Focus on Employee Innovation The best way to motivate employees to become more creative and innovative is by liberating people from job descriptions that focus on what they can’t do instead of what they can. Then, on an ongoing basis, attend to these important psychological factors: Purpose. A mission statement is fine, but it’s only a first step. You should constantly reinforce what your organization wants to achieve, and why it’s a worthwhile goal. Belonging. Employees want to feel welcome and included. Pay attention to them as individuals. Find out what drives them to succeed, so you can use that
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Teamwork and Collaboration – Key Essentials Collaboration and teamwork are essential in today’s workplace. To contribute to your organization’s success while working together, follow these guidelines:   Discuss your goals. Whatever the project is, sit down to define what you’re trying to accomplish. Document goals in clear language so everyone knows what success requires.   Identify each other’s strengths. Find out what people do well so you can use their skills accordingly. Pair up people with complementary strengths and weaknesses so they can balance each other and do good work.   Determine roles and responsibilities. Once you’ve set down goals
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Importance of Balancing the Costs and Benefits Decisions Balancing the costs and benefits of any decision, large or small, is an important responsibility for any leader. Do it right by following these rules:   Explore options widely. Don’t be in a hurry. It’s tempting to commit to the first reasonable solution to a problem, but don’t make any final decisions before examining the situation thoroughly and confirming that you’re solving the right problem.   Think long-term. Take a cradle-to-grave approach: How long will the entire process take? What happens when you’re finished? What costs are associated with getting things started
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Development Plans Are Key Employee development is a top concern, one that requires constant attention. Ask these questions to create a healthy development plan for your workforce: Where is your organization headed? Look forward to the next five years. Anticipate the changes your organization will face, so you can decide what skills you’ll need from employees in the future. What strengths do employees already have? Measure what your employees do well, so you can concentrate on taking advantage of their current competencies—by shifting them into positions that use their strengths better, for instance. What weaknesses must you address? Look for
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What Do Employees Really Want? All your marketing is paying off. You have tons of new clients at your door. You want to make sure they remain your clients. Repeat patrons are how you build a successful business. Retaining happy clients is far less expensive than constantly earning new clients. You don’t want them going to the competition, you want them to be loyal to your business. So, how do you retain your valuable repeat business? Keep close tabs on the competition: Being a business owner is a tough job. It is easy to get absorbed in the day-to-day of
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Procrastination and Distractions Eat Up Time All professionals need to have time management as one of their skills, regardless of whether they are a board director or working in an entry level job. Procrastination and distractions by everyday activities can eat up time, but there are ways to avoid some common time management errors. One of the most common mistakes is not actually being aware what has to be done and by when. The way to fix this problem is to brainstorm all tasks that need to be performed and have each item organized and grouped into projects, at which
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A Positive Mindset Will Make For A More Cohesive  Workplace Workplace training and team building meetings are hokey at their best. They’re awkward, occasionally boring, and they pile up work for later in the afternoon or the next day. But they’re worth doing, anyway. Unless you have employees who are determined to deliberately undercut the positive mindsets team training builds, positive mindsets will happen whether employees want them or not. Here’s how: There is no real or fake happiness. Happiness is a bit different from a positive attitude, but they are built by the same tools. The chemicals that build memories and
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Good Customer Service Is A Key To Success   So, you have a small to medium accounting practice. You love what you do and feel your service is tops. Yet, you’re a realist. You know the competition is fierce, and you are still somewhat unknown. But, you are not the type to quit. How can you be successful? Well, you’re smart enough to realize that 50 clients a month are much better than 20 a month, so you must gain more clients to get ahead. Actually, gaining one client can sometimes mean gaining two or three – just depends on
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