Give Feedback—Good or Bad—to Get Peak Performance

Employees are no different. They need to know if they are making good decisions and how they are performing.

That means managers must be watching to:
Catch employees doing great things so managers can provide positive feedback to sustain the performance Catch problems as they occur, so managers can use the teachable moment to help the employee improve. Feedback is the way to guide, coach, and educate employees to improve or sustain performance. Done poorly, however, it can do damage. Employees don't want to be scolded. They want meaningful information to help them improve.

Mr. Jay Forte recommend this five-step feedback process, followed by examples of each step at work. In these examples, your employee Jean was not very helpful to a customer on the phone.

Step 1: Start with a "COOKIE"

Feedback is about people, behaviors, and emotions. So start each performance feedback with a positive comment—a "cookie"—something that shows respect for the employee and alerts him or her to the direction of the discussion.
Example: "Jean, you have some of the best customer service skills in the industry. Our customers are very impressed with our service levels when they deal with you."

Step 2: Describe the current behaviors and situations

Describe the behavior that you want to reinforce or redirect and the situations where you observed the behavior. Be specific, brief, and direct.
Example: "Jean, I heard you on the phone with Stanton Company. You were short with them, told them to call back when they knew the part numbers they wanted, and hung up without saying 'Thank you.' Did I hear this correctly?" (Give Jean an opportunity to respond).

Step 3: Describe impact and consequences

Describe the impact and consequences of the current behavior, noting the effect the behavior had on results, customers, or employees. Be specific and quantify details. The more detailed and accurate the information, the more meaningful the feedback will be. Discuss the impact on the organization, but also try to find a personal hook for the employee.
Example: "Jean, Stanton is one of our best customers. They continually send other customers to us. They were critical in helping us achieve our profit targets, which resulted in bonuses for everyone on the team-including you. Our relationship with them is critical to our success."

Step 4: Jointly create a plan

Work with the employee to suggest options that would improve a negative event or keep a good event going, and be sure that the employee has a voice in the process. The more input your employees have in the process, the more they own the results.
Example: "Jean, what do you think you should do with Stanton right now?" (Allow Jean to offer ideas and to own the solution.) "Great, Jean, I like that idea. Please get right on it. Please also remember how important the relationship is with each of our customers. They call us because we know what we are doing, and we treat them better than anyone else."

Step 5: End with a "COOKIE"

Regardless of the nature of the performance feedback (positive or negative), employees will process the message better when the performance feedback event both starts and ends on a positive and personal tone.
Example: "Jean, you are an important part of the great service this team gives our customers. Thanks for making the difference that you do; please keep doing your best to help us be the best in the industry. Thanks."

Feedback is a learning event that focuses on particular behaviors that need to be sustained or improved. Though this approach is more "human," it does not coddle employees. It defines expectations and holds employees accountable.

Mr. Jay Forte is a speaker and consultant who works with organizations to activate and inspire exceptional employee performance. Jay's book Fire Up Your Employees and Smoke Your Competition is due out this month. Humanetricsllc.com.

A Culture of Learning: Turning Values Into Actions - by Marsha Ershaghi

Creating a culture of learning begins with emphasizing the value of workforce development. Sustaining it entails collaboration among learners, as well as alignment of programs to key organizational goals.

Learning cultures thrive in organizations that consistently reinforce the value of learning. These organizations encourage information- seekers, facilitate educational experiences and consistently demonstrate a commitment to learning by defining the culture in actions, not words.
Learning is not a one-time event. Effective and meaningful corporate cultures understand learning is an essential part of the fabric of the company, woven into all roles, functions, divisions and regions of the organization. Placing value on learning and creating an open environment creates an enduring organization and provides the ultimate source of sustainability.
Too often, education on corporate values and principles is addressed in silos. Corporate attitudes and behaviors are heavily influenced by an organization' s culture, and the culture is shaped by the organization mission, core values and traditions. In a healthy learning culture, education is visible in all aspects of the business - so learning penetrates the entire organization to foster a culture of interactivity and engagement. In the case of a company's ethics and compliance education, a company's values come to life in actions that provide competitive advantage to the organization.

This holistic approach to learning - including the company's values, ethical decision making and business risks - is necessary in creating a learning culture. Yet, too often, education is applied to meet compliance standards or the minimums of the law and not necessarily designed to foster a values-based culture.

Evolving Into a Values-Based Learning Culture
Global businesses are faced with a number of new and more complex challenges than ever before regarding how people connect, collaborate and work cohesively and productively. Trend data from LRN's "2008 Ethics and Compliance Risk Management Practices Report," which surveyed more than 420 global companies, shows that one-quarter of organizations have a desire to engage employees in learning, but are challenged to put their corporate values and integrity into action.
When an organization seeks to transform its corporate culture through values-based learning, it is best to initiate the tone from the top and ask executives to define the overall culture to determine whether they consider it to be a learning culture. This assessment should touch a representative sample of organizational stakeholders, in addition to the leadership team - which may include customers, shareholders, suppliers, as well as employees.
Next, a thorough assessment of current programs assists in evaluating the attitudes and perceptions of the organization' s learning culture. This assessment should reach employees across roles, functions and geographies to gather a balanced perspective of their educational experiences. The results should be compared to highlight any key commonalities that are important to maintain. However, it also is important to identify any discrepancies in perceptions of the overall culture, as well as the educational programs, to create an action plan that moves the company toward a truly aligned learning culture.
Shifting attitudes and transforming behavior do not happen overnight, but leveraging multiple learning channels within an organization is an excellent avenue to engage the workforce through awareness building and activities that can slowly shift the tide. The focus of any initiative cannot begin and end with awareness, but should repeat consistent bits of information, facilitate forums for informal learning and create a sandbox for learners to test and socialize information, shift attitudes and, ultimately, increase knowledge retention. This type of collaborative learning takes education from the individual development approach and creates a connected environment that builds the foundation of a learning culture.
The work of Judith Harris, author of The Nurture Assumption, challenges the whole way we look at teaching. Her work showed that, historically, the perspective on teaching overestimates the influence of parents and teachers, and underestimates the role of peer pressure. There are some real and practical steps to enhance learning by working with peers in team environments.
As companies work to create a more engaging educational program, they should not lose sight of how best to educate their workforces on mission-critical information in meaningful and sustainable ways. Organizations need to avoid implementing learning initiatives as a one-way communication, risking information overload. Pushing out content onto a corporate intranet, in the hopes that learners read and absorb the information, satisfies a "check the box" approach to education but does not represent a culture of learning.
For example, if an organization is launching a new environmental, health and safety policy, posting a set of compliance rules communicates to the enterprise that leadership is taking a passive approach to education, whereas some organizations take an additional step, requiring their workforces to electronically certify that they have read, understand and agree to abide by the policy. This sends a message that leadership deems these policies critical to the business.
Yet, posting a policy and successfully obtaining certification is only the first step to raise awareness. Where most organizations assume their work is done, a true learning culture believes the education has just begun. The next step is to ensure the workforce understands how to apply the policy in real-life situations it faces in daily work life. We know that recall is enhanced by learning in the context in which one is expected to perform. Yet, most teaching is done in alien environments such as classrooms, training centers or in bland online formats. So create an ideal blended approach that incorporates awareness building, knowledge building and skill building through peer interactions.
Enabling the workforce to translate rules into actions empower the business, mitigates risk and builds a cohesive corporate culture that ideally becomes a self-governing one. Once the awareness around a topic is achieved, it is important to foster a rich learning culture in order to educate, not just inform. This can be achieved by designing a suite of learning experiences that trigger the learner's personal relevance in the equation of the compliance topic.
Learning experiences can take on many shapes and forms, such as interactive modules that enhance the learning experience - to help the learner connect the dots from policy awareness to application. As noted by the Peer Research Laboratory at the Graduate School of the City University of New York, adults retain 10 percent of what is read, 20 percent of what is heard and 80 percent of what is experienced, so it is important to consider experiential learning, which can be facilitated through a variety of learning tools such as live workshops, virtual worlds or interactive gaming. These are all extremely effective ways to turn awareness into knowledge. In a global environment, these learning experiences should be localized to align with regional guidelines.
After awareness building, a guided application of the policies can empower learners to see their ownership in the experience and facilitate greater understanding and relevance. This results in a more compelling and meaningful learning experience and sends a message about the value the organization places on knowledge building. From William James and John Dewey through to David Kolb and Roger Schank, there has been a torrent of theory showing that we learn more by doing; yet, much teaching and training is locked into theoretical knowledge and not a skills-based model. There is hardly a training subject that would not benefit from a boost in experiential learning.

Learner Expertise and Knowledge Sharing
Global audiences today thrive in forums of personalized learning and creative expression. They are self-authoring content and emerging as amateur filmmakers and photographers. Innovations to connect and build knowledge have arrived through collaborative tools such as blogs, wikis, photo streams and machinima clips (animated movies created with gaming technology).
High-impact learning cultures recognize the value in user-generated content and embrace this next generation of tools. Perhaps the easiest and simplest piece of learning theory to put into practice is chunking, which means being sensitive to the limitation of working memory.
Less is more in learning, and it is important to distill information for the adult learner, rather than enhancing, elaborating and creating distracting noise. Additionally, a lack of understanding about how memory works leads to a lack of preparation of material in terms of size of content, order and engagement, which leads to weak encoding, a lack of deep processing and, ultimately, poor retention and recall. In creating a learning culture, it is essential to engage and educate the workforce often with small interactions and incorporate peer and direct manager discussions into the program.
As the workforce continues to grow through globalization, we must remember the value of relationships and the connection between people as an essential element to consider throughout the enterprise. The fabric of any organization' s culture is built upon relationships that evolve over time through communication and connections. In a global culture, the core is strengthened by fostering a learning environment that supports relationship building through activities, such as peer collaboration, or particular platforms that allow colleagues to have a dialogue around successes and failures.

Tomorrow's Leaders
Preserving a learning culture requires keeping the learner population at the forefront of the company's strategy. When there are marketplace changes or competitive challenges, it is critical that an organization' s learning environment is flexible and prepared to augment its program to support the business.
Today, organizations are challenged to maximize operational performance while increasing retention and driving workforce productivity. Sustained learning cultures build strategies and processes that give them visibility into how talent allocation best aligns with organizational goals and needs. This includes alignment on the cultures, values and mission of organizations. Mature learning organizations recognize this and focus on talent-driven initiatives through performance management processes that integrate values into career development and succession planning.
Taking a strategic approach to succession planning is a powerful catalyst for organizational transformation, growth and development, and ultimately drives cultural sustainability. Developing the skills and talents of the next generation of leaders and transferring institutional knowledge into practical business applications will contribute to ongoing business success and a sustainable advantage.
[About the Author: Marsha Ershaghi is the practice leader of education solutions at LRN.]

Developing Learning From the Seeds of Frustration - by Lindsay Edmonds Wickman

I'm frustrated, and my frustration ebbs and flows with each article I write. It feels as though my writing has become stagnant and boring, not inventive and thoughtful. I'm pushing myself to overcome my natural inclination to write as I have written in the past and instead try to craft a meaningful piece in which each word contributes to the whole. In an effort to overcome this barrier, I've become more open and receptive to learning and growing, and I feel that it's in the seeds of frustration where learning truly takes root.

I share this personal experience to give you insight. Many employees want to be good at their jobs. When they're not, they first try to learn and grow, but if they are blocked at this critical stage, they slowly begin to lose the passion to change and become apathetic.

To ensure employees remain eager about and receptive to professional development, organizations must create environments in which frustration is accepted and, most importantly, expressed. I know it sounds unrealistic because, in today's business world, we are "go, go, go," and there's no time for feelings, frustrations or mistakes. But if your organization truly is a learning organization, your employees must be able to communicate without fear of reprisal. Open and honest conversations should happen, where one can say, "I'm frustrated, and I want to know how I can get past that."

When this conversation occurs, it's crucial employees voice how they envision change happening. Managers can ask questions such as, "What would help you grow? What sort of activities or training can we develop that will push you further? What do you need from me to facilitate this process?"

One of the learning function's roles is to provide managers with the tools to conduct this conversation, so the development plan that results from an employee's frustration is not solely the dictation of the manager, but rather co-created.

If your employees don't feel comfortable sharing these thoughts, organizations can mine Facebook, MySpace and blogs - which can be known as venting grounds for disgruntled and former employees - for information about how they really feel about their jobs. (For instance, on Facebook, the "I Sold My Soul to Starbucks and All I Got Was This Green Apron" group has 4,103 members.) Then you can start to make concentrated changes. Once employees see the concerted effort to improve, they will see their voices count.

In the end, for me, it is the deep conversations with my editors that give me the tools I need to push through and become better. Now it's my job to carry it through.

[About the Author: Lindsay Edmonds Wickman is an associate editor for Chief Learning Officer magazine.]

Interviewer Types

Have you ever wondered how you come across to the candidates you interview?

Here are the 9 Interviewer Types . . .

1. The Stickler
The Stickler is someone who likes to plan the interview down to the last detail. He or she believes there is a right way to interview. Once they work it out, they’ll stick to that format every time. Interviews with Sticklers tend to be highly structured, formal, polite, and business-like. They’ll rarely run over their allotted time. Sticklers believe this approach will enable them to make accurate selections.

2. The Helper
The Helper is a people-person. The tone of their interviews is invariably friendly, warm and sociable. They will offer coffee and biscuits, hang up people’s coats for them, work out their best route home, and accompany them all the way from the interview room back out of the building. Because of this, interviews feel more like a nice chat than serious business.

3. The Performer
The Performer sees an interview as a major promotional opportunity. They will talk up the job, the organization, and themselves. They come over as attractive, charming, and seductive. They want you to like them. Performers like their candidates to be as attractive as they believe they are. They must look in fashion and be able to quote all the latest ideas and buzz-words about the job.

4. The Prober
The Prober sees the interview as a chance to get to know a person at a deep meaningful level. Because of this, they may ignore a structured approach and take longer than they need to. The have a knack of spotting stars and uncovering the real qualities that a person has. They may get bored with dull candidates and are likely to be attracted to individualists who, like themselves, have a touch of something special.

5. The Observer
The Observer sees the interview as essentially a one-way process in which they can gather information on the candidate while giving little away about themselves. Nothing escapes their attention. They can pick up on a little detail and also see the big picture. To encourage people to talk, the Observer comes over as interested, curious and charming.

6. The Questioner
The Questioner approaches every interview in two minds: will this person be a safe bet or not? The way they find out is with lots of questions, checks, tests, and references. Only when they feel safe with a candidate will they support them. Then they will become the greatest advocate for giving them the job.

7. The Enthusiast
The Enthusiast is someone who likes to get switched on by a candidate, especially if they share their own enthusiasms. They are often impatient people who may be so busy that they they turn up half-way through the interview or leave before the end. Enthusiasts may do more talking than the candidates as they love nothing better than an audience.

8. The Boss
The Boss likes to let candidates know that they’re in charge. They think that the best way to find out about others is to put them on the spot, test them, or confront them. They are the most likely interviewers to use stress tactics. Boss interviewers warm to candidates who are strong and brash like them, or who are willing to be loyal followers in their team.

9. The Avoider
The Avoider likes to melt into the background at interviews. In a panel, they will defer to others. Alone, they will defer to the candidate. Their philosophy is not to control the process but to simply sit back and let things happen. Curiously, this hands-off approach often allows the best candidate to come through naturally.

So there you go. Next time you interview, instead of focusing all your attention on your candidates, have a peek at your own style. You may learn a lot more about you than you do about them.

Avoiding Workaholism

I just got a substantial promotion at work, and have been in a relationship for the last three years. While I'm excited about the promotion, especially in these economic times, I'm worried about my relationship suffering because of the time I'll be spending at work. I'm already getting complaints about being a "workaholic" and my putting the "relationship on the back burner" while I advance in my career.  

Many people in the workforce are faced with similar dilemmas.

Balancing personal and career demands can be a major challenge. Relationships require a certain amount of time and attention to keep them alive, and to keep us emotionally nourished, as well. The term "workaholism" is not technically recognized as a psychological disorder. However, it is commonly understood as a psychological issue. Someone is struggling with workaholism when s/he has a focused relationship with work that excludes time for self-nurturing, friends and love relationships. Workaholism becomes a relationship with work that competes with other important relationships.

Here are some warning signs of workaholism:

Your home is just another office; You are hard-driving, competitive, and overly committed to your work; You take office equipment with you wherever you go, even on vacations; Work makes you happier than anything else in your life; Sleep and playtime seem like a waste; You believe that if you get the chance to do it again, you'll do it right; You get restless on vacation (if you even take them) and sometimes cut them short; You frequently are "problem solving" work situations in your mind, even during your "time off”; Friends either don't call anymore, or you can't wait to get off the phone when they do call; People who love you tell you that "you have a lot of energy," are "manic," or are a "workhorse"; You are tired, irritable, socially isolated, and might even have physical stress symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, shortness of breath, racing heart, muscle tension, or ulcers.

If you can see yourself in most of these characteristics, you probably are a workaholic.

Ok, so now what do you do?

1. Schedule time for your primary relationship

Most relationships require at least 20-30 minutes of "connect time" every day, not including time to discuss bills, children, phone calls, etc. This time is spent simply checking in with, and catching up with one another. You might ask about one's day, make future plans, dream together and enjoy each other's company. When you're on the road, make sure you call home regularly, and leave a phone number where you can most easily be reached. When you get home, take extra time for re-connecting. Usually an hour is the minimum requirement.

 Take occasional time off together (a morning, an evening, a two-or-three day weekend) with unplanned time to allow for spontaneity and creativity. Plan a "date" out on the town at least every few months. Leave messages. Leave notes for one another, and messages on voicemails. If you tend to these little things, you'll avoid the feeling of being torn, and benefit from the warmth of your relationship as well.

2. Make time for your friendships

Make sure you pick people who are fun. The best way to avoid giving in to workaholism is to "red line" time for nurturing relationships in your appointment calendar.

3. Take care of your body

Get a physical exam to rule out other problems. Take care of the three basics: eating, sleeping, exercising. Pay a little extra attention to all three categories. Take 4-5 minute "breaks" at your desk. Allow yourself to close your eyes, breathe rhythmically, and focus your mind's eye on a relaxing place. If you get distracted, gently bring yourself back to the relaxing scene.

4. Re-examine your long-term goals

Are you doing what you want to be doing with your life? From the vantage point of your deathbed, what do you want to be able to say about how you spent these years?

5. Re-examine your short-term goals 

Remind yourself of the things you have already accomplished rather than just those you still need to accomplish. Do this daily. A moment of reflection when sitting down at your desk can help keep things in perspective.

If you just can't do it on your own, get counseling and do what the counselor suggests. Following someone else's instructions can be tough, but try it for at least a month before you go back to your old ways.

Source: Article is not written by blog author, it was mail circular.

Learning How to use Mind Power

Learning how to use mind power, and learning specifically how to use mind power to attract wealth and abundance, has been a major focus for most of my life. Along the way, I’ve learned that using mind power works most effectively when it is done with ease and grace. There is no need for struggle to get exactly what you want in life. In fact, whenever you struggle, you push away that which you most desire.
Using mind power to change your life is more like a magic trick than anything else. You simply trick your mind into believing that you have what you want, and then your life miraculously changes to reflect your new belief. And just like a magic trick, it seems impossible until you learn the trick, and then you realize it is actually very simple.
Yes, I said very simple. The five steps which follow are designed for the complete beginner. You can start today, right now, to attract more prosperity in your life. Here are five ways to start immediately.

FIVE AMAZINGLY SIMPLE WAYS TO TRICK YOUR MIND INTO CREATING WEALTH

1. Show gratitude for any money which enters your life.

In order to attract money into your life, you must show gratitude for the money which is already in your life. Instead of bemoaning how little money you have, bask in gratitude at the many ways in which you are rich already.
For example, if you earn more than $2,182 per year, you havemore wealth than 85 per cent of the people on earth. And if you earn over $25,400 a year you are in the top 10 per cent of wealthy people on this planet. When you focus on what you have rather than what you want, you realize that you ARE already rich. Give thanks often for all the riches in your life.
How to use this principle today:
The next time money enters your life, from any source whatsoever, instead of barely noticing what has happened and mentally beginning to spend it, use a few moments of time to give thanks to the universe for bringing this money into your life. Every time you receive a paycheck, every time someone gives you money for any reason, every time you find money, or get a great deal, or save money in some way, stop and appreciate the fact that money is flowing into your life. Doing this every time money comes to you will attract more and more money into your life.

2. Act as if you are rich.

This is the fundamental truth of all mind power work, that you must act as if what you want is already yours. So act as if you already have the money you wish to have. Ask yourself, if I was already rich, what would I do, how would I act, how would I feel, and then do, act, and feel in those ways. Of course, you don’t need to quit your job and move to the South Pacific like you would if you suddenly won the lottery, but you start small and with each success you build your way to greater and greater wealth. Eat a little bit better, dress a little bit nicer, go on slightly higher-end vacations, take a cab instead of the bus now and then, take that course you can’t afford, or do anything at all that you wish to do but believe you can’t because of a lack of money. And when you do these things, bask in joy at your inner state of wealth, and know that this state will be reflected in your outer world.
You’ll be amazed at how life provides for the things which bring you joy.
How to use this principle today:
The next time you are about to buy something, anything at all, purchase an item that is of slightly higher quality and price than you would usually buy. Even if something only costs a few dollars more than what is usual for you to spend, buy that item and thank the universe for providing for your new expanding lifestyle. Even though it is a tiny step, you are beginning to teach your mind that you are expanding your limitations, and as you practice this you will begin to purchase more of the things you want in your life and the money will come to you to pay for them.

3. Find a penny, pick it up.

In order to attract wealth into your life, your subsconscious mind must be open to the idea of wealth flowing to you. You must be open and receptive to money coming to you from any source whatsoever. This includes the pennies laying on the street. If you pass a penny on the sidewalk, and your usual reaction is simply to ignore it because stooping down to pick up a penny is not worth the effort, you are telling your subconscious mind that you are not willing to put out effort for money. The amount of money makes no difference whatsoever. The subconscious mind doesn’t distinguish between one penny and one million dollars. All it knows is how you feel. Of course this manifests in many other ways as well. Whenever you do not accept a gift graciously, whenever you do not charge someone for work that you have done for them, or charge them way less than you should because you feel guilty, and whenever you sell a product for less than it is worth because you do not want to charge too much, you are generating the same emotions. So begin to be open to money, in whatever form, and begin to accept it’s flow into your life, even if it’s only a penny on the street.
How to use this principle today:
Simply go for a walk today and look for money. You are sure to find at least a penny somewhere. Pick it up and thank the universe for bringing money into your life. Let yoursubconscious mind know that you are open and willing to accept money from any source. As well, apply this principle in your working life. If you have been undercharging for your services, raise your prices. If you are not earning what you feel you should, ask for a raise. And whenever anyone gives you anything, especially money, accept it graciously and give thanks.

4. Be open to money-making opportunities.

One thing that all self-made millionaires agree on is that there are opportunities everywhere, if we are just open to seeing them. You can prove this for yourself by looking at your own life. There are probably many times in your past which you think back to and wonder what might have happened if you had taken an opportunity at just the right time.
Whether it’s obvious things like career opportunities you let slip by, investment opportunities you didn’t belive in, or less obvious opportunities like an idea you once had that is now making someone else rich, or an industry you could have joined before it became saturated.
If you are like most people, when you think of your past opportunities, you believe that you once had a chance but that opportunity is now gone. The difference between rich and poor people is that rich people realize that new opportunities are always all around us, all the time. You simply need to keep a look out for the opportunities, keep and open mind, and be prepared to take advantage when the opportunity arrives.
I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage that luck occurs when opportunity meets preparation. Well, it couldn’t be more true. If you expect to find money-making opportunities in your life, and you prepare to take advantage of them when they come, you will be blessed with more incredible luck than you have ever experienced.
How to use this principle today:
Get out a little notebook and write down all the money-making ideas you can think of. It doesn’t matter how stupid or outrageous the idea might seem, but write it down anyway. This does two things. First, you realize that there are plenty of money-making opportunities around you right now, as there always have been and always will be.
Secondly, this exercise will stimulate you mind to see money-making opportunities where it might have ignored them in the past, and will help you practice to see opportunities in the future. If you keep adding ideas to your notebook consistently, one day you will see an incredibly opportunity on your list which is perfect for you. Then go for it!

5. Do something that makes you feel good

This has got to be the easiest money-making advice I could ever give. Do something that makes you feel good. When you feel good, your energy rises, and when your energy rises, it attracts more of the things into your life which make you feel good. Could life be any easier? Not really, but we are so caught up in the backwards thinking of everyone around us that we miss the obvious flow of energy. All you really need to attract more of the good things in your life, including more money, is to generate positive energy into the world. The states of happiness and joy literally rearrange the atoms of your world to bring you more happiness and joy. Of course, the reverse is true as well.
So avoid fear, anger, depression, and spend your time feeling good about yourself and your life. If this is difficult for you, just practice. Begin with some small thing which brings you happiness. It could be as simple as watching a sunset, renting your favorite movie of all time, taking someone you love out for dessert, or anything at all. The secret is to do these things whole-heartedly, with all your attention focussed on the happiness vibrating from your soul out into the world. This simple act will bring you rich rewards.
How to use this principle today:
Don’t just read this article and think, that sounds good, and then go back to your life. Pick something to do which will bring you happiness and do it today. It doesn’t matter what it is or how small it seems. In fact, you don’t have to do anything at all. All thatis important is feeling the positive emotions of happiness and joy emanating from your soul. One simple way to generate positive emotion is to feel gratitude for something in your life. Just pick something in your life for which you are very grateful, and vibrate your gratitude towards it.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE IF YOU START NOW
That should get you started. Five extremely simple actions you can take to begin to expand the prosperity you experience in your life. But don’t stop there. Never let fear or doubt enter your mind. There is nothing you need to succeed except the power of your own mind. If you worry that you are not smart enough, not connected enough, not talented enough, not young enough or not old enough, you are simply creating limiting beliefs which will manifest in the outside world. All you really need to know is that the outside world is a reflection of the state of your inner mind. Know that you can make every day from this day forward a little more joyful and a little more abundant and youwatch your life begin to change.
It’s an easy and gentle process, much like letting a plant grow. One day you will suddenly realize that all of your good thoughts have grown into the beautiful fruits of a happy and successful life. This short article will point you in the right direction. But don’t stop here.
If these ideas inspire you to think a little bit differently, and you’d like to learn much much more about how your mind can create wealth, you can begin a 30-day programwhich teaches you “How to Program Your Mind For Wealth.” This article is excerpted from the e-book, “Money Making Secrets of Mind Power Masters,” which is included in the “Mind Over Money” total success package. Learn how to program your mind for wealth at http://www.secretmindpower.com/Bonus.htm

Chanakya's Tips

"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and Honest people are screwed first."

"Even if a snake is not poisonous, It should pretend to be venomous."

"The biggest guru-mantra is: Never share your secrets with anybody. ! It will destroy you."

"There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no Friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth."

"Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply And find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."

"As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."

"Once you start a working on something, Don't be afraid of failure and Don't abandon it.
"People who work sincerely are the happiest."

"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."

"A man is great by deeds, not by birth."

"Treat your kid like a darling for the first five years. For the next five years, scold them. By the time they turn sixteen, treat them like a friend. Your grown up children are your best friends."

"Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person."

"Education is the best friend. an educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth."

Get the Recognition You Deserve...Learning how to get praise...!!

Imagine this: You stay late at work, consistently win accounts that your co-workers only dream of, never miss deadlines, and never show up late – and to top it all off, you finish even your worst projects successfully and ahead of schedule.
You'd think that by doing all of this, you would, at least once in a while, get thanks and recognition from management? Well… you wish. Unfortunately, your boss is busy dealing with a "problem" member of the team, and as a result, she forgets to show any gratitude to her stars. That includes you.
Have you ever been in a situation like this? Working hard and getting ignored by your boss can be rough. That's why you sometimes have to take matters into your own hands.
Boasting of your own accomplishments can feel awkward. But look at it this way: If your boss doesn't notice your hard work, and you don't point it out to him or her, then what happens when you ask for a raise? How will he or she know you're ready for that promotion, or if you can handle that huge-but-fascinating project?
Things don't have to be like that. We'll show you how to get the recognition you deserve without looking like you're seeking attention. Believe it or not, there is a way to do this..
There are many types of recognition, so decide what type you want.

Step One: Decide What You Want
Companies often thank staff with awards, certificates, or bonuses. However, people often just want simple praise.. We want to know that our work is meaningful and that we've made a difference. An "Employee of the Month" certificate, or a cold, hard check doesn't always communicate that.
So, what exactly are you looking for? It's important to really define this, because everyone wants something different. Do you want a simple "thank you"? An award ceremony in your honor? A raise?

Step Two: Define Why You Deserve Praise
Don't walk into your boss's office with no advance preparation to say what a great job you've been doing. Why? Firstly, it would seem odd. Then, if you're a bit nervous, you might forget something important that you've done. You might forget the help a co-worker gave you, and leaving out that person could speak poorly of your character.. Be sure to make yourself look good, but also share credit where credit is due.
Make a list of the accomplishments you'd like to discuss. Beside each one, list the value that accomplishment has brought to the company.

Step Three: Praise Yourself
This is where you've got to get creative. You know your boss and your business environment, so think of ways to let your boss know how hard you've been working.
If you tell your boss directly, then do it carefully and tactfully – in a private area. You know that list of accomplishments you just created? Read that over a few times before your meeting. As you talk, emphasize how you had help and how your co-workers should be rewarded for their hard work as well.
If this feels a little too much like bragging, then think of ways to let your boss know what you're doing without being so obvious or bold. For example, send your boss an email every time you win a new account, or when you're finally able to please your company's worst customer. These little "progress reports" keep your actions in the open in a delicate, not-too-obvious way.
You can also praise others in front of your boss. By bringing their hard work and accomplishments to your boss's attention, she may also notice the great job that you've been doing.. Keep it genuine and honest, however. If you appear insincere, then people may notice, and you may look bad. If you have something good to say, then say it, but don't speak up if you don't really mean it.

A Few Tips
· Look closely at your boss's actions – he or she may be praising you, and you don't even realize it. For example, let's say you spent hours writing the annual message to shareholders, and your boss only quickly glanced at it before passing it on to be copied. Before you get upset, consider that her actions may really say that she trusts you to do top-notch work, and she doesn't have read every line to know you've done a great job. Yes, a "thank you" for a job well done is nice, but this kind of trust is also a compliment.
· In your work environment, perhaps all the problem behaviors get noticed, and all the really great ones seem to be ignored. If so, then you may have to do something bold to get management's attention. Tell your boss honestly how members of the team need some recognition. Keep the focus off yourself, and help your boss understand how everyone would be more motivated if they just got a little praise now and then.

Key Points
Although not everyone is comfortable talking about their accomplishments, you might harm yourself if you don't speak up.
If your boss doesn't see the great work you've been doing, he or she might give that promotion or special project to someone else without knowing any better. It's up to you to prove that you can handle the added responsibility – and to do that, your boss has to know what you've already done.

Apply This to Your Life:
Ready to put this into action? Here are some easy ways to use this tool in your life right now:
Begin by recognizing the accomplishments of others. If you notice co-workers doing something great, send them emails praising their efforts, and send copies to your boss. This can show your boss that you're leading by example.
Don't forget that your boss might need some praise and recognition too. Send him or her an email when she's made a difference in your day, and consider copying that email to his or her boss.
If you're a team leader, keep your eyes open for activities and co-workers that deserve praise. Whenever someone does something that's earned a heartfelt "thanks," send that person an email and copy it to your boss.
These are just a few ways you can "raise the bar" in your workplace to get other people thinking about praise and recognition. When you recognize the efforts of your team, you should steadily earn your own praise as well.

Power of Positive Talk! - By Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

I remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a very young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.
One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the rafters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high.
My older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Tammy's mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, "Bart, Hold on tightly." So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree.
I scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, "Tammy, don't fall!" And Tammy did… fall.
My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly.
This concept is especially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal. You can't visualize not doing something. The only way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that. For example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my junior high school football team. I tried so hard to be good, but I just couldn't get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a pass, "Don't drop it!" Naturally, I dropped the ball.
My coaches were not skilled enough to teach us proper "self-talk." They just thought some kids could catch and others couldn't. I'll never make it pro, but I'm now a pretty good Sunday afternoon football player, because all my internal dialogue is positive and encourages me to win. I wish my dad had coached me playing football instead of just climbing trees. I might have had a longer football career.
Here is a very easy demonstration to teach your kids and your friends the power of a toxic vocabulary. Ask them to hold a pen or pencil. Hand it to them. Now, follow my instructions carefully. Say to them, "Okay, try to drop the pencil." Observe what they do.
Most people release their hands and watch the pencil hit the floor. You respond, "You weren't paying attention. I said TRY to drop the pencil. Now please do it again." Most people then pick up the pencil and pretend to be in excruciating pain while their hand tries but fails to drop the pencil.
The point is made.
If you tell your brain you will "give it a try," you are actually telling your brain to fail. I have a "no try" rule in my house and with everyone I interact with. Either people will do it or they won't. Either they will be at the party or they won't. I'm brutal when people attempt to lie to me by using the word try. Do they think I don't know they are really telegraphing to the world they have no intention of doing it but they want me to give them brownie points for pretended effort? You will never hear the words "I'll try" come out of my mouth unless I'm teaching this concept in a seminar.
If you "try" and do something, your unconscious mind has permission not to succeed. If I truly can't make a decision I will tell the truth. "Sorry John. I'm not sure if I will be at your party or not. I've got an outstanding commitment. If that falls through, I will be here. Otherwise, I will not. Thanks for the invite."
People respect honesty. So remove the word "try" from your vocabulary.
My dad also told me that psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive statements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to seventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism.
These are concepts that are especially useful when raising children.

Ask yourself how many compliments you give yourself daily versus how many criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction.
So, are you giving yourself the 17:1 ratio or are you shortchanging yourself with toxic self-talk like, " I'm fat. Nobody will like me. I'll try this diet. I'm not good enough. I'm so stupid. I'm broke, etc. etc."

If our parents can set a lifetime of programming with one wrong statement, imagine the kind of programming you are doing on a daily basis with your own internal dialogue. Here is a list of Toxic Vocabulary words.
Notice when you or other people use them.
Ø But: Negates any words that are stated before it.Ø Try: Presupposes failure.Ø If: Presupposes that you may not.Ø Might: It does nothing definite. It leaves options for your listener.Ø Would Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen.Ø Should Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen (and implies guilt.)Ø Could Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen but the person tries to take credit as if it did happen.Ø Can't/Don't: These words force the listener to focus on exactly the opposite of what you want. This is a classic mistake that parents and coaches make without knowing the damage of this linguistic error.
Examples: Toxic phrase: "Don't drop the ball!"Likely result: Drops the ballBetter language: "Catch the ball!"
Toxic phrase: "You shouldn't watch so much television."Likely result: Watches more television.Better language: "I read too much television makes people stupid. You might find yourself turning that TV off and picking up one of those books more often!"
Exercise: Take a moment to write down all the phrases you use on a daily basis or any Toxic self-talk that you have noticed yourself using. Write these phrases down so you will begin to catch yourself as they occur and change them

Transformational Leadership

Assumptions
People will follow a person who inspires them.
A person with vision and passion can achieve great things.
The way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy.

Style
Working for a Transformational Leader can be a wonderful and uplifting experience. They put passion and energy into everything. They care about you and want you to succeed.

Developing the vision
Transformational Leadership starts with the development of a vision, a view of the future that will excite and convert potential followers. This vision may be developed by the leader, by the senior team or may emerge from a broad series of discussions. The important factor is the leader buys into it, hook, line and sinker.

Selling the vision
The next step, which in fact never stops, is to constantly sell the vision. This takes energy and commitment, as few people will immediately buy into a radical vision, and some will join the show much more slowly than others. The Transformational Leader thus takes every opportunity and will use whatever works to convince others to climb on board the bandwagon.

In order to create followers, the Transformational Leader has to be very careful in creating trust, and their personal integrity is a critical part of the package that they are selling. In effect, they are selling themselves as well as the vision.

Finding the way forwards
In parallel with the selling activity is seeking the way forward. Some Transformational Leaders know the way, and simply want others to follow them. Others do not have a ready strategy, but will happily lead the exploration of possible routes to the Promised Land.

The route forwards may not be obvious and may not be plotted in details, but with a clear vision, the direction will always be known. Thus finding the way forward can be an ongoing process of course correction and the Transformational Leader will accept that there will be failures and blind canyons along the way. As long as they feel progress is being made, they will be happy.

Leading the charge
The final stage is to remain up-front and central during the action. Transformational Leaders are always visible and will stand up to be counted rather than hide behind their troops. They show by their attitudes and actions how everyone else should behave. They also make continued efforts to motivate and rally their followers, constantly doing the rounds, listening, soothing and enthusing.

It is their unswerving commitment as much as anything else that keeps people going, particularly through the darker times when some may question whether the vision can ever be achieved. If the people do not believe that they can succeed, then their efforts will flag. The Transformational Leader seeks to infect and reinfect their followers with a high level of commitment to the vision.

One of the methods the Transformational Leader uses to sustain motivation is in the use of ceremonies, rituals and other cultural symbolism. Small changes get big hurrahs, pumping up their significance as indicators of real progress.

Overall, they balance their attention between action that creates progress and the mental state of their followers. Perhaps more than other approaches, they are people-oriented and believe that success comes first and last through deep and sustained commitment.

Discussion
Whilst the Transformational Leader seeks overtly to transform the organization, there is also a tacit promise to followers that they also will be transformed in some way, perhaps to be more like this amazing leader. In some respects, then, the followers are the product of the transformation.

Transformational Leaders are often charismatic, but are not as narcissistic as pure Charismatic Leaders, who succeed through a believe in themselves rather than a believe in others.
One of the traps of Transformational Leadership is that passion and confidence can easily be mistaken for truth and reality. Whilst it is true that great things have been achieved through enthusiastic leadership, it is also true that many passionate people have led the charge right over the cliff and into a bottomless chasm. Just because someone believes they are right, it does not mean they are right.

Paradoxically, the energy that gets people going can also cause them to give up. Transformational Leaders often have large amounts of enthusiasm which, if relentlessly applied, can wear out their followers.

Transformational Leaders also tend to see the big picture, but not the details, where the devil often lurks. If they do not have people to take care of this level of information, then they are usually doomed to fail.

Finally, Transformational Leaders, by definition, seek to transform. When the organization does not need transforming and people are happy as they are, then such a leader will be frustrated. Like wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come into their own and can be personally responsible for saving entire companies.

Work Concept

One evening a scholar was addressing the participants on the concept of work culture. One of the participants asked the following question :
"I am a senior manager of Materials Department and I joined an organization 25 years ago as an Engineer Trainee and over the last 25 years I have gone through every experience in the organization.
During the initial part of my career, the job was very challenging and interesting.
However, all those exciting days are gone since I do not find my joy any more interesting because there is nothing new in my job. I am now feeling bored because I am doing a routine job.
However, Sir, I am living in the same house for over forty years, I am the son for the same parents for over forty five years, I am the father for the same children for the past ten years and the husband for the same lady for the past twenty years !( the toughest job!)
In these personal roles I do not feel bored Please tell me why I am bored of the routine in the office and not in the house?"
The response from Scholar was very interesting and convincing. He asked the executive the question:
"Please tell me for whom does your Mother cook ?"
The executive replied that obviously the mother cooks for others.
Then the Scholar said that the mother "Serves" others and because of this service mindedness, she is not feeling tired or bored. But in an office,we "Work" and not "Serve". Anything we consider, as service will not make us feel bored. That is difference between Serving and Working.
He asked the executive to consider his work as service and not merely a work !! This was a very interesting analysis!! Whenever you put a larger context around your work and see a broader meaning for your work, you will take interest in your work and it will make a very big difference in your internal energy.
Attitude Matters !!!
If you think you are working for the organization you will get frustrated. If you feel you are doing a service and getting some service charges you will feel happy. After all -doing what you like is freedom But liking what you do is happiness!

Don't Recruit The Best People - Attract Them

Smart leaders don't recruit the best people, they attract them. Why do they do it? They do it because it makes their lives easier, and their companies more successful. How do they do it? They have a clearly defined corporate Purpose For Existing (PFE), they tell the world about it, they live it, and the best people come to them. They don't recruit, they attract.
The success of this method is based on two principles. The first is a very basic tenant of life on the planet; "Birds with same feather flock together". It is this reason that zebras run together on the African plains,
geese flock together in v-shape formation, similar looking fish travel in schools. In any given crowd of people, each sub-group is composed of individuals with similar characteristics or persona. They experience a level of mental comfort, which enables them to be at peace with themselves. A leader who has defined their company's PFE is saying in essence "I am a zebra. If you too are a zebra, come out here on the plains and join me."

The second principle is that the best and the brightest in the work-force seek more than just a paycheck from their job, they seek fulfillment of their own personal Purpose For Existing (PFE). On average, employees spend 70% of their waking hours Monday through Friday either at work, getting to work, or preparing for work. For the most part, their work is their life. The best and the brightest know this, and understand this. They want to make sure that while spending 70% of their life at work, they are in some way fulfilling their own PFE. They seek out companies where the organization's PFE supports their own.

The concept of attracting vs. recruiting might not seem like an important topic in an era of economic uncertainty where companies are laying people off, or freezing the hiring process. The U.S. has been in that situation now for almost three years. However, data from the National Bureau of Labor Statistics, and independent studies from professional staffing and Human Resource Management firms indicate a change is coming. Projections are for labor shortages starting this year in certain industries and increasing to approximately 6 million skilled workers in 2012. India faces a similar situation where companies are on a recruitment spree considering the tremendous growth opportunity existent in their respective field. The repercussions of such a shortage won't just be felt in lost opportunity costs as companies can't get the necessary qualified talent to serve new customers. More painful and directly impacting will be the costs felt as employers try to fill open positions. According to Human Resource studies, total costs to replace a skilled managerial level employee can total as much as 150% of the departing person's salary by the time recruiting, training, and productivity costs due to losses with current customers are factored in. With studies showing 55% of salaried people planning on moving as jobs become available, this cost could be substantial for individual companies.

From the staffing perspective this will be the year of the wake up call for many people in HR/Staffing roles. The economy is in the midst of a full swing change and what you did in the past to attract, hire and retain your talent will simply not cut it anymore.

Every indication in the last two fiscal quarters suggests that hiring is on the rise. It doesn't take much of an effort to see that a good number of these jobs are of the meaty variety, which simply means that people who will be looking have more selection and more meaningful jobs with real opportunity within their grasp. The idea of taking a job just to stay employed (and in many cases underemployed) just won't cut it anymore.

If you haven't checked the pulse of your own company recently you might be surprised to find out the mix of engaged, quasi-engaged and completely disengaged employees you have on staff. If the only way to verify this statistic involves checking your turnover rates on a weekly/monthly basis – you're in deeper trouble than you think - when turnover begins and a few success stories start to trickle in from the outside concerning your ex-employee who is now working for your competitor and has a team of 10 working under him. This ignites the hidden ambitions of present employees who feel they are been let down by their organization, and can get a good bet outside.

Organizations can avoid this phenomenon by making sure that there is goal congruence between individual and organizational PFE. This will eliminate the culmination of ambitions due to external influence.

In light of this looming future, the opportunity to attract versus recruit the best people, as well as the issue of maintaining the right employees, both become more relevant. Leaders play a vital role in changing a given situation by influencing by their deeds. Those leaders interested in creating an environment where they attract instead of recruit the best candidates should follow three key steps.
1. Clarify Your PFE
2. Tell the World What Your PFE Is
3. Fulfill Your PFE

Clarify Your PFE:
What is your organization's Purpose For Existing (PFE)? Why was the organization formed? What unique function does it serve? Many organizations already have their PFE as a deeply imbedded part of their culture, and often it exists in some written form. It may seem obvious to you as a leader, or to your employees. Now is the time to either turn it into the written word if it isn't yet, or make sure it is clearly articulated if it already exists in writing.
An example of a PFE that is clear, impacting, and to the point is that of Merck & Co., Inc. Merck is a global pharmaceutical products and services company that focuses heavily on research. Their PFE is stated in the following way "Our business is preserving and improving human life." They back this up with the following sub statement. "All of our actions must be measured by our success in achieving this goal."

Tell The World What Your PFE Is:
When you have a clearly articulated version of your PFE, let the world know what it is. Put it on all your marketing materials, internal documents, web sites, and your communications with buyers, suppliers, customers, campus placement offices, and partners. Make sure that when people hear the name of your company, they automatically know what your PFE is. It is through these efforts that you are saying to the world "I am a zebra. If you too are a zebra, come join me". Your PFE will have an impact on the people who interact with you. Those who have a personal PFE that is similar to your organization's and who in fact can fulfill their PFE by helping your organization fulfill its PFE, will now be attracted to you. Think in terms of Merck. How attracted do you think someone is to Merck if their personal PFE is to improve human life?

Fulfill Your PFE:
Ralph Waldo Emerson said "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you are saying." This is something for organizations to remember. To succeed in attracting, not recruiting the best people, an organization must live up to the PFE that it identifies and promotes to the world. Exhibiting actions incongruent with that PFE will quickly damage the company's credibility and decrease their attraction. However, for organizations that live the PFE they create, every action they do makes the attraction that much stronger for potential candidates. Organizations that follow these three steps will find themselves approaching hiring in an entirely new way. Creating awareness about the organization's PFE and then interviewing people attracted to the company will become the norm, not recruiting. For organizations that are doing the three steps very successfully, having to work hard to recruit someone should be an indication that they are trying to get the wrong person. If someone clearly understands your organization's PFE and your organization has done an effective job of fulfilling its PFE, but the person still needs to be convinced, then you don't want them in your organization.

Make your life easier and make your company more successful. Don't recruit the best people, attract them.

Stress in the Workplace - A Management Responsibility : By Leslie Hardy

Stress is considered to be the main cause of many medical conditions, including heart problems. At the same time, the nature of stress is multifaceted and difficult to define, and the reasons for its increase are poorly understood.

Stress in the workplace can have a disastrous effect on peoples' health and lead to sickness and absence. It can also seriously disrupt the business and reduce profits. Yet many organisations consider stress to be a personal problem of individual workers, and something which an organisation can do little to address.

The amount of stress in the workplace is generally considered to be increasing. The concept of a job for life has been consigned to history and most workers will need to learn new skills during the course of their career. Male manual workers in traditional heavy industries such as mining, steel and manufacturing may need to adapt to the very different work situation of an office environment. Advances in Information Technology mean that staff will need to become computer literate and this can be a major challenge for anyone over 40 years of age.

The cost of labour is invariably the biggest cost of any organisation in a western economy and dwarfs the costs of machinery and business premises. Most large firms have an opportunity to relocate part of their operations in a low wage location such as India, and this increases the pressure on management to increase the productivity of staff in the mature economies of the west. All companies are searching for ways to reduce their staff and to make their existing staff work harder and to greater effect.

In one sense, stress can be productive. Giving people targets and deadlines invariably generates mild levels of stress and this state of agitation can help to focus attention on the tasks to hand.

However, many workers report symptoms of stress which are decidedly unhealthy and lead to sickness and prolonged periods of absence from work. It has always been the case that high flying, young male executives experience high levels of stress and this often leads to burn out at an early age. These high flyers were often difficult to work with and received little sympathy from colleagues whom they had mistreated over the years, in the event of a physical or mental collapse.

In recent times, stress has permeated the entire workplace and there are many people who genuinely feel that they are unable to cope with the demands of work. Responses vary. Some staff will seek to avoid responsibility and try to get others to make difficult decisions. Others will turn down opportunities for promotion. Some will simply start looking for a job elsewhere, and eventually leave the organisation. Worse still, some may embark on regular and prolonged periods of sickness, while still drawing their salaries and other benefits of employment.

Most articles on the subject of stress focus on ways an individual can try to reduce stress in work and learn how to cope. While these are undoubtedly useful, it should also be remembered that the management of the organisation is ultimately responsible for the welfare of staff. A stress ridden workplace, with high staff turnover and excessive sick leave is neither beneficial for employees nor the organisation itself.

A progressive company should always be looking for new ways of working more efficiently and effectively in order to reduce costs and increases revenues or profits. The management of human resources is probably the most crucial element in this quest.

There are several things an organisation can do -

1. The organisation of work in a company should be a top management function, and should be the subject of company wide, regular reviews. This does not mean that emphasis should be place on rewriting job functions every few months. In fact many argue that excessively detailed job specifications are the source of inertia and atrophy. What is required is an appreciation of the human implications of corporate strategy. In other words, as the activities of the organisation change or expand, then careful thought should be given as to how the workforce should adapt to these changes in order to make the strategy a success.

2. Recruitment of skilled and capable staff is essential to the achievement of corporate objectives. In all organisations, there will be leaders and followers, and poor selection of leaders will inevitably lead to corporate collapse. Therefore great care should be given to the selection process for the recruitment of key staff. In addition to personal qualities such as vision, intelligence, energy and dynamism, it is also important that key staff can inspire and motivate their junior colleagues.

3. Management styles have, or should have, moved away from the traditional hierarchical and authoritarian based military model. In other words, staff perform tasks, not because they are simply told to by management, but because they appreciate the value of their role in the organisation as a whole. On this approach, the remit of a manager is to assist staff to perform their roles and to inspire commitment based on his or her personal example.

4. There should be a culture in the workplace whereby staff who are experiencing difficulty in discharging their tasks have an informal forum in which to discuss these matters. It is simply incorrect to think that the reason why a person is not performing well must always be due to a personal failure on their behalf. Staff are often given targets which are impossible and deadlines which are unrealistic. In this case, the failure lies with the manager who allocated this task, rather than the unfortunate person who was given the job.

5. All workers should have a personal development plan. The plan should identify the skills they need to develop and discharge their responsibilities more effectively, and provide training or supervised learning experiences which will assist in skill building. If a member of staff is content with his or her current responsibilities and is not seeking a pay rise or promotion, then one should be able to articulate this preference without fear of ridicule or discrimination.

If these steps are implemented then the staff of an organisation will learn how to work imaginatively and proactively. This will invariably lead to a reduction in stress.

Article Source :
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://human-resources-mgt.bestmanagementarticles.com

About the Author :
Leslie Hardy is a noted writer on North Cyprus Property and the UK Chairman of Wellington Estates Ltd. He has spent most of his life in University Business Schools.

Employees Don't Come With Instruction Manuals - Robert Cameron

Don't you wish employees came with instruction manuals? Studies show managers spend 60% of their time dealing with people problems. That leaves only 40% to work on the organization's objectives. Have you ever become frustrated by an employee's inability to follow simple instructions or ideas, or surprised by an employee's hostility to you or their co workers? It happens all the time.

What is often missing is objective information on an employee's personality and behavioral makeup. If you understand the employee you can communicate more effectively with him, boost his morale and increase his productivity. You can't go on "gut feel" or keep doing the same old thing. You can lose a good employee that way.

There a number of different employee assessments to help solve this problem, but most managers and business owners aren't psychologists, and don't aspire to be one. They should look for a well validated assessment tool that is easy to administer (the good ones can all be done online) and, most of all, provides an easy to read report for both the employee's manager and the employee.

Let's look at an assessment tool called the Profiles Performance Indicator. It can be done online and generates easy to read reports that are like an "instruction manual" for an employee. So what does it tell you? First of all it will tell you whether an employee will adapt to change, a constant in today's business world and if he is a team player. Next it measures seven more behavioral tendencies including;
Productivity
Quality of work
Initiative
Problem solving
Response to stress and conflict
Work motivation
Motivational energy

This will help you easily create a unique professional development plan for the employee. Every person is different and you want to use the right approach with each employee. Morale gets a tremendous boost because you are using a personalized communication plan for each employee. He sees that your attention is directed at his specific needs and personality. Plus he gets a report designed specifically for his own professional development.

Employee development expert, Robert Cameron, states, "Understanding an employee better will make a manager more effective. With the talent wars raging you can ill afford to lose a good employee just because he was not managed effectively". Cameron goes on to say, "Imagine if you had a unique instruction manual for each employee, wouldn't that make things run so much smoother in the workplace?"

Employees quit supervisors not companies, often because we simply don't understand each other well enough. With this simple 20 minute online assessment you can gain a much better understanding of an employee and how to get him to improve his individual and team performance. It can eliminate much of the time, 60 %, spent resolving misunderstandings, stress issues, and other interpersonal problems.

The bottom line is you don't want to risk losing your best employees. Use the tools that are available to gain a better understanding of "what makes them tick" so that they will be happy, contented and productive employees.

Article Source :
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://human-resources-mgt.bestmanagementarticles.com

About the Author :
For more information contact Robert A. Cameron & Associates, Weston FL. Mr. Cameron works with employers to help them increase the effectiveness of their employee selection, retention and development. They can be reached at 954-385-8701 or visit their website at http://www.racameron.com

The Science of Successful Teams -- Dr. Ellen Weber

How would you describe the best team you've experienced? If team projects are part of your work … you'll be interested to see factors Scientific American Mind just laid out to show the science of team success. Results come from research that shows how groups systematically enhance their performance. Steve W. J. Kozlowski and Daniel R. Ilgen show how research affirms why some teams work so well together.

The authors considered 50 years of research on teams and highlighted factors that characterize the most effective, as a way to help teams perform better. They found that…

1. Teams need sufficient resources to accomplish their goals.

2. Delicate balance between meeting team goals and individual goals keeps members working together.

3. Questions should be addressed… such as… Could an individual do the work as easily? Another question the authors suggest is what type of team structure is required?

4. Teams should focus more on the task … than on interactions among peers and should set minimum requirements for knowledge, skills, abilities, and values of the group.

5. Gather information about what members think, and use their ability to access and apply their own and others' expertise efficiently.

6. Team members benefit from their collective knowledge when they learn together. People in newly formed groups are less likely to have the right mix of skills to complete the task efficiently. They knew less about one another's strengths, and it was discovered that group knowledge was lost when people were replaced.

7. Face-to-face interaction seems to help teams to share and grow knowledge among team members throughout their project.

8. The emergence of an overall objective, mission or strategic imperative of the group—or team climate -- holds a powerful effect on teams. Teams with more frequent informal social interactions showed more consensus on climate.

9. The teams' emotional state affects their performance. Positive attitudes tend to reduce the number of absences in teams and lower the likelihood of people leaving the group. Group-level emotional changes occurred, both from positive and negative attitudes of members.

10. Teams do better when there is evidence of general teamwork skills requiring that contributions to be visible and that members be accountable.

Although these skills can be taught, and while they reliably give teams a heads-up advantage, yet they rarely are. Do you agree? What have you found to make or break a team?

Article Source:
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://performance-management.bestmanagementarticles.com

About the Author:
www.brainbasedbusiness.com