Monthly Archives: November 2016

Berlin, Business management, coaching, consultancy, free literature, management, new writer, start-ups, vision

Mini-series: Business Management 10

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Jettison everything you are doing that is not genuinely productive

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Many run the danger of continuing to do things simply because that is the way that they have always been done or because they have seen others doing things in a certain way. Please be aware that a strategy that works for a very similar company to yours may not work for your company at all. Resist the temptation to copy. Focus on your USP(s).

If you want to see something you’ve never seen before, you are going to have to do something that you have never done before.

Links:

Thinking outside of the box

5 hot tips on how to break out of habitual methods

Berlin, Business management, coaching, consultancy, free literature, management, new writer, start-ups, vision

Mini-Series: Business Management 9

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Always invest in younger people

This is important not only because of the reasons given in the paragraph above, but also because young people will keep your company feeling young and dynamic and it will make it attractive to young and old alike. Furthermore, amongst these up-and-coming employees you will most probably find the most loyal and talented future leaders of your company.

Nowadays, it is also possible to work with younger people by offering them a short to medium-term placement as part of their training/university degree. If you do this, please be aware that you will need to look after them properly and not to use them as cheap labour. Ideally, they should have a pre-arranged, formal training programme that includes time with you, professional development on the job, a mentor (not you) who looks after them pastorally and they should also work shorter hours than your paid staff so that they have time for other aspects of their personal and professional development.

Berlin, Business management, coaching, consultancy, free literature, management, new writer, start-ups, vision

Mini-Series: Business Management 8

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The future is always ten years younger than the age of your average customer

This may sound strange, but it is an important business maxim. The main challenge is that life moves on faster than we like to think. Many managers, including their friendship circle, are already at least forty years old, so when they think about how to develop their product, they think about what they would like. The reality is, however, by the time the product is on sale, several years have elapsed and in any case, the next generation of customers have already moved on to something different. So, the rule of thumb is, if you want to develop a new or existing product, find out what people at least ten years younger than your current average customer are looking for.

Links:

Apple’s target audience

Nike’s target audience

 

 

Berlin, Business management, coaching, consultancy, management, new writer, start-ups, vision

Mini-Series: Business Management 7

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Create a culture of encouragement and celebration

Almost all human beings work best in an environment of encouragement. It is therefore very important that you create a culture of encouragement. Criticism and honest feedback are of course essential, especially with colleagues who are not performing quite as well as they could. However, any negative feedback or constructive criticism should take place within the following parameters:

  • do not communicate negative feedback in the heat of the moment
  • take time to check that you have got your facts straight beyond you launch out
  • never communicate negative feedback to the employee in front of other employees of a similar standing
  • once you have introduced the theme of your feedback, give the employee ample opportunity to explain things from his/her angle first
  • then couch your criticism in a very clear, factual structured way
  • end by giving the employee an opportunity to ask any questions and with an encouraging comment about a more positive aspect of the employee’s work.

It is also best practice to offer employees regular appraisal, at least once a year. This should be done formally and with the outcome linked to professional development and, where possible and if appropriate, a pay increase. Apart from the fact that such a procedure will great benefit your company, it will also make it very attractive to other highly qualified and motivated professionals.

Links:

10 tips on empowering your staff

16 clever ways to show employee appreciation

 

Business management, coaching, consultancy, management, new writer, start-ups

Mini-series: Business Management 6

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Meetings, agendas and minutes

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Meetings are essential in any organisation but you need to monitor whether or not they are serving any real purpose. If they are not, they should be dropped or radically changed. Every meeting, especially a regular meeting, should have a very clear purpose, not only to you, but also to your team. Then, in order to make its importance clear to your team, you should ensure the following:

  • an agenda should be sent out in advance, where possible giving your team members the opportunity to contribute to it. The number of items should be clearly manageable and not overwhelming. There should also be at the beginning a brief review of the action points from the last meeting.
  • items on the agenda should have a time-limit and a designated person responsible for them. There should also be an appointed  chair (not necessarily you as the manager but the person who can best chair a meeting in your team), a minute-taker and a time-keeper.
  • The minutes should be brief and to the point with action points and a named person responsible for each action point and a deadline by when the item should be achieved. The minutes should be distributed promptly to everyone as soon as possible after the meeting.

 

Useful links:

http://www.practicallyperfectpa.com/2012/tips-on-good-minute-taking/10/03/