Staying in Step with Step 1 Management Services LLC

Logo Icon

In This Issue

My Turn -- Core Competencies

3 Keys to Grand Leadership

Why Not Laugh...

An Essential Key to Your Business Growth

March 2007

Welcome to Staying in Step with Step 1!

I hope you enjoy the new format for this newsletter. Every issue will feature current thoughts and best practices in leadership, business management and core competencies from recognized experts. Feel free to send me your thoughts on the content and layout -- I'm always open to great ideas, no matter where they come from.

My Turn

- Core Competencies

I love talking about core competencies. Even though I frequently must define what I mean for the listener, I never get tired of describing why I center my practice on the premise "exploit your core strengths; grow from your core mistakes".  Perhaps it's best to state that I believe that passion is the fuel of core competence.  To me, knowing yourself well enough to truly comprehend what you are passionate about unlocks your pent up personal and professional energy and allows you to exceed even your own expectations.

Too often I have seen colleagues and competitors try to reach beyond their core skills, values and capacity.  The results are usually not what was expected (or intended).  Don't misunderstand me -- stretching boundaries is not wrong, but stretching creditability is.  Without the requisite core competencies as the engine driving their planning, small businesses (and large ones, too) are highly vulnerable to drift, stagnation and, ultimately, decline.  I use the phrase "if you don't like bread, don't build toasters" as a tagline version of the core competencies argument -- don't tie your business fortunes to a product or a service that isn't a true passion for you.

Jeff Canter

3 Keys To Grand Leadership

by Joseph Plazo

Nearly all managers inadvertently treat their employees in a manner that leads to less than desirable performance. Several leaders experience difficulty delegating duties. There appears to be the automatic sentiment that the only way to get the job done right is to do it yourself. While accomplishing it yourself may appear to work, it tends to be a breeding ground for ennui, indifference, low motivation, and loss of commitment and zeal. Sharing the work can be a vast motivator, thereby fortifying the organization. The manner by which managers treat their subordinates is mildly influenced by what they anticipate of them. If a manager's prospects are high, output is likely to be high. If his expectations are low, productivity is expected to be mediocre. It appears there is a law that triggers an employee's performance to rise or fall to synchronize with his manager's expectations.

1. What a boss assumes of a subordinate and how he empowers the subordinate will combine to rapidly influence the subordinate's performance and his career development. What is vital in the interaction of expectations is not what the boss says, but what he does. Apathy and noncommittal treatment convey low expectations and head to inferior execution. Nearly all managers are more successful in communicating low expectations to their subordinates than in conveying high expectations, even though most managers trust exactly the opposite.

2. First-class managers generate high performance expectations that subordinates can accomplish. Underlings will not endeavor for high productivity unless they consider the boss's high expectations pragmatic and attainable. If they are pressed to strive for unattainable goals, they eventually give up trying. Upset, they settle for results that are worse than they are qualified of achieving. The encounter of a large printing corporation demonstrates this. The company discovered that production in fact deteriorated if production quotas were set too high, because the workers simply ceased trying to meet them. "Dangling the carrot just beyond the donkey's reach" is lousy motivational tactic.

3. Inferior managers fail to cultivate high expectations for their minion. Successful managers have greater assurance than ineffective managers in their ability to cultivate the gifts of subordinates. The winning manager's record of success and self-confidence allows credibility to his goals. Thus, subordinates accept his expectations as realistic and exert effort to attain them.

Joseph Plazo is a renowned success coach. He teaches NLP techniques and negotiation skills

Article Source: http://www.reprint-content.com

Why Not
Laugh...

An Essential Key to Your Business Growth, A Motivational Message!

by Jerry Stein

A lot of people think Motivational Speaking means that some overly peppy guru spouts off idealistic clichs. Yet the heart of a CEOs charisma comes from the ability to deliver a message, be it to one person or to a group of many, with a high energy level that connects with the hearts of individuals in the company.

An important characteristic of motivational leadership is the ability to see the talent and genius in others, in such a way that they see it in themselves. Professional motivational speakers can relate stories that are consistent with this line of thought. They present a relatively unbiased perspective on life that is supportive of the companys preferred course of action.

More and more marketers realize that motivational speaking is a largely untapped resource for the promotion of businesses worldwide. Its a simple concept which is largely underestimated for the potential to exponentially enhance the productivity of any business, at any step.

Motivational speaking reminds people why work is rewarding and exciting. It inspires people to remember why they chose their field of work in the first place, and what they can do while honoring their passion. A gifted motivational speaker gives his audience the will to develop their Own Voice that might lose in the company.

Motivational Speaking does not operate on the principle of instruction. The speaker asks specific questions and uses personal references to appeal to the inner initiative of the audience. Nothing could be a more effective tool for expansive change and a desire for growth than harvesting the dreams, passions, and talents from within your current staff!

Leadership training typically includes a variation of coaching in the realm of public speaking. People in positions of executive power need to be able to effectively communicate with many employees at one time: Effectively Communicate being the operative term. Leadership development takes time and patience, and no leader should feel they are above improvement when it comes to effective communication.

Any company's future depends on the work force behind their goals, their desire to excel, and the clarity of communication. People will listen when the administration speaks but do they really hear? Is the meat of what you tell your staff getting lost in translation?

Personal executive coaching supports the potential of executives in their quests to be effective speakers. Motivational speakers provide results with the use of humor, drama, allegory, and other tactics. It is valuable for the administration to be well-versed in motivational open speaking for the sake of the staff. It has also been proven that inviting experienced speakers from other industries has a profound impact on perspective shifts within a company.

Executive training can make this a truth for any people who are willing to learn from others. Dont miss out on the extraordinary benefits motivational speaking can have on your company! Outside forces have the power to effect, but inside forces have the power to transform. Motivational speaking moves people to take action from the inside out, by illuminating the strength of their proceedings. An excellently delivered speech can rocket-boost morale, increase productivity by landslides, and inspire employees to consider their own value and place in the field.

Jerry Stein is CEO of The Executive Roundtable. Jerry is the motivational speaking and corporate coaching columnist for The Atlanta Jewish Times. Jerry also provides executive training to CEOs and company leaders through inspired leadership and motivation. The Executive Roundtable, http://www.theexecutiveroundtable.com , 3401 Northside Parkway Atlanta Georgia , 30327 Ph: (770) 998-0500

Article Source: http://www.reprint-content.com

Jeff Canter
Step 1 Management Services LLC
412-216-0842