empowering and positive – your subordinates will take their cue from your behavior and attitude, so rise to the challenge. Even if you feel disheartened, try to maintain a positive outlook.

2. Remember Commitment Isn’t Just a Word

You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Remember when Barack Obama was running for President of the United States? His campaign slogan was “Yes we can!” Remember if you’re committed to a course of action, make sure it’s likely to be achievable. Don’t think that you can motivate your people with rhetoric like “We’re number one!” when they know perfectly well that the best you can hope for is a solid number two. Be honest – tell them if you’re shooting for second place, and give them guidance on how to get there.

3. Listen and Recognize

The people you lead need to feel that you are approachable and that you care about them. Effective leaders know the value of individual contributions, and understand that good employees who aren’t recognized as such may very well jump ship. Most people who look for greener pastures aren’t looking for more money; they leave because they don’t feel appreciated. Let your people know that you value their input, and when you act on that input, recognize the fact. A simple “Good job” goes a long way.

4. Establish a Leadership Style

You’re not going to suddenly wake up in the middle of the night with the wondrous revelation, “This is how I am meant to lead!” If only it were that easy. You’re going to have to work at developing a leadership style. Go to seminars, talk to colleagues whose style you admire, and read books and articles about effective leadership. Take what you can use from multiple sources, and don’t be afraid to be yourself.

5. Try New Things

Do you go out to supper at the same pub every Friday night, and always order the same thing because it’s what you know, and you’re afraid if you have something different you won’t like it? Carrying this sort of mentality over into the workplace can be stultifying. It’s tempting to stick with what’s worked in the past, but trudging around in the same old rut can be limiting. If you make a mistake, what’s the worst that can happen? Learn from your mistakes and move forward. Your subordinates will respect you for being an innovative leader, one who’s open to new ideas. You’ll grow, and so will they.

6. Finish What You Start

As a leader, your ability to get the job done is paramount. Make a plan and follow through. If you can’t stick with it, your subordinates will notice, and they will lose confidence in your ability to lead. This doesn’t mean that you can’t tweak the process and fine-tune your approach; it just means that you must be in it for the long haul, and you must let this show.

Summing Up

You got this promotion because you earned it, and you have the ability to lead. Now get out there and do it!

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Start Acting on Your Ideas

Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind.
~Bryant H. McGill

You have an idea – an exciting, revolutionary, change-the-world idea! That’s fabulous. Now, you must allow it to live.

If you’re having trouble getting past inspiration for your business, here are 5 simple steps you can take that will help set you on your way.

1. Keep Up the Momentum

When you first had your brilliant idea, you were excited and enthusiastic. It was the first thing you thought about every morning, and the last each night. When you first conceived it, you forgot about everything else. And then, you started dragging your feet. Perhaps you started putting off working on your idea in order to deal with day-to-day matters, or maybe you just got bored. Perhaps it wasn’t as easy as you thought it was going to be.

Are you really going to let your great idea die before it’s been fully formed? Not if you’re the smart entrepreneur you think you are. Think about your idea and what excited you about it in the beginning. Talk to others about it, and feed off their enthusiasm. If it really was the great idea you believed it to be in the beginning, keep pushing it forward – you owe it to yourself, and to the people who will benefit from seeing it realized.

2. Make Time to Think

If you’re mired in mundane tasks that are stifling your creativity, delegate some of that work. Must you really respond to every single email, every phone call, innumerable texts and tweets? Can’t someone else check your Facebook for you?

We realize that not everyone has, or can afford, an assistant, so if you really are a one-man band with no support personnel (poor you), at least prioritize. Categorize your emails and phone calls as “urgent,” “fairly important,” and “I’ll get to it whenever.” Then set aside a block of time each day to respond. Don’t go over the time allotted. Now, use the time you’ve freed up to think about your idea, where it’s going, what you’ve done so far to get it on track, and what’s remaining to do to get it there. No daydreaming, no getting side-tracked. This is “quality time,” just you and your idea.

3. Stop Procrastinating

Are you sitting at your desk, arranging your paper clips by size and colour, instead of, say, applying for a patent or seeking out investors? If this sounds like you, think about why you’re putting off these essential tasks. Many people procrastinate because they’re afraid of failure. If that’s your issue, stop worrying and move forward. Even if this idea fails, consider it a learning process, and understand that there will be something you can salvage from it to use when you have your next great idea.

Could it be the opposite? Are you afraid of success? Most of the time, fear of success is simply fear of losing control. Imagine Bill Gates saying, “I think I’ll shelve the whole Windows idea – I’m afraid it might get too big for me to handle on my own.” Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? So come on – go for the gold!

4. Brainstorm

If your idea is stuck in infancy, call in the troops. Meet regularly with co-workers and stakeholders, and toss ideas about. Collect the results in a Word document or a spreadsheet, and review them periodically. Toss what’s not working in the recycle bin, and talk about what is working. Keep it up, and you’re sure to get there eventually. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t lose your enthusiasm – keep the ball rolling.

5. Give the Critics Their Due, But Not Too Much

There will always be those who see the glass as half empty. If critics are belittling your chances of success, give them due consideration – maybe they’re right. But also remember that you’ve gotten this far because you see challenges that can be overcome, not walls you can’t climb. Think about the possibilities, not the roadblocks.

Remember, the best idea in the world is no good to anyone if you don’t act on it. Keep moving forward.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

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Great Ideas but No Takers?

Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.
~Jim Rohn

You’re convinced that you have the most phenomenal idea in the entire history of mankind. Good for you! But if no one listens when you pitch it to them, you’re dead in the water. Maybe you lack confidence, or maybe it’s something else.

Strategy

If you feel you have a history of great ideas, but no one seems interested, consider the following seven reasons why ideas fail to get off the ground. If you see yourself in any of them, get to work, fix the problem, and go for the brass ring next time around.

1. Your Idea Is Silly, Impractical, or Done to Death

Maybe it’s just not a good idea, and realistically, you’re probably not the best judge. Remember that time at the pub? It was your birthday, and you were dead-set on drinking a pint for every year you’d been alive. Your mates told you not to do it, but you knew better. If you can’t understand why your idea for fish-flavored chocolate, a rescue facility for plush animals, or yet another Flappy Bird clone isn’t getting the reception you expected, run the idea past your friends and family. They’re the most likely to tell you, “Listen, Bob, it’s just a completely lame idea.”

If the idea is good, maybe people just don’t like you. There’s really no other reason why anyone would reject a really brilliant idea, so with topics 2 through 7, we’re just going to pick you apart – it’s for your own good.

2. It’s Your Appearance

There it is, the sad, ugly truth. You look funny, and people don’t see past appearances. Take stock of yourself (and again, here’s where friends and family can help). Are your clothes out of style? Is your hair badly cut? Also (and we know the Political Correctness Brigade is going to jump all over us for this) think about whether you might lose a pound or two.

3. You Come Across as Odd

Acting peculiar is even worse than looking peculiar. If you spend all your free time talking to your imaginary friends or collecting serial killer trading cards, best to keep such behaviour to yourself. If people are looking at you funny, it’s because they think you’re funny, and they’ll not take you (or your ideas) seriously.

4. Your Body Language is Unfriendly

Often, shyness comes across as peculiarity or unfriendliness, and this may cause people to tune you out. Your ideas are dynamic, and you must appear that way as well. Watch your body signals – arms crossed over your chest or gaze cast floor-ward, head turned slightly away from the person you’re speaking with – these are all “stay away” signals. Try to be more open and receptive to the person you’re with, and they’ll likely be more receptive to your ideas.

5. You Really Don’t Like People

If this is your problem, you’re simply going to have to fake it. No one is going to want to listen to your ideas if they know quite well you’d rather be home with your tea and your kitties.

6. You Don’t Listen

It’s not all about you. You’ve heard the expression “To have a friend, you must be one.” Well, to be listened to, you must listen. If you show an interest in the person you’re pitching your idea to (i.e. ask about their day, their interests, their thoughts), they’ll show an interest in you – and your idea.

7. You’re Not Stating What You Want

If you’re naturally self-effacing, that could be working against you. An approach like “I don’t suppose you’d like to hear about this little idea I’ve got, would you?” is going to get you a response along the lines of “You’re quite right; I wouldn’t.” Put yourself out there with assumptive approaches like “I have a great idea that’s going to change everything about the way you do business, and I need five minutes of your time to tell you about it.” Hard to say no to that, right?

Make sure your idea is brilliant. Then make sure you are, and people will buy in. It’s that simple.

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Is Your Personality Killing the Deal?

Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important product of his effort is his own personality.

~Erich Fromm

You’re a remarkable fellow, or an outstandingly brilliant lady. God has bestowed upon you incredible talent, superior intelligence, and fairness of face beyond compare. So what’s wrong? Why are you not succeeding the way you were clearly meant to?

Let’s hazard a guess. Do you suppose that despite your stellar qualities, people just don’t like you?

Believe it or not, many a great product or service has been rejected just because the intended recipient of a fabulous deal has been put off by the person pitching it. Let’s talk about a few personality traits and other characteristics that are guaranteed to kill the deal, and what you can do to overcome them.

You’re Weird

There, we said it. You’re a strange little article, aren’t you? You with your polka-dot bow tie and your pocket protectors, your collection of used chewing gum that looks like Jesus, your tendency to channel Yoda from Star Wars when you’re talking to people. Strange you are! Stop it you must!

Whether you like it or not, people aren’t going to look past your eccentricities and say “Well, she’s a bit off, but this deal is too good to pass up.” No, they’re going to run as fast as they can for the nearest exit. You’ll be much better off if you just try to fit in.

You are Self-Important

Every sentence out of your mouth starts with “I”. Your opinion is the only one that counts because it’s the only one that’s RIGHT. You could fix up all the country’s problems if politicians just had the good sense to ask your advice. If you and a hundred other people showed up at the same party, attendees would say in unison, “Oh no, here comes Bob.” If any of this sounds familiar, guess what? You’re a jerk. Now you know. Put your ego away for a rainy day and accept that it’s not all about you.

You’re a Kiss-up

Kissing up is what you do best. You agree with everyone. If Danny says he fancies toast with Marmite, there you are, stuffing it in your face. Then Sophie announces that she can’t abide Marmite, and you toss the toast in the rubbish bin. There’s no one on the face of the planet you admire more than the person you’re with right now, and you’re not above telling him or her, in excruciating detail, just why you so adore them. Oh, please, give it a rest. You’re phony as plastic shrubbery, and everyone knows it. Stop trying to please everyone – it makes you look like Bob the Jerk.

Your Manners are Terrible

There you are, at a business dinner, a) slurping spaghetti, b) eating with your mouth open, c) using your napkin to blow your nose, d) interrupting your fellow diners when they try to speak, e) peppering your conversation with colourful obscenities, or f) all of the above. Are you working hard to be offensive, or does it just come naturally? Clearly, you don’t know how to behave in public. Buy a book on etiquette. Read it. Practice what you’ve read.

It’s Never Your Fault

You think you might have made a mistake once, but you’re pretty sure it was someone else’s fault. When something goes wrong, you blame your subordinates, your peers, your immediate supervisor, your mother – whoever’s handy. Worse, you have no qualms about doing it in front of a client. Here’s a news flash for you – that client sees through your pathetic attempt to shift responsibility, and may very well put the brakes on the deal. When that happens, guess who’s to blame? You. No one else.

If You Think No One’s Judging You, You’re Wrong

If you recognise yourself in any of the above, that’s half the battle. Now you need to understand that, whether you like it or not, people are shallow. Many of them won’t look beyond your irritating characteristics and personality traits, and it could cost you the deal.

The Final Word

Now that you know some of the ways you may be sabotaging yourself, work to correct them. You’ll benefit in the long run.

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Hunting and Capturing the Elusive Investor: 5 (Almost) Foolproof Strategies

An entrepreneur must pitch a potential investor for what the company is worth as well as sell the dream on how much of a profit can be made.
~Daymond John

You have a brilliant idea for starting a business, or expanding an existing one. Trouble is you’re low on cash. You need investors. Where do you find investors for your business? How will you capture the investor in his natural habitat? Here’s how.

1. First, You Need Bait

What this means is simply that you have to bring your own money in order to draw in potential investors. If you’re confident that your venture is going to succeed, cash in your savings. Get a line of credit using your home as equity. Max out your credit cards if you have to. If you can get a start-up loan, go for it. Banks and other lenders are becoming increasingly committed to small business. Depending on your projected income statements and cash flow, you might be able to borrow a tidy sum of seed money. This shows investors that you’re willing to put your own money where your mouth is.

2. Choose Your Quarry

For now, don’t go deer stalking if rabbiting will do. In other words, don’t expend time and effort finding big investors if you can get what you need in your own back yard. It can be a bit daunting asking Gran or Uncle Niles for money, but if you can present them with a solid business plan, they might be willing to hop on board. Make sure to explain exactly what it is you want, and what the terms will be. Of course a gift would be lovely, but if you want an interest-free loan, make sure you say so. Let them know when they can expect to be repaid. You might even want to make it a true family affair, offering them shares in your enterprise in exchange for start-up capital.

3. Watch for Open Season on Angels

If you need more money than you can reasonably scrape up using the strategies previously mentioned, you might want to seek out an angel. Angels are established persons or business who typically have a significant net worth and are willing to invest in companies that look promising. If you need to rent office space or hire staff, or do anything else that requires a fair amount of funding, you can find angels in their natural habitat. This would include, of course, their place of business as well as conventions and trade fairs. Sometimes angels even conduct competitions or events that can provide you with networking opportunities.

4. Prepare for a Successful Hunt

Preparation is everything. You need to do the following:

    • Know your quarry. That is to say, identify your investors. Research them thoroughly. Know yourself as well – be prepared to answer hard questions regarding your product or service, its sustainability, and your plans for long-term growth.
    • Understand the habits of your quarry. What motivates them? Why should they want to invest in your business? What makes them tick?
    • Use good-quality bait. Your business plan should include market research and realistic financials. Be able to explain how you plan on creating profit, and how investors will benefit.

We can’t say it often enough – be prepared.

5. Once It’s in the Bag, Don’t Give up the Chase

If you’ve found investors for your start-up or expansion, don’t rest on your laurels. Keep on networking. You already know that finding investors for your business isn’t easy. The skills you’ve learned may stand you in good stead at some point down the road. Who knows? Maybe your business will be so successful, next time you’ll be going after big game!

Happy Hunting

Now you know what you need to do to capture the wily investor, so get out there and go for it. There is funding available to help you set up your new business or help your existing one reach its full potential. Happy hunting, and good luck!

Why not leave a comment.

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Great Leaders – Born or Made

A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.
~Nelson Mandela

The debate as to whether a great leader is born or made has been raging for practically as long as there have even been leaders. One suspects that before recorded history, it might have gone something like this:

Grud: Og lucky. Born with smart that make him head honcho.

Durb: No, Og boss because Og work hard, learn how lead good.

Grud: You wrong, Durb. Og parents make smart kids. Og littermates smart too.

And on it goes…

So, is it nature or nurture? Could it be a bit of both?

Recent Studies Suggest Leaders Could Be Born

On April 12, 2013, an article in the Daily Mail by Amanda Williams discussed the theory that great leaders may have brains that are wired in such a way that they have an edge when it comes to memory functions and decision-making skills. The results of the study would seem to suggest that natural (or “born”) leaders have a bit more grey matter in areas that control memory and decision-making, and this gives them an edge when it comes to filling leadership roles.

Another study, conducted by researchers at University College London, found that a startling number of subjects who were in supervisory positions had a gene known as rs4950. Taken together, these studies suggest that there is a “leadership gene,” and that born leaders could be identified by using brain scans.

We Can Use Science to Separate the Wheat from the Chaff!

Not so fast. It would be fabulous if there were, indeed, a sort of shortcut that would allow us to identify potential leaders – think of the competitive advantage that would give your business. It would be a huge mistake, though, to think that you don’t have to consider individual personalities. Say you have a world-class cricket player who rises to the top of his sport based on what appears to be pure natural ability. He doesn’t work all that hard, doesn’t do much of anything special, in fact, except show up for the match. Obviously, he was born talented. His twin brother shares the same genetic material, but sits home watching telly and drinking all day. Much good genetics are going to do if you want to recruit him for the team. He was born with the same genetic material with which his brother was blessed, but he lacks motivation and interest.

Does Genetic Makeup Make a Huge Difference?

Genetic background may give a bit of an advantage, but it comes down to what a person does with what they’ve been given. We expect that leaders will be able to motivate a group to achieve success. We expect them to be driven and charismatic, and to be willing to take on the responsibility of making decisions. These are all traits that are developed. No one is born with them.

So What Makes a Great Leader?

No matter what you’re born with, if you don’t learn, you don’t lead. Leading requires constant learning and upgrading of the skills that are relevant to your position within your organization. Great leaders try things out, and then evaluate the results. They learn from their mistakes. They also ask for feedback from co-workers and bosses. Finally, they know how to adjust their behaviour in order to achieve better results. All this is learned behaviour.

Learning how to lead is an endless process of seeking out opportunities and improving skills. Great leaders will typically show indications of their potential in late childhood and early adolescence, and will develop that potential on their journey through life.

It’s Not What You Have, It’s What You Do with It

Simply stated, some great leaders may be born with better “raw material.” But it’s what a person does with that material that makes the difference between the great and the merely adequate, or the adequate and the utterly useless.

 Why not leave us a comment?

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10 Easy Steps to Greater Productivity

The productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager.
~Peter Drucker

In today’s highly competitive workplace, employee productivity is of paramount importance. If production is lagging, there are ways you can identify and correct low productivity. Let’s try to identify a few potential problems and come up with some solutions.

1. Your Employees Don’t Feel Motivated

An unmotivated employee is a frustrated, unproductive employee. A person needs to feel that he or she is appreciated, and that their work is valued. The importance of rewards and incentives cannot be overestimated. Of course, money is a great motivator, but you could also offer time off as an incentive, or perhaps a chance to attend a training session. If nothing else, a pat on the back and a “Fabulous job on the Watkins account, Elise,” works wonders.

2. Your Employees Aren’t Accountable

An employee with no sense of accountability is not productive. If the buck can be passed, many employees will not expend much effort on a task. Make sure your employee knows what his goal is, and work to help him achieve it. This will ensure consistent effort.

3. You Don’t Listen to Your Employees

Employees who feel they do not have the ear of the boss will never work to their full potential. Your inter-personal skills are vital. Your employees need to feel that they can reach out to you, and that you will reach back.

4. You Keep Your Employees on a Tether

It can be difficult to avoid the temptation to micromanage. Obviously, you have to offer assistance and give direction, but you should proceed on the assumption that you hired your people because they were qualified to do their jobs. Trust them. Let them find their own style. As long as they deliver, does it really matter how they go about it?

5. Your People Aren’t Challenged

People are at their best when they’re engaged in what they’re doing. If work is boring and mundane, an employee is unhappy, and therefore not productive. Everyone has a different level of capability, and what might be exciting to one worker may be deathly dull to another. You know your people. If Anthony loves filing and thinks there’s nothing better than creating a colour-coded system, whereas Jennifer loathes the mere idea and would far rather be building a work station, we think you know what you have to do.

6. Your Expectations Are Unrealistic

Do you set impossible goals? If you have a 200-page annual report that has to be done, and you set your workers the task of having it written, proof-read, printed and bound in 24 hours, don’t be surprised if they a) fail to deliver, b) take even longer to complete the work than they would have if you’d been reasonable, and c) resent you. You will have lowered productivity, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.

7. You Waste Time with Meetings

Of course you have to have meetings, but keep them brief. Less talk + more action = greater productivity.

8. You Don’t Encourage Teamwork

The more input workers have in a project, the better the outcome. With most teams, there’s a healthy element of competition, and a drive to get the job done in the fastest, most effective manner. Guess who wins in the end: You do.

9. Your People Don’t Have the Tools They Need

There’s little more frustrating than trying to do a quality job with sub-standard equipment. Make sure your hardware and software are up-to-date, and have office equipment serviced regularly to avoid time-wasting breakdowns. If you’re giving people shoddy tools, don’t expect productive work.

10. You Don’t Know When to Stop Working

Everyone needs a break once in a while. Don’t discount the importance of a chat at the water cooler or a takeaway lunch. Throw a staff party once in a while. Happy workers are productive workers.

To Sum It All Up

If your workers are unproductive, it’s your problem, and you must make it your priority to solve it. These are just a few ideas to help you increase productivity in the workplace. You can find a wealth of suggestions online, or perhaps you could attend a seminar. Don’t neglect this vital part of your business.

Consider leaving us a comment!

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5 Things You Can Do to Improve the Performance of Your Team

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.
~Michael Jordan

A few weeks ago, I attended an awards ceremony held by a particular organization. Let’s call this organization Team A. At the end of the night, the ceremony had rave reviews from people who enjoyed the event. From the music to the ambience to the food, everything was done well.

Just a week later I went to an event that was held by a different, unrelated organization. For argument’s sake, let’s call them Team B. Everything seemed to go wrong on the night of this event. There was confusion about the program for the evening, some entertainment acts were missing, and the event started and ended late.

What happened?

Simply put, there was a big difference in how well each team worked.

For some people, working in a team creates nothing but challenges, while for others, the idea of working with others is both enjoyable and productive. Whichever applies, when working in an organization, you can be certain that teamwork will be required to get your job done.

Good teamwork is highly prized because of a number of benefits that putting employees into teams can provide. These benefits include:

  • Increased productivity through synergy of effort
  • Increased customer satisfaction through improved customer service
  • Increased job satisfaction through increased employee empowerment

Of course, teamwork doesn’t always go as planned, and at times working in teams actually hinders productivity.  For example, with Team B above, it could be argued that they were less effective as a team than they would have been if they were working as independent individuals.

How to reap the benefits of a team

You can avoid the pitfalls of bad teamwork and reap the benefits of a more productive team by taking the time to understand how a team works and then making available the tools that will help your team function.

Here are five ways to help your team to become more efficient and productive:

1. Have clear goals

For a group or team to work effectively, you must ensure that goals are clearly expressed and explained. By outlining your goals, it will be much easier to track progress and make people accountable for progress towards those goals. With clear goals, progress can be broken down to monthly, weekly and even daily milestones to ensure that everybody stays on track.

2. Establish clear communication

A team’s overall effectiveness and productivity depends greatly on how well the team members communicate. Communication between your team members should be clear, and you should use agreed-upon methods and schedules to achieve maximum efficiency. Without good communication, it’s easy for misunderstandings to take place, which will greatly affect the efficiency of any group. With clear communication, issues that arise are addressed as quickly as possible, and little time is wasted. For example, Team A’s clear communication meant that each person knew their role in organizing the handing out of awards. On the other hand, it is likely that bad communication on Team B’s part led to confusion over responsibility for tasks and responsibilities on the night of the event.

3. Time frames and deadlines

Establishing time frames and deadlines is critical to ensure the effective running of a group. Each team member should have a deadline or time frame for each action or deliverable for which they are responsible. These deadlines will help the group to deliver the overall or larger goals within the groups agreed schedule.

Deadlines are necessary because they give focus to both the overall group and individual group members and they allow people to plan and to manage their time properly to deliver the best work possible.

4. Proper assignment of roles/successful delegation

Proper assignment or delegation of roles or tasks to team members is another important aspect of good team dynamics. Each team member should be assessed in terms of their knowledge, skills, and expertise in order to find their strengths. Tasks should then be assigned to team members as best matches their skills in order to achieve the team goal in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

By matching skills to tasks, you are ensuring that each task is completed to its maximum potential.

5. Learn about your team members

Another tried and tested method of improving group dynamics is to learn about your team members. In particular, it is important to identify the positive and negative group roles that your team members may play in order to help plan for possible issues in the future.

In addition, by using team-building techniques, you build and nurture healthy relationships with group members.

Working in a group doesn’t have to be a nightmare. With a bit of knowledge about how groups work, you can achieve more and aspire to greater achievements.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

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Succeed by Being More Assertive

I’ve worked very hard at understanding myself, learning to be assertive. I’m past the point where I worry about people liking me.
~Pam Dawber

Succeed by Being More Assertive

We’ve all experienced moments where we wanted to speak up for something we felt strongly about, yet failed to do so. Failure to speak up could be the result of many things, but it usually stems from fear of rejection or low self-esteem. During these moments, you may have let someone take advantage of your kindness. You may have even let someone talk you into doing a task at work that you didn’t feel was right.

Benefits of Assertiveness

This is where the importance of being assertive becomes clear. Assertiveness is defined as the ability to respectfully express one’s feelings, without hurting others. When communicating with someone assertively, you are being clear and honest about your opinions. Although some people are naturally assertive, for the rest of us it is a skill that can be developed. In the workplace, it is a valued personal trait that can help you succeed.

If you are able to learn how to be more assertive, you’ll find that this will diminish your stress levels greatly. This is because you are reducing the conflict that arises from not speaking your mind. There are several positive effects of being assertive that can help you succeed:

1. Increased self-confidence.

When you’re able to voice your opinion confidently on matters at work, people will take note of your opinion and integrate it into the team. You never know when you’ll have a breakthrough idea or be able to solve a problem for the team unless you offer your solutions. Remember that you need to believe in yourself; if you weren’t bringing something unique to the table, you wouldn’t have been given the job in the first place. You’ll also be more confident when you find that you’re able to successfully renegotiate terms, or to say no when you think it’s the right thing to do.

2. Better negotiation skills.

Conflict in business or in the workplace is inevitable; it’s how you deal with it that matters. You can be reasonable without letting people step all over you. Imagine the suffering you’ll put yourself through if you accept jobs or terms that you think aren’t worthwhile. Save yourself the time and energy instead by speaking up rationally and logically. As much as possible, be fact-based and logical when discussing the reasons for your decisions.

3. Improved relationships with others around you.

If you’ve lived a passive life, both personally and in the workplace, it may take some time to get used to the new assertive you. Eventually, though, people will adjust to the change. Good business relationships and friendships will survive this change; in fact, they will thrive because your relationships are more honest. You may not even know it, but living a passive life may have caused deep feelings of resentment. People may sense that you are unhappy without knowing why, and you can let go of these negative feelings once you’ve learned to be assertive.

4. You’ll enjoy more free time.

It’s good to help other people whenever you can, especially when you’re gifted at something that they really need your help with. Sometimes, though, when you’re too nice, people tend to abuse this. When you learn to say no for the right reasons, you’ll find that you enjoy more free time for yourself. You’ll be able to focus on doing things that really matter.

5. Reduced stress.

You may be burdened by your relationships with coworkers or your workload. Developing the art of assertiveness will reduce this greatly for you. When you’re assertive, you’ll be able to voice your issues without hurting people’s feelings, and at the same time you’ll be able to put your foot down. You’ll learn how to listen and renegotiate for better terms. Read more about how to manage stress better in our helpful article, 7 Ways to Manage Your Stress Level.

Making small changes in the way you communicate can help you develop into the ideal assertive person in the workplace or in your personal life. Invest in making a conscious effort to develop yourself into a respectful, assertive person, and you will go places.

Leave a comment with your thoughts.