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Welcome to Staying in Step with Step 1!
I hope you enjoy this newsletter. Every issue features 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.
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Upcoming Events |
Jeff Canter will be presenting at the Pittsburgh Human Resources Association's 59th annual Fall Conference & Exhibition, which runs September 25-26 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The theme of the conference this year is "Strategic HR: The Wave of The Future". The topic of Jeff's breakout session, which is scheduled for September 25 at 3:15PM, is "Avoiding the Mistakes New Managers Make", an interactive workshop designed to provide the participants with a valuable "new managers" training roadmap that will help them to prevent new managers' mistakes before they occur.
This event is open to both PHRA members and non-members alike. For registration information follow this link http://www.pittsburghhra.org/Conference_Registration_1.php
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Coming this fall -- "The Small Business Leadership Vitality Forum". Step 1 Management will host a day long workshop, presented by notable figures from the small business market, on what it takes to achieve and sustain leadership vitality in an era of hyper-competition for customers, workers and qualified managers. Watch for more details in the weeks ahead! |
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My Turn  - Being Afraid of Change
There is no greater constant in the universe than change. If that strikes you as a bit counterintuitive then welcome to the club. Every one of us changes, sometimes daily, to adapt to new opportunities or avoid repeating mistakes. If we are observant we spot the changes taking place in others in order to cue us to consider our response. Change happens -- deal with it.
So why do we fight change in our businesses at every possible turn? Why do we think that holding on to preconceptions and/or old habits is wise? I've known brilliant entrepreneurs who are blessed with vision and grit and boundless energy but whom refused to change their view of their environment, even when presented with obvious evidence to the contrary. These are individuals who believe so firmly in their own ability to respond with creativity to any circumstance that they are often blind to the failure of their own ideas.
So, too, are there business owners and CXOs who are reluctant to upset the equilibrium they may have achieved in their business operations. These are the stalwarts who defend the status quo because "we've always done it this way" or because they ask "why risk our current success?" These tunnel visionaries fiercely protect their comfort zone in the name of the company yet lose the perspective that, asThomas Jefferson once wrote, a little rebellion now and then is a good thing.
Change is the foundation of growth. Change is the cleansing fire that forces us to remain creative and beckons us to meet our challenges head on. Change demands of us that we keep an open mind and a watchful eye. Change makes a business great instead of just successful. Change isn't always product-related; sometimes change is purely a backoffice issue (such as a shift in leadership or a process analysis and realignment). Change is sometimes dramatic and at other times subtle and nuanced. This much is certain: Your business is going to change -- with you or without you. You might as well ride the wave or, better yet, spot the wave before it sweeps your business up in it's swell.
If your product mix is flat, change it to reinvigorate the company and the market. If your management team is stagnating, change the players either by realigning their core competencies with the key business processes or, when necessary, jettison them altogether and start over. If your customers find your business almost irrelevant change your revenue model to better reflect the needs and appetites of your marketplace.
The point is simple. No one outside of your business is quite so interested in your long-term health and viability as you are. Stop behaving like the limiting factor in your business and instead foster a culture where change is encouraged (with a dose of careful analysis to mitigate some of the risks). If you can stimulate your internal and external constituents by demonstrating sure-footed adaptability and a willingness to change you will likely win the day.
Jeff Canter | |
Serve More People, Become More Effective
The Secret of Learning Management Systems
By Leia T. Shilobod
"The more people you serve, the more effective you become." This is a great quote from the reknowned American visionary Buckminster Fuller. It relates to all of life, but for our purposes here, we'll put it in the context of business.
Most are familiar with the proposition that if you'd like to make more money, you only need to serve more people. However, when we start to look at the cost of serving more people, we realize that, in the end, our margins may be too narrow to allow serving more customers to be profitable.
The key, therefore, lies in determining how to serve more and more people while doing less and less. That's not to say that the quality of the service is less, but only that our exertion, or cost, is less.
Here is a good illustration of this concept. I know a speaker who tours the globe delivering presentations about changing your business to make more money. One day he realizes that there is a great demand for his information, but the only thing standing in the way of his making more money is HIM!
He can only deliver the information in person a limited number of times at a limited number of venues each year. So he asks himself, "How can I serve more and more people with this information, by not traveling around the globe 300 days a year?"
A great solution to his problem: Create a Learning Management System to deliver the content for him.
A Learning Management System or LMS is a software package that enables the management and delivery of online content to learners. Being web-based, they facilitate "anytime, anyplace, any pace" access to learning content and administration.
The LMS allows for learner registration, delivery of learning activities, and learner assessment in an online environment. Many are also customizable to include tools such as competency management, skills-gap analysis, professional certification, certificate deployment.
Companies also save money through resource allocation. Now a company no longer has to pull employees from their jobs to one location, pay for the venue, pay for the speaker, and print the materials.
Many companies currently use this technology to deliver information that all employees must know such as Sexual Harassment or OSHA information.
Some companies utilize LMS to aid in training their sales force. Sales people are often on the go and work atypical hours. Having access to training at any time of the day or night allows the salesperson to increase their knowledge without interruption of their sales process.
Another benefit of LMS is that the entire process is digital in nature. If there is a piece of information from a training video or DVD that becomes outdated due to legal or policy changes, you may as well throw it in the trash can. When the information is digital, you can quickly and easily edit the information at a low cost to keep all your information current and relevant.
One of the most important features of LMS is the ability to collect quantitative data. It costs your company money to train your employees, so you want to be assured that your message is being received properly.
LMS's often include tests and feedback as part of their modules. Administrators can generate reports to determine learning gaps and change programming to bridge those gaps.
Take a look at your business from an information delivery perspective. Are you delivering information in the most effective way? If not, consider the implementation of a Learning Management System to serve your employees or clients better by doing and spending less.
Leia Shilobod is the president of InTech Solutions, Inc. a premier IT firm in Greensburg, PA. Her company specializes in network administration & optimization as well as consulting for technology planning, efficiency & cost reduction. InTech is a Microsoft Partner and the Official IT Firm of the Westmoreland Chamber. You can contact Leia at Leia@intechit.net or at 724.689.2225.
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Helping Your Managers Manage, Legally
By Dawn Pomaybo
How do you equip your managers with the knowledge, tools and power to manage your employees and the workplace? How do you educate your managers to be confident in knowing that their decisions and actions are compliant with federal and state labor laws? How do you know that they are not leaving you open to liability with their daily course of action?
These are questions that I ask business owners everyday. Many business owners are not able to answer them. These are questions that are posed to me just as often. Everyone hopes that common sense will dictate how their managers will manage but unfortunately, most managers have been promoted through the ranks and have not received the education, training or tools that they need. This is especially so in small companies. Business owners must focus on keeping their businesses alive and profitable. They are experts in their industry and know where to go for the solutions to problems in their business, but when it comes to training employees and managers in the soft skills of Human Resources and providing the appropriate tools for the managers, this is usually put on the back burner. This is an issue that can become very costly to the business owner and can potentially close the doors of a company permanently.
If you find that you are in the same situation, here are a few suggestions that might help you help your managers:
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Outsource - Do what you do best and bring in the experts to help you create strategies and human resource solutions that will best fit your environment. Create a progressive plan to identify, target and attack your problem areas first and then build solid, practical human resource strategies that you implement over the course of a 6-12 month period. You want a plan that you can carry out - a plan that will not leave you and your managers feeling overwhelmed. Take it slow. Continually look at your progress and what is happening in your environment.
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Evaluate - Find out where your managers need the most help. Evaluate your compliance with Federal and State labor laws and how your managers are implementing compliance in the workplace. Review your policies to ensure their compliance and that the policies are actually being implemented and working. Look at the difficult areas: are you having employee problems? Is it because you are hiring the wrong type of employees? Are you having customer issues? Is it because of poor customer service? Are you lacking productivity? Is it because your employees are not engaged? Are there communication issues? Theft in the workplace? An evaluation of your entire process from hire to fire will help to guide you in creating your human resource strategies. You will be able to determine what the most pressing issues are for your manager and the business and what is most important to you as a business owner.
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Train - Knowledge is power. Your managers probably have the same questions that you do. They just might not be asking them. Once you have evaluated your workplace, the appropriate training is a start to overcoming employee issues. Training for managers can cover many different areas that will help you to have a sense of comfort that your managers are in compliance with labor laws. Managers gain a level of comfort when they know how to deal with different situations and what the areas of liability are. They will hopefully be able to make better, educated decisions on your behalf.
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Provide Tools - When it comes to implementing HR strategies, the more that you can do to simplify things for your managers, the more likely it is that they will affect change in your organization. Providing the appropriate tools, will also show a commitment on your part to them. Tools can come in a variety of flavors, from a group of pre-selected interview questions to guides on how to standardize daily business practices to up-to-date employee handbooks. Whatever the tool is, the easier that it makes their job, the more time that they have to deal with your main course of business.
When human resources are brought off of the back burner, you may begin to realize savings, productivity and engagement with your managers and your employees. And, you may be able to sleep better at night knowing that you have taken positive steps to better manage your managers, employees and the workplace legally.
If you have a specific question that you would like addressed, please email your questions to info@pomaybo.com. Dawn is President/CEO of Pomaybo, Inc., a company dedicated to providing workforce solutions to businesses of all sizes. | |
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Relieve Stress At Work -
5 Quick And Easy Tips
by Peter Rapport
Stress at work is inevitable. You can't stop it from coming, but you can change the way you handle it. Instead of having a meltdown right in the middle of the office, why not try one of these 5 quick and end easy stress reducers?
Take A Break.
It's easy to let your feelings take over when everyone around you seems like an idiot! But, remember, your fellow workers are just trying to get through the day the best they can too.
Instead of losing your cool, try taking a quick break. Walking away from the situation helps.
Take a walk to another department. Breathe deeply as you go. Get a cool drink of water. Grab some gum and chew away your anxieties. Basically, try to shift your attention away from what's causing you angst, to help you better handle it when you return.
Get Support.
Sometimes, the thing that is stressing you most is also fraying everyone else's nerves too. Can't take the copier breaking down one more time? Maybe it's time for you and other office staff to request a new one. Worried that you're not going to meet your big deadline?
Delegate some of the smaller priorities, or ask for help. Oftentimes, we take on more than we can handle unnecessarily, when others in the office are more than willing to roll up their sleeves and help out.
Even if the main responsibility rests with you, sometimes, just having a trustworthy sounding board is enough to get us through and help ease some of the burden.
Be Kind to Yourself.
The more stress we feel, the harder we seem to be on ourselves. Feeling overwhelmed with that new project? Don't react by telling yourself you can't handle it - chances are you can! Ease some of that stress by reprioritizing and rescheduling deadlines.
Find A Solution.
Every problem has a solution. You just have to find it. Worrying about a problem or stressing over your lack of control over a work-related issue won't solve anything. Tackling it head on might. No matter what is causing stress in your work life, look for a solution, then find a way to implement it.
Remain Positive.
The most important thing to remember about stress is this: most of it is temporary. It may seem like things will never change, or get better, but they tend to ebb and flow, getting better, and then getting worse again.
Try to stay positive through even the most stressful situation and you may find that it gets better faster, (or at least seems to), and is a lot more tolerable than when you let yourself get stuck in a downward spiral of stress and anxiety.
There will always be stresses at work beyond your control. The key to handling those situations is realizing that sometimes you'll hit a snag, but eventually you'll also break free and find life at work more tolerable once again.
Peter Rapport has been writing articles about health for some time. If you would like more information on headaches. Visit http://www.stressandtheimmunesystem.com
Relieve stress at work. http://www.stressandtheimmunesystem.com/tsieae.html Turn Stress
into Energy and Enthusiasm
Article Source: http://www.reprint-content.com
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