Press Release re: Brad Ness As Trainer March 9, 2009
San Diego, California, and Columbus, Ohio. March 9, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brad Ness, a FocalPoint Business Coach in Columbus, Ohio was recently promoted to International Coach Trainer for FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy.
Widely recognized for his client results and contributions to the profession of business coaching, Ness is himself an accomplished business coach. He has proven to be “a dynamic and passionate business strategist and leader” says Dominic Rubino, CEO of FocalPoint International. “Our International Training team is growing to keep up with the rapid growth of our franchise system. It only makes sense that we promote from within and leverage the real world experience of our top coaches to train other business coaches.”
FocalPoint Business Coaching is proud to have Brad Ness on the training team, where he joins James (Jim) Masters (Omaha, Nebraska), and Ian Hayman (London, Ontario).
Brad has been proving himself a leader among leaders since he first volunteered his time to join the Strategic Advisory Group at FocalPoint. This group represents the franchise partners in the field and acts as a liaison with Head Office. Ness is no stranger to volunteering, having proudly served in the US Navy from June 1988 to June 1992. During this time Brad, was on board USS Arkansas (CGN-41) and saw action in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm and in the Philippines, after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, during operation Fiery Vigil.
“Strong leaders make for a strong company”, says Brian Tracy of Brad Ness’ recent appointment. That’s what our clients expect, and that’s what we’re built on.”
FocalPoint Business Coaching uses the long proven methods and strategies of Brian Tracy as the infrastructure for coaching business owners. Tracy is an author of over 40 books and has been speaking, mentoring and training business owners worldwide for over 30 years.
Business Coaching has seen an exponential boom on two fronts. Senior Executives who are disillusioned with corporate America are seeking ways to gain control back of their lives. They join FocalPoint to leverage their past management and consulting expertise and use it in a new and exciting way – as a certified, professional business coach.
Business Owners are also looking to business coaching as an answer to the uncertainties of the current economy. As more business owners use coaches to maintain a competitive advantage, other owners are forced to adapt or fall by the wayside.
For more information on FocalPoint Business Coaching, please contact Dominic Rubino at 702-622-9694 or refer to the website www.focalpointcoaching.com.
To contact Brad Ness directly, email him here, or please call him directly at 1-740-548-7849.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Lance Armstrong Coaches your Business
Lessons Learned from Lance Armstrong....
So often, top athletes provide business owners with wonderful examples of what it takes to be the best.
Take Lance Armstrong for instance.
He is a 7 time Tour de France cycling champion – the toughest test for long-distance cyclists in the world. He did this after being diagnosed, then treated for cancer.
He is back at it again. At 37 years of age, Armstrong is training to win the Tour de France an unprecedented eighth time.
In a recent race in Spain, Armstrong was involved in a crash of riders and broke his collarbone – severely. While this bone heals relatively quickly, he will feel pain for some time to come, particularly when he gets up off the bike and stands on the pedals, bearing more of his weight on the handlebars.
Most people would be depressed and lament on the lost training time or even take this accident as an omen to quit.
Armstrong, instead, almost relishes the accident. Sally Jenkins, (Wall Street Journal, Mar 25) writes: “He views pain as corrective, and cleansing. At a time when so many people seek shortcuts to wealth, and crave indulgences and exquisite personal comfort, he voluntarily seeks out severe discomfort because he likes what it does for him. He wants things the hard way -- in the cold, and rain, with his backside on a bike for six hours at a time -- because he finds it clarifying. He knows exactly who he is: He's the guy who can take it. "I have the will to suffer," he says. "I do have that."”
So – what is the connection for business?
Several things really. But let’s look at the “pain” aspect in particular.
To achieve success down the road, it is critical that you focus on the 1 or 2 most important tasks that you need to do to achieve your long-term goals. Often, the most effective, important thing a business owner can do to move his business forward is something that he actually feels uncomfortable doing.
Let me give you two examples:
1. In many businesses, the easiest and most cost effective method available to them to increase their sales leads is to simply pick up the phone and call qualified prospects. Most people hate cold calling and will do anything to avoid it – even when they know, if done properly, it can and will help them generate needed new business.
2. In another example, a business owner may realize or decide that she should advertise more. She does not, however, spend the necessary time or resources in researching who her best clients are, what they really want and how best to “talk” to them. That is too much work and not as interesting or glamorous as putting out an ad.
In both of these cases, the business owner does not do the necessary work that he knows will help his business. Doing this kind of work takes him out of his comfort zone as it is different or new. It is “painful” to do.
Dr. Phil, love him or hate him, has this great line he directs at those folks who continue the same behaviour – hoping for a different and better result. He says: “How’s that working for you!?”
If you want to improve or change the results of your business, you need to be open to and embrace the “Pain” required to try and implement new ideas and tactics. Adopt this mindset and you too can achieve “Lance Armstrong” like greatness in your business.
Wishing you business success,
Hugh Tafel
Certified Business Coach
P.S. The second key lesson from the Armstrong example, though not visible in this story, is that he sets goals, then works backwards and designs a daily plan, that he follows with great discipline.
I have discovered a great online tool that will help any business owner in setting and writing down goals, assist with drawing up plans to achieve them and then provide a documented trail of what was done to achieve the goal.
Hugh Tafel is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Alberta, Canada.
If you’d like to contact Hugh about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
http://focalpointcoaching.com/
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
So often, top athletes provide business owners with wonderful examples of what it takes to be the best.
Take Lance Armstrong for instance.
He is a 7 time Tour de France cycling champion – the toughest test for long-distance cyclists in the world. He did this after being diagnosed, then treated for cancer.
He is back at it again. At 37 years of age, Armstrong is training to win the Tour de France an unprecedented eighth time.
In a recent race in Spain, Armstrong was involved in a crash of riders and broke his collarbone – severely. While this bone heals relatively quickly, he will feel pain for some time to come, particularly when he gets up off the bike and stands on the pedals, bearing more of his weight on the handlebars.
Most people would be depressed and lament on the lost training time or even take this accident as an omen to quit.
Armstrong, instead, almost relishes the accident. Sally Jenkins, (Wall Street Journal, Mar 25) writes: “He views pain as corrective, and cleansing. At a time when so many people seek shortcuts to wealth, and crave indulgences and exquisite personal comfort, he voluntarily seeks out severe discomfort because he likes what it does for him. He wants things the hard way -- in the cold, and rain, with his backside on a bike for six hours at a time -- because he finds it clarifying. He knows exactly who he is: He's the guy who can take it. "I have the will to suffer," he says. "I do have that."”
So – what is the connection for business?
Several things really. But let’s look at the “pain” aspect in particular.
To achieve success down the road, it is critical that you focus on the 1 or 2 most important tasks that you need to do to achieve your long-term goals. Often, the most effective, important thing a business owner can do to move his business forward is something that he actually feels uncomfortable doing.
Let me give you two examples:
1. In many businesses, the easiest and most cost effective method available to them to increase their sales leads is to simply pick up the phone and call qualified prospects. Most people hate cold calling and will do anything to avoid it – even when they know, if done properly, it can and will help them generate needed new business.
2. In another example, a business owner may realize or decide that she should advertise more. She does not, however, spend the necessary time or resources in researching who her best clients are, what they really want and how best to “talk” to them. That is too much work and not as interesting or glamorous as putting out an ad.
In both of these cases, the business owner does not do the necessary work that he knows will help his business. Doing this kind of work takes him out of his comfort zone as it is different or new. It is “painful” to do.
Dr. Phil, love him or hate him, has this great line he directs at those folks who continue the same behaviour – hoping for a different and better result. He says: “How’s that working for you!?”
If you want to improve or change the results of your business, you need to be open to and embrace the “Pain” required to try and implement new ideas and tactics. Adopt this mindset and you too can achieve “Lance Armstrong” like greatness in your business.
Wishing you business success,
Hugh Tafel
Certified Business Coach
P.S. The second key lesson from the Armstrong example, though not visible in this story, is that he sets goals, then works backwards and designs a daily plan, that he follows with great discipline.
I have discovered a great online tool that will help any business owner in setting and writing down goals, assist with drawing up plans to achieve them and then provide a documented trail of what was done to achieve the goal.
Hugh Tafel is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Alberta, Canada.
If you’d like to contact Hugh about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
http://focalpointcoaching.com/
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
How to Waste time and not cheat your employer!
How to Waste time and not cheat your employer!
According to a July 2005 survey conducted by Salary.com and AOL, Americans waste more than 2 hours each day at work costing companies $759 Billion annually. That's 2x as much wasted time as employers expect. The top culprits...internet surfing (44.7%) and socializing (23.4%). And now, with March Madness right around the corner, a March 2008 Inc. report, says the NCAA basketball tournament costs our economy $2 Billion in lost productivity.
So, here's how to get in your time wasting and still not cheat your employer. Begin planning every day in advance! According to time management experts, this will save you as much as 2 hours per day because you will get started and stay started instead of doing one task and then stopping to figure out what you should do next.
So at the end of today, make a list of everything you did not get done, that needs to be done tomorrow. Then, add as many things as you can think of to the list. Once you have completed the list, prioritize it. That is re-order the list from most important to least important. Tomorrow morning, when you come in, pull out your list and get to work. Don't stop to visit your Twitter account, Facebook page or ESPN.com until you have completed the most important item on your list. Then, maybe reward yourself with 5 minutes of surfing or a coffee break. As soon as the 5 minutes is up, get back to work and do your next most important task. And so on and so forth until the end of the day.
Try it, take 10-15 minutes at the end of today to make your list. If you will do this, you will find that you are not only being more productive, but that you are staying in integrity because you are giving your employer the full day's work you promised when you accepted the job.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
According to a July 2005 survey conducted by Salary.com and AOL, Americans waste more than 2 hours each day at work costing companies $759 Billion annually. That's 2x as much wasted time as employers expect. The top culprits...internet surfing (44.7%) and socializing (23.4%). And now, with March Madness right around the corner, a March 2008 Inc. report, says the NCAA basketball tournament costs our economy $2 Billion in lost productivity.
So, here's how to get in your time wasting and still not cheat your employer. Begin planning every day in advance! According to time management experts, this will save you as much as 2 hours per day because you will get started and stay started instead of doing one task and then stopping to figure out what you should do next.
So at the end of today, make a list of everything you did not get done, that needs to be done tomorrow. Then, add as many things as you can think of to the list. Once you have completed the list, prioritize it. That is re-order the list from most important to least important. Tomorrow morning, when you come in, pull out your list and get to work. Don't stop to visit your Twitter account, Facebook page or ESPN.com until you have completed the most important item on your list. Then, maybe reward yourself with 5 minutes of surfing or a coffee break. As soon as the 5 minutes is up, get back to work and do your next most important task. And so on and so forth until the end of the day.
Try it, take 10-15 minutes at the end of today to make your list. If you will do this, you will find that you are not only being more productive, but that you are staying in integrity because you are giving your employer the full day's work you promised when you accepted the job.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Concept of Hourly Rate for Better Time Management...
The Concept of Hourly Rate for Better Time Management...
In recent posts, we've talked a lot about improving your skill of time management. Before turning to other subjects for a while, I wanted to offer one last idea to help you better refine your ability to choose your highest value activities.
I've said before that time equals money. Either you spend money for time or time for money. The most important part of the equation is to ensure that you are getting the best return on both your time and your money.
To help our business coaching clients with this differentiation, we often discuss the concept of selecting your highest value activities based on your hourly rate. Why? Because most business owners and entrepreneurs don't think in terms of hourly rate, yet, often do work that does not justify the hourly rate (extrapolated to annual income) they want to earn. Here's a great question to help you focus in on your highest value activities (i.e. activities worthy of your hourly rate), "Would I pay someone else my hourly rate to do this task?"
Don't know your hourly rate? Well, here's a simple formula: determine how much income you want to earn and then divide that number by 2,000 (2,000 is based on fifty, 40 hour work weeks). Obviously, to be more accurate, you would take your actual number of work weeks (read this post if more than 50) and divide by your average number of hours per week.
So for instance, if you plan to earn $200,000 this year, then your hourly rate is approximately $100 per hour ($200,000 / 2,000). Whenever you decide to personally do or not do something, the clarifying question you would ask yourself is this, "Would I pay someone else $100 per hour to complete this task?" If the answer is no, then this is not one of your highest value activities and it should be delegated to an employee or subordinate or outsourced to another firm for completion.
The only way you will earn $200,000 is by consistently doing the tasks that you would pay someone else $100 per hour to complete.
Like any new skill or habit, this will be a struggle at first, because being an entrepreneur, you are used to doing it all yourself.
You will have to make the decision on the outset of the task..."Do I do this task, or do I delegate this task?" Because in my personal experience and in working with many of my coaching clients, I know that once you are into fixing a printer (or whatever the task may be) that you thought would take less than 30 minutes and now it has been two hours, you are more likely to push forward and complete the task yourself.
And at the end of the day, you are either having to work longer to make up for the miss-spent hours or you have missed out on significant opportunities during the time you should have called in a printer repair person to fix your problem. You spent $200 or more of your time on a task worth probably less than $50.
Not a very good return on investment.
The more you discipline yourself to focus on only the things you can do and delegate the rest, the more comfortable you will become with this concept and its application and the more likely you are to earn your desired annual income. Here's a great article on how Pfizer is empowering their managers and employees to utilize this concept to its fullest and spend more time on their core work and highest value activities.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
In recent posts, we've talked a lot about improving your skill of time management. Before turning to other subjects for a while, I wanted to offer one last idea to help you better refine your ability to choose your highest value activities.
I've said before that time equals money. Either you spend money for time or time for money. The most important part of the equation is to ensure that you are getting the best return on both your time and your money.
To help our business coaching clients with this differentiation, we often discuss the concept of selecting your highest value activities based on your hourly rate. Why? Because most business owners and entrepreneurs don't think in terms of hourly rate, yet, often do work that does not justify the hourly rate (extrapolated to annual income) they want to earn. Here's a great question to help you focus in on your highest value activities (i.e. activities worthy of your hourly rate), "Would I pay someone else my hourly rate to do this task?"
Don't know your hourly rate? Well, here's a simple formula: determine how much income you want to earn and then divide that number by 2,000 (2,000 is based on fifty, 40 hour work weeks). Obviously, to be more accurate, you would take your actual number of work weeks (read this post if more than 50) and divide by your average number of hours per week.
So for instance, if you plan to earn $200,000 this year, then your hourly rate is approximately $100 per hour ($200,000 / 2,000). Whenever you decide to personally do or not do something, the clarifying question you would ask yourself is this, "Would I pay someone else $100 per hour to complete this task?" If the answer is no, then this is not one of your highest value activities and it should be delegated to an employee or subordinate or outsourced to another firm for completion.
The only way you will earn $200,000 is by consistently doing the tasks that you would pay someone else $100 per hour to complete.
Like any new skill or habit, this will be a struggle at first, because being an entrepreneur, you are used to doing it all yourself.
You will have to make the decision on the outset of the task..."Do I do this task, or do I delegate this task?" Because in my personal experience and in working with many of my coaching clients, I know that once you are into fixing a printer (or whatever the task may be) that you thought would take less than 30 minutes and now it has been two hours, you are more likely to push forward and complete the task yourself.
And at the end of the day, you are either having to work longer to make up for the miss-spent hours or you have missed out on significant opportunities during the time you should have called in a printer repair person to fix your problem. You spent $200 or more of your time on a task worth probably less than $50.
Not a very good return on investment.
The more you discipline yourself to focus on only the things you can do and delegate the rest, the more comfortable you will become with this concept and its application and the more likely you are to earn your desired annual income. Here's a great article on how Pfizer is empowering their managers and employees to utilize this concept to its fullest and spend more time on their core work and highest value activities.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
The "1 Thing" Concept...
The "1 Thing" Concept...
Brian Tracy often talks about a clarifying time management question aimed at helping you focus in on the most important things in your business and life and get those things done first.
Here is the prioritizing question he recommends: "If I could do only '1 Thing' all day long, what '1 Thing' would provide the greatest value to my business or life?" From your list of things to do today, choose that '1 Thing' and put a #1 next to it.
Then go back through your list and ask the same question again, "If I could do just '1 More Thing' all day long, what '1 Thing' would provide the greatest value to my business or life?" Answer this question and put a #2 next to that item.
Continue to ask and answer this question until you have gone through your entire list prioritizing the list based on the value of your activities from highest value to lowest value.
Armed with this clarifying question, will you begin to prioritize your tasks better and focus on your most valuable tasks?
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Brian Tracy often talks about a clarifying time management question aimed at helping you focus in on the most important things in your business and life and get those things done first.
Here is the prioritizing question he recommends: "If I could do only '1 Thing' all day long, what '1 Thing' would provide the greatest value to my business or life?" From your list of things to do today, choose that '1 Thing' and put a #1 next to it.
Then go back through your list and ask the same question again, "If I could do just '1 More Thing' all day long, what '1 Thing' would provide the greatest value to my business or life?" Answer this question and put a #2 next to that item.
Continue to ask and answer this question until you have gone through your entire list prioritizing the list based on the value of your activities from highest value to lowest value.
Armed with this clarifying question, will you begin to prioritize your tasks better and focus on your most valuable tasks?
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
What Gets Prioritized Gets Done First!
What Gets Prioritized Gets Done First!
Earlier this week, I talked about the value of working from a prioritized task list. Today, I want to talk about some ways to prioritize, or identify your most important and valuable tasks.
First, always look for tasks that provide the biggest bang for your time buck. In 1895, Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto made a startling discovery that basically 20% of the population owned 80% of the land and conversely that 80% owned only 20% of the land. Since then, what is commonly known as the 80/20 Rule has been found to have relevance to almost all aspects of business and life. For instance, 20% of your customers typically provide 80% of your revenues and profits or 80% of the time, you eat at 20% of the available restaurants. In using this rule to prioritize, always strive to identify the 20% of tasks on your list that produce 80% of your results.
Second, consider the consequences of doing or not doing something. Often, in time management workshops, a 4 quadrant diagram is used. In the upper left is urgent/important, upper right is non-urgent/important, lower left urgent/non-important, lower right non-urgent/non-important. To maximize your use of time, focus on doing only things in the upper quadrants, those are the things that are important and most likely have severe consequences if left undone.
Finally, to further refine your list, use the ABCDE method. An A-task is something that is both urgent and important. A B-task is something that is important but not necessarily urgent. A C-task is something that would be nice to do, but could go undone without much consequence. A D-Task is something that should be delegated and placed on someone else's list. And an E-task should be eliminated altogether.
Once you have separated your tasks by ABCDE, then go back and assign A-1, A-2, A3, etc. to the categories where you have more than one task.
The point of a prioritized task list is to always be doing first things first! As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Earlier this week, I talked about the value of working from a prioritized task list. Today, I want to talk about some ways to prioritize, or identify your most important and valuable tasks.
First, always look for tasks that provide the biggest bang for your time buck. In 1895, Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto made a startling discovery that basically 20% of the population owned 80% of the land and conversely that 80% owned only 20% of the land. Since then, what is commonly known as the 80/20 Rule has been found to have relevance to almost all aspects of business and life. For instance, 20% of your customers typically provide 80% of your revenues and profits or 80% of the time, you eat at 20% of the available restaurants. In using this rule to prioritize, always strive to identify the 20% of tasks on your list that produce 80% of your results.
Second, consider the consequences of doing or not doing something. Often, in time management workshops, a 4 quadrant diagram is used. In the upper left is urgent/important, upper right is non-urgent/important, lower left urgent/non-important, lower right non-urgent/non-important. To maximize your use of time, focus on doing only things in the upper quadrants, those are the things that are important and most likely have severe consequences if left undone.
Finally, to further refine your list, use the ABCDE method. An A-task is something that is both urgent and important. A B-task is something that is important but not necessarily urgent. A C-task is something that would be nice to do, but could go undone without much consequence. A D-Task is something that should be delegated and placed on someone else's list. And an E-task should be eliminated altogether.
Once you have separated your tasks by ABCDE, then go back and assign A-1, A-2, A3, etc. to the categories where you have more than one task.
The point of a prioritized task list is to always be doing first things first! As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
THE MYTH OF MULTI-TASKING…
THE MYTH OF MULTI-TASKING…
Now that you are working from a prioritized task list, here's the next step in spending your time wisely!
On June 12, 2008, Business Week reported these study results from New York City business research company, Basex: "Roughly once every three minutes, typical cubicle dwellers set aside whatever they're doing and start something else--anything else. It could be answering the phone, checking e-mail, responding to an instant message, clicking over to YouTube or posting something amusing on Facebook. These distractions consume as much as 28% of the average U.S. worker's day, including recovery time, and sap productivity to the tune of $650 billion a year."
The Solution...consider that being a good multi-tasker is a myth and instead, choose to focus single mindedly on each and every task until completed. Lock the door, clear off your desk, silence your email notification, turn off your phone and finish something! You will get more done in less time and reduce your stress level.
For more great time management tips, be sure to get a copy of Brian Tracy's "Eat That Frog!" . Using "eat that frog" as a metaphor for tackling the day's most challenging and most prone to procrastination task, "Eat That Frog" shows readers how to zero in on these critical tasks and organize their time. This means not only getting more things done, but getting the right things done.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Now that you are working from a prioritized task list, here's the next step in spending your time wisely!
On June 12, 2008, Business Week reported these study results from New York City business research company, Basex: "Roughly once every three minutes, typical cubicle dwellers set aside whatever they're doing and start something else--anything else. It could be answering the phone, checking e-mail, responding to an instant message, clicking over to YouTube or posting something amusing on Facebook. These distractions consume as much as 28% of the average U.S. worker's day, including recovery time, and sap productivity to the tune of $650 billion a year."
The Solution...consider that being a good multi-tasker is a myth and instead, choose to focus single mindedly on each and every task until completed. Lock the door, clear off your desk, silence your email notification, turn off your phone and finish something! You will get more done in less time and reduce your stress level.
For more great time management tips, be sure to get a copy of Brian Tracy's "Eat That Frog!" . Using "eat that frog" as a metaphor for tackling the day's most challenging and most prone to procrastination task, "Eat That Frog" shows readers how to zero in on these critical tasks and organize their time. This means not only getting more things done, but getting the right things done.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
How Can I Get My Employees To Do Their Jobs The Way I Want?
How Can I Get My Employees To Do Their Jobs The Way I Want?
Now here’s a question that entrepreneurs often ask me. There are two fundamental causes of this issue. The entrepreneur either hired the wrong people, or he/she hired the right people but managed them incorrectly after hiring.
On the question of hiring the right people, entrepreneurs often focus their hiring activities on filling a technical need. Employees who are very competent in their field but lack the “softer skills” can become real problems for their employers. Consider the waiter that is very efficient in taking the order, delivering the food to your table on time, and completing the check accurately. If that person lacks enthusiasm, good interpersonal skills, and the commitment to customer service and the success of the business, then it doesn’t matter how efficient they are, they will always disappoint you.
What should the business owner do about poor performing employees? If you want to try to salvage this employee, then you need to specifically instruct the employee on these aspects of their job. Give them a limited amount of time to change their work behavior, 30 to 60 days. If you don’t see a significant improvement, then you have to terminate them. If they improve, make sure you recognize this change and compliment them in front of your other employees. Try to give them positive reinforcement for this change in their behavior. And make sure that they understand that this change needs to be permanent. Let them know that if they fall back to their old ways, they will be on the path to termination.
What the about the employee who has the technical and personality skills but just doesn’t apply their skills at the level you need? Once again, the employee needs specific direction from you on what you expect from them. Make sure you impress on your employee how important they are to the company. Take the time to tell them about your plans and objectives. Make them feel like they are on the inside and explain the role they play in the success of the business. In a survey of thousands of employees from several different companies, employees rated “meaningful and interesting work” as the number one criteria for their “ideal job.” Frequent, repetitive verbal messages, with a good dose of pats on the back, go a long way to reinforce their role in the overall success of the business.
What about hiring the right people? There are several basic techniques that when implemented, will result in better quality new hires. They are too lengthy to discuss here, but they range from
o How to write an effective employment ad to attract the best candidates …..to
o How to keep them motivated through an effective orientation process and employee development plan.
When it comes to hiring and firing, remember this well-founded concept: Hire Slow, Fire Fast.
Action Steps
1. Sit down with pen and paper and write down your assessment of each employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
2. Rank your employees from high to low.
3. Start at the bottom and develop an employee improvement plan that results in the employee either improving their performance to your satisfaction or eventual termination. (Either result will get the attention of your other employees.)
4. Start conducting short daily meetings (first thing every day, and no longer than 10 minutes) to reinforce what’s going on in the company-daily wins, obstacles, and goals. Every employee should speak to the wins and obstacles. You, the business owner, can speak briefly about the goals and where you stand.
5. Make a point to look for someone doing something “right” every day and make sure you tell them, preferably in front of other employees.
6. When hiring new employees, look for those strong behavior skills. It is much easier to train someone on the technical skills, than it is on “how to smile.”
Ray Mead
Certified FocalPoint Business Coach
Now here’s a question that entrepreneurs often ask me. There are two fundamental causes of this issue. The entrepreneur either hired the wrong people, or he/she hired the right people but managed them incorrectly after hiring.
On the question of hiring the right people, entrepreneurs often focus their hiring activities on filling a technical need. Employees who are very competent in their field but lack the “softer skills” can become real problems for their employers. Consider the waiter that is very efficient in taking the order, delivering the food to your table on time, and completing the check accurately. If that person lacks enthusiasm, good interpersonal skills, and the commitment to customer service and the success of the business, then it doesn’t matter how efficient they are, they will always disappoint you.
What should the business owner do about poor performing employees? If you want to try to salvage this employee, then you need to specifically instruct the employee on these aspects of their job. Give them a limited amount of time to change their work behavior, 30 to 60 days. If you don’t see a significant improvement, then you have to terminate them. If they improve, make sure you recognize this change and compliment them in front of your other employees. Try to give them positive reinforcement for this change in their behavior. And make sure that they understand that this change needs to be permanent. Let them know that if they fall back to their old ways, they will be on the path to termination.
What the about the employee who has the technical and personality skills but just doesn’t apply their skills at the level you need? Once again, the employee needs specific direction from you on what you expect from them. Make sure you impress on your employee how important they are to the company. Take the time to tell them about your plans and objectives. Make them feel like they are on the inside and explain the role they play in the success of the business. In a survey of thousands of employees from several different companies, employees rated “meaningful and interesting work” as the number one criteria for their “ideal job.” Frequent, repetitive verbal messages, with a good dose of pats on the back, go a long way to reinforce their role in the overall success of the business.
What about hiring the right people? There are several basic techniques that when implemented, will result in better quality new hires. They are too lengthy to discuss here, but they range from
o How to write an effective employment ad to attract the best candidates …..to
o How to keep them motivated through an effective orientation process and employee development plan.
When it comes to hiring and firing, remember this well-founded concept: Hire Slow, Fire Fast.
Action Steps
1. Sit down with pen and paper and write down your assessment of each employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
2. Rank your employees from high to low.
3. Start at the bottom and develop an employee improvement plan that results in the employee either improving their performance to your satisfaction or eventual termination. (Either result will get the attention of your other employees.)
4. Start conducting short daily meetings (first thing every day, and no longer than 10 minutes) to reinforce what’s going on in the company-daily wins, obstacles, and goals. Every employee should speak to the wins and obstacles. You, the business owner, can speak briefly about the goals and where you stand.
5. Make a point to look for someone doing something “right” every day and make sure you tell them, preferably in front of other employees.
6. When hiring new employees, look for those strong behavior skills. It is much easier to train someone on the technical skills, than it is on “how to smile.”
Ray Mead
Certified FocalPoint Business Coach
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