Management Tips

S1: Be on time for ALL your appointments. If you schedule a meeting, set a time to visit with a client, or tell a friend you'll meet them for a working breakfast you have to be there at the time you set or you will lose their respect. If your dispatcher tells a client the serviceman will be there at 1pm, make sure he is. It's just common courtesy, but it .will really help your business S : Stop and smell the roses. !elieve it or not, you will do a better job with your business if you let your mind wander once in awhile. "ake a break. #echarge your internal battery. $hen you go back to work you will be more .creative as well as less stressed S%: Be Careful Who You Step On On Your Way Up, they will be there on your way down S&: You Are ot Smarter Than !"ery#ody. 'ou may be smarter than anyone, but you are not smarter than .everyone. Seek input from the group, and (IS")* to it. 'ou will be surprised at what you can learn S+: $et %n"ol"ed. If you think you are too busy to get involved in civic and charitable activities, you don't know what .you are missing. "he greatest reward is the personal satisfaction, but you will also make a lot of valuable contacts S,: &o Your 'ome(or). $hether it's a proposal to a major client or a meeting with the Shop Steward of a union, you will do better if you are prepared. -ollect the facts, think the problem through, talk to the others involved. "ake .the time to do the .up/front. work and the .downstream . work will be easier and more rewarding S0: %t*s not ho( hard you (or), it*s (hat you get done. 1nybody can work hard, and most people do. "he really .successful people focus on accomplishing results not on effort e2pended .S3: Learn from the mista)es of others. 'ou can't live long enough to make them all yourself S4: +o,us your energies. "here are a lot of demands on your time, but your time and energy are limited. 5ocus on what is important to you and do that first. It is better to do a few key things well than to do lots of things, but none of .them well S16: Wor) On Your Wea)nesses +irst. In any position or job you find yourself, there will be things you do well, some you do okay, and some you don't do so well. "o improve yourself, and increase your value, work first to .improve in those areas that are your weakest S11: &are to &ream. 'ou can't move forward if you are always looking back. 'ou can't find new solutions if you .believe 'it can't be done'. 7ave the courage of your convictions and go after it S1 : &on*t Limit Yourself. "he difference between leaders and managers is that leaders do not set limits on .themselves. "here are enough people trying to limit what you can do. 8on't be one of them S1%: Anyone ,an steer the ship in ,alm (aters. $hat will set you apart in your career is how you perform during .the tough times. 8on't become complacent and rela2 just because things are going well. 9lan ahead for the downturn S1&: You ha"e to ma)e a differen,e. "he group you manage has to be more effective, more productive with you there than they would be if you were not. If they are as productive without you, there is no business sense in keeping .you on the payroll !1+: -ra,ti,e (hat you prea,h. "o lead, you have to lead by e2ample. 8on't e2pect your people to work unpaid overtime if you leave early every day. 8on't book yourself into a four star hotel on business trips and e2pect your .employees to stay in the motel off the freeway !1,: You ,an*t .,ost ,ut. your (ay to greatness . -utting cost is, at best, a survival strategy. "o get better you .need to invest / in people, technology, e:uipment, etc

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;o1: Want More %nno"ation/ If you want more innovation from your people, let them know that their employment is secure, even if their job changes. 9eople worried about losing their jobs tend to find ways to stretch out the work, not innovative ways to do it better. ;o : &on*t Be A &emoti"ator 'our job as a leader is to get and keep your people motivated and working toward the common goal. 8emeaning them, to their face or to others, erodes their motivation. So does dismissively telling them that their ideas .are stupid.. $atch your own actions to be sure you aren't defeating your own efforts by demotivating your people. ;o%: Your greatest resour,e is your people. 'ou can have the best, high tech, e:uipment available. but, without the people you have no business. "reat your people with the same, or greater, care as you do your e:uipment. ;o&: 0eep the flame ali"e. $hen people join your organi<ation they are all fired up and ready to do great things. =ver time we all too often wear down that enthusiasm. Instead, do what you can to fan the flames of their enthusiasm and you will be ama<ed at their output. ;o+: Listen to your employees. It doesn't make any sense to spend all that time and effort to find and hire the best people if you are just going to ignore their input. ;o,: &on*t Spray The Apes. "his week's tip is too long to post here, but too good to not share. -lick here to read how to avoid organi<ational paralysis. "Start with a cage containing five apes. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long an ape will go up the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as the ape touches the banana, spray all apes with cold water. After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result - all the apes are sprayed with cold water. hen turn off the cold water. "!ow if another ape tries to climb the stairs for the banana the other apes will try to prevent it even though no water sprays them. !ow remove one of the five apes from the cage and replace with a new one. he new ape sees the banana and tries to climb the stairs. o his horror, all of the apes attack him. After another attempt he is again attacked. "e knows now that if he attempts to climb the stairs he will be assaulted. "!e#t, remove another of the original five apes and replace with a new one. he newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. he previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, replace a third of the original five apes with a new one. he new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. wo of the four apes that beat him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape. After replacing the fourth and fifth of the original apes there are no longer any apes that have been sprayed with cold water. !evertheless, no ape ever again approaches the banana. $hy not %% "Because that&s the way it&s always been around here." hat is how policy begins'''" ;o0: -eople Aren*t Mushrooms. ;ushrooms grow very well when kept in the dark and fed horse manure. 9eople, on the other hand, function better when they are kept in the loop and given straight info. ;o3: $et your people in"ol"ed. It's a lot easier to get employees to stand behind a company decision if they have the opportunity to participate in the discussion. ;anagement still has to make the decision. but if they have had the opportunity to make their point of view known employees are more apt to stand behind the ultimate decision, even if they don't agree with it. ;o4: A,ti"ely listen. (isten to your customers, your employees, your suppliers, and anyone else who comes in contact with your business. 7onestly evaluate what they have to say, without letting your ego get in the way, and you will probably learn something that benefits your business. ;o16: 1uality ,ustomer ser"i,e is #ased on three essentials2 respect, value, and a human approach. $hen you first apply these to the way you manage your own staff, you will be able to apply them towards -ustomers.

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