Leadership from the Balcony

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2010-03-06T21:24:00.001-08:00

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Accountability

2010-03-03T21:49:00.000-08:00

Do you know what you need to do but you just don't do it? I hear this type of comment often, especially now that our Time Management workshops are coming up next week. "I know what I'm supposed to do to manage my time, but I just don't get around to it."

Have you ever had someone to hold you accountable for your actions? A boss? A coach? A friend or colleague? When you know that someone is counting on you or is pulling for you to succeed, it gives you the extra motivation to get things done. Maybe you've had an exercise partner or a friend to help you both lose weight. Usually this buddy system works much better than just going it alone.

If you have a goal in mind but are having trouble doing what it takes to get there, look around for someone to help hold you accountable. In our public workshops, we choose "Accountability Partners" at the end of each workshop. These partners keep in touch throughout the month and help each other with the goals they have set for themselves in the workshop. You can use this same concept in your personal or professional life also. Find someone who truly wants to see you succeed. We can also provide professional coaching for you.

Think about what is most important to you. What are your dreams and goals? How will you get there? Find someone to help you, and get started now.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://Tools2Succeed.com/

What do you want to achieve and why?

2010-03-02T17:24:00.000-08:00

Goals are the driving force behind all achievement -- from creating great nations to closing sales. The way goals are defined and stated provides the make-or-break difference in achievement.

While dreams are important, they don't become reality unless they are stated as measurable goals. There are basically three key elements needed for successful goal setting:

* Vision - a clear, specific picture of what you want to achieve. Most goals set are too general, as in "I want to be rich". The goals you set need to be SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound. A smart goal might be "I will make $10,000 in sales per month beginning April 1st through September 30th. This goal meets the "SMART" criteria.

* Planning - your strategy, or the steps you will take to get to your goal. Let's take an example. Imagine that you have a goal to get to Boise, Idaho. This is not an achieveable goal because you haven't taken into consideration how you're going to get there. You could drive, fly, go by train, or take a bus. You decide to fly. Now you need to make flight reservations, consider transportation to and from the airport, and make arrangements for parking and rental car reservations. These are tactics to implement your strategy. Combining strategies and tactics, your goal of getting to Boise is achievable.

* Motivation - what induces action. Goal-setting and planning is useless without the motivation to follow through. Motivation may be different for everyone. It could be money, security, risk, acceptance, or self-esteem, for example.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, or let us know how we can help you.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

Time Management

2010-02-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

What can you do right now to manage your time more effectively?

Make a list of everything you need to do - everything you can think of. What do you need to get done today, tomorrow, next week, next month, etc. Make your notes as detailed as possible, so that when you look back over them, you'll know exactly what needs to be done.

Next, decide what is most important to you. What are your long-term goals? Are they listed on your to-do list already? If not, add them now. Break them down into small tasks. For example, if you want to get a college degree but haven't started yet, write "obtain college application", then "complete college application", etc.

Prioritize your tasks. Make sure you include those things that are most important to you on your daily task list. It's easy to be "reactive" and do whatever comes at you. Be proactive; take charge of your life!

Click here for a simple to-do list form you can use to get started.

Our Time Management workshops in Southern California are coming up in March; join us!

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, or let us know how we can help you.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

Drip Marketing at its Best!

2009-01-30T16:54:00.000-08:00

Content Marketing Mistakes Made by Marketers

They give up on the content program too quickly. It takes some time to build a real relationship with customers. Some corporations start a newsletter or blog and expect magic to happen in three months. Usually doesn’t happen. Content marketing must be consistently delivered in order to really build a relationship.

They don’t understand the informational needs of the customer.

They don’t ask for help. Many companies leave this to internal marketing or pr people. Many times these people can’t take their sales hats off – so the content isn’t perceived as valuable to the customers.

They don’t integrate the content program with their overall marketing. In many companies, a corporate magazine, newsletter or e-newsletter seems to fall outside of the other marketing initiatives. Integrating both can be powerful.

They see social media as just another distribution channel for selling – and don’t see it as an opportunity to get closer to customers and begin to better understand their needs.

They don’t plan. You need to plan out good content and not just rush to get content out when you see an opportunity. Editorial calendar anyone?

When you are creating your drip marketing program, here are a few things to think about:

Behavioral

How do we want the customer to feel?
What effect must we achieve with them?
What action do we want them to take?
How will we measure their behavior?
How will we put them on the path to purchase?

Essential

What do our buyers really need to know?
What will provide the most benefit personally or professionally?
How can we present the content for maximum positive impact?
What media types must we include based on our current/near future customer behavior?

Strategic

Does this content marketing effort help us achieve our strategic goals?
Does it integrate with our other strategic initiatives?

Targeted

Have we precisely indentified the prospects we want to target?
Do we really understand what motivates them?
Do we understand their professional roles?

MORE TIPS:

Create content that is bite-sized and has handles, meaning that people can share it and make it actionable. "People don't read Moby Dick anymore!"

Go niche - the smaller the better...and easier to solve your customer's informational needs.

Call your customers - find out what their challenges are so you can better share relevant content with them.

Listen first.

Just starting? Get a nice bed of content that will form the base of your site after you've listened.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

Learning By Doing

2008-08-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

Those who learn by doing are able to retain 75% of the information taught. (Source: Accenture Ltd.)

This percentage is compared with a 5% retention rate from hearing a lecture and 10% from reading the material. So, the best bet for knowledge retention of is having your employees participate in hands-on learning.

Virtual simulations are a great tool as they make instruction more effective by mimicking the way people learn best, putting knowledge to practical use. Small-group work, role-playing, and games are other hands-on learning techniques that could be effective in your training programs.

Not only does incorporating hands-on activities increase knowledge retention, but it they are interesting for learners and will give them more outlets for participation.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

Training in a Down Economy

2008-07-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Are your sales down? Are your profit margins shrinking? Are you calling emergency senior-management meetings focused on cutting budgets? If so, you are not alone in mid-2008!

Cutting expenses may be wise, but be sure to cut only those expenses that are not contributing to your organization's goals. Analyze your telecom costs. Could you get better and cheaper service elsewhere? Could you outsource a task and save money without compromising quality? Could you find less-expensive vendors or ask your existing ones for more-competitive rates?

Are your processes efficient? Are your employees as productive as possible?

Do you think that employee development training does not contribute to your bottom line? Think again! Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines said, "There is one key to profitability and stability during either a boom or bust economy: employee morale." High morale equates to high customer satisfaction. Be sure to invest in your people to keep morale high and to continually develop their skills. The increase in your bottom line will follow.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

Training Process Steps

2008-05-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there are five basic steps to any training process?

Conduct a needs assessment to see what needs to be addressed. Without this step, your training dollars could be teaching your employees they already know or that isn’t applicable to them.
Design the program. Determine the purpose or scope based on the findings from your needs assessment. How can you provide your employees with the greatest amount of applicable information throughout the training? How many sessions will be required? When and where will they be held? Who will facilitate?
Develop materials. That includes everything from workbooks, handouts, and supplementary reading material to to the visual aids, games and exercises you choose to use. Remember to keep all of your materials cohesive for maximum impact. Make sure all of your information is up-to-date as well.
Implement the training.
Evaluate. How effective was the training? Have your employees used what they learned to better their job performance? If during this stage you find some discrepancies, this is when you make adjustments to improve the program for next time.

Training is important to every company. We’re here to help in any way we can, so feel free to give us a call with any questions or concerns you may have.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

Are you investing your training dollars wisely?

2008-04-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

Did you know that most employers schedule employee training sessions prior to identifying the reasons why they need to conduct the training?

To ensure that you invest your training dollars wisely, make sure you identify the reasons you need employee training. Typically employers schedule onsite training for one of three reasons:

As part of regular employee development
To expose a group of employees to the same material
To correct a performance gap

If your reason falls into the first category, the biggest challenge you will face is selecting topics that are relevant to the group. The easiest way to overcome this challenge is to ask the participants what courses they would like to attend, what they expect to learn, and how the training will improve their performance back on the job.

If you are planning training to expose all employees to the same materials, the biggest challenge you face is the range of knowledge among participants. For instance, those working at an advanced level may feel the session is a waste of time. To avoid this problem, try to use material that is applicable to all levels of employees. The goal is to have every participant learn something new.

Finally, if you are planning onsite training to correct a performance gap, you need to make sure that training is really the answer. Used alone, training will not change behaviors that can’t or won’t change.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

People don't leave companies; they leave bosses!

2008-03-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Do you know an employee that was promoted to a manager just because he or she was good at a staff job? Do you know a former accountant that is now managing an accounting department? A salesperson that is now a sales manager? An HR associate that is now an HR manager?

There is a misconception that managers get promoted because they know how to lead, empower, and motivate people. The reality, however, is that very few managers have these skills.

In the most recent annual Yahoo! HotJobs job satisfaction survey, 43% of workers said dislike of their boss’s management style was the main reason they planned to look for a new job in 2008. Having a manager who can lead, empower, and motivate employees is a crucial element in job retention.

Most bosses really do want to improve; they just don’t know how to be true leaders. Does your company have high turnover or discontent employees? You may want to consider training your managers to empower their employees to succeed.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

Workforce Learning

2008-03-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

Did you know that companies who invest in workforce learning outperform the market by more than 45 percent? (Source: American Society for Training and Development)

Nothing is more crucial than a quality workforce. That can’t be secured without workforce knowledge itself. It is important that your employees understand not just the physical aspects of the job but how to handle all aspects of customer relations.

By training employees on various workplace practices, they are more apt to feel like part of a team.

Here are a few things to remember when considering workplace training:

Don’t view training solely as an orientation or instructional phase for new workers.
Training must be an ongoing initiative to continually develop and enhance the skill sets of all employees.

Consistency and frequency are key to a successful program.

By keeping employees up-to-date with new procedures, you’ll see a greater return on investment, not just in terms of new ideas and methods, increased productivity and greater efficiency, but also in terms of heightened employee morale and loyalty.

When you invest in your employees by training them, you’re not just empowering them with a greater sense of belonging to your organization; you are increasing their employability and ability for a better way of life.

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

New Employee Orientations

2008-02-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Did you know the average American business spends only two percent of their training dollars on new-employee orientations? (source: F. John Reh)

A good new-employee training program helps someone new to an organization get a sense of your culture, norms, and processes so that they can quickly feel like a true contributor. Training your new employees is extremely important. If you typically have high turnover, training new employees will make them more productive. That will make them feel better about their jobs, and they will stick around longer. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when planning your new-employee orientation:

Make new employees feel at ease by holding the orientation in a comfortable, inviting environment.

Make sure you allow enough time for them to read the employee manual ahead of time.

Spice up introductions with open-ended questions.

Get them acquainted with management. You could have a chart with the company hierarchy and pictures or have management introduce themselves during the orientation.

Encourage friendships among new employees.

Share company goals with them. Make sure they know the direction the company is headed.

The beginning of the year is a great time to plan for your new-employee orientations!

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/

January 2008

2008-01-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Are you a leader or a manager? Do you challenge and motivate people? Do you align them and set their direction?

Maybe it's time to step back from your day-to-day responsibilities, and consider an organizational assessment. What is your current state, and what is your desired state?

Do you have a clear vision for your organization, and has that vision been communicated to everyone?

Have you set both short-term and long-term goals? Remember to identify the skills and talents needed to accomplish your goals.

Do you have the right team members in place? Focus on your team's strengths and behaviors to improve performance.

As a leader, you know the importance of investing in your most important asset - your people, who enable you to take on bigger, bolder challenges.

Will 2008 be the year that you begin to "lead from the balcony"?

Until next time...

Sheryl Tuchman
http://www.tools2succeed.com/