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Given today’s economic state, saving money and optimizing what you have is the most effective way to increase profitability. An often overlooked asset in this, however, is quality business performance management software. Business optimization requires an understanding of the strengths and weak areas of its employees; where is their best work done? How can your system adjust to take advantage of their strengths and hide their weaknesses? There can be no more important question. While this information is important, it isn’t painless to obtain.

Simply keeping track of employee appraisal and identifying advancement in that performance rapidly becomes a significant amount of work. The first step is to bring employee evaluation systems into play. This allows you to appraise the work of each staff member. Assessing this data is next. Before it’s ready to use defining goals and identifying future progress it’s key to know what the raw data translates to.

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Using performance appraisal software, you just study the different analyses and factors to identify what these goals should be and subsequently chart the employee’s development. Thus you eliminate a major demand on your time while probably receiving more useful information. There’s the possibility to look at all of the performance review forms yourself using the process only to collate and track everything.

It goes without saying that it isn’t just the efficiency of employees that can be improved by advice from performance management software. It can also be valuable to study clients and suppliers to better reduce costs by precision ordering. You can find out who provides higher grade products, for the best prices and also identify those with high rates of damage or poor delivery times. When it comes to clients – retailers, affiliates, or similar – this kind of software can still offer a better picture there showing you exactly who sells the most of your products, their loss percentage and similar troubles, and acting as a reminder of outstanding payments. This information is useful in minimizing expenses and boosting profits. Who couldn’t benefit from that? In addition to this, marketing campaigns become much more effective because you’ll have a clear view of your market and the location of your biggest audience. You can analyze your sources in order to reduce costs and stay aware of your target market so that you can make more money employing performance management software. It also makes employee performance management straightforward and more effective as well as helping encourage staff by assigning them unambiguous targets significantly. How much can actually be achieved seems almost unlimited with performance management software backing you up.

Success in the modern business world depends heavily on the competent management of employees. These skills can be developed and studied. It may be an advantage to have a natural affinity for managing with people, but you can do numerous things to make this process simpler.

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Build relationships: Start by memorizing staff’s names. Speak to people; look individuals in the eye during a conversation. Show respect, and be sure to listen to everything the other individual says, irrespective of whether you agree or not. The development of listening skills is among the most effective things you may do to improve your people management skills. Exhibit an interest in what they can contribute to the team.

Keep your word: Keeping your word is fundamental. If you can’t keep your word, the fragile bond of trust is damaged, and without trust your staff will not perform at their best. When you give a commitment or make a promise about something, you are squandering your time and effort if you don’t follow through. You will discover, when you can’t be counted on, you can be sure they will behave in a similar manner. Feedback is essential: It’s a two way street. People management skills mean keeping an open mind to all feedback. Being accessible and open establishes that other’s views count, and they will value yours. Frank discourse also promotes fresh ideas, ways of accomplishing goals, and improves the team dynamic. By giving the team an input, the project will become important to every team member.

Encourage communication: People management techniques come down to the same thing – communication. Keeping an open door policy, use listening skills, keep an open mind, and permit each of your team members to express themselves. Employees should be encouraged to speak with each other not only with you. The exchange of ideas is critical in the creative process, and when the employees communicate efficiently, you can root out problems early, permitting corrective action to be put in place to prevent further problems.

This may require time, however the rewards far outweigh the work. By inspiring a good team dynamic and by listening to your team’s ideas, you can accomplish the best in business success.

Talent management is critical for business success. With a little effort you may succeed in improving in these techniques. It can be an advantage to have a natural affinity for communicating with people, even so there are some skills you can learn that will simplify the process.

Relationship Development: Remembering people by name should be a beginning. Engage in conversation; look employees in the eye during a conversation. Have a respectful attitude, also listen to everything the other individual says, even if you disagree or have another opinion. Listening to everything employees have to say is one of the most critical talent management skills in your arsenal. Exhibit an interest in what people can offer the team.

Exhibit integrity: Do not give promises you will not keep. When you don’t deliver on what you have promised, the delicate bond of trust is destroyed, and no-one will give you their best if they don’t trust you. When you make a commitment or make a promise about something, make sure you can deliver or don’t bother giving your word at all. You will discover, when you can’t be depended upon, you can be certain they will act in a similar way.

Feedback is essential: It’s a two-way street. Having an open mind regarding other people’s opinions is an important skill in effective talent management. If you can demonstrate approachability and openness, you prove that other’s thoughts matter to you, and they will respect your views. Open discourse in addition encourages novel ways of thinking, ways of achieving goals, and improves the team dynamic. By allowing the employees an input, each member of staff takes ownership of the results. Promote all sorts of communication: Managing staff comes down to one concept — good communication. Keeping an open door policy, utilize listening techniques, keep an open mind, and give all of your employees a chance to express their opinions. Encourage team members not only to speak to you, but also to speak to each other. The creative process depends a great deal on the open exchange of ideas, and if the team communicate efficiently, you can recognize any problems swiftly, allowing corrective action to be implemented early to prevent any further problems. This may take time, even so the rewards are worthwhile. By inspiring a good team dynamic and developing effective listening skills, a flourishing business will be yours.

People management is crucial for business success. These skills may be acquired and studied. It may be a plus to have a intuitive affinity for dealing with people, even so there are a lot of things you can do that will simplify the process. Forging relationships: Begin by remembering staff’s names. Encourage conversation; look individuals in the eye as you’re speaking. Show respect, in addition pay attention to the other person’s point of view, even if you do not agree or have another opinion. Paying attention to everything employees have to say is one of the most critical people management skills in your arsenal. Encourage any contributions from your co-workers. Exhibit integrity: Keeping your promises is really important. If you can’t keep your promises, the delicate bond of trust is wrecked, and if they can’t trust you your staff certainly won’t offer their best. Everytime you make a statement or make a promise, make sure that you can follow through or it would really be more sensible not to give your word at all. The truth is, when you can’t be depended on, you can be assured they will behave in the same fashion.

Be open to feedback: It’s a two way street. Talent management skills mean having an open mind to all feedback. If you can establish that you are approachable and open, you prove that other people’s opinions matter to you, your opinions will be respected in the same fashion. Bona Fide discussion in addition furthers innovative ways of thinking, innovative methods of accomplishing goals, and improves the company dynamic. By giving the staff some input, each member of staff invests in the results. Communicating is the key: Communication is the key to dealing with people effectively. Keeping an open door policy, listen intently to your co-workers, remember to welcome employees to express their ideas, and give team members an equal voice. Employees must be encouraged to speak with each other as well as with you. The growth of any business relies to a great extent on the interchange of ideas, if the staff communicate effectively, it is much simpler to find issues before they present as a problem, and corrective measures can be implemented before matters get out of hand. Some work will be essential, even so the rewards are worth it. By inspiring a good team dynamic and by listening to what your employees have to offer, you can easily have a successful business.

“People often say that this or that person has not found himself. But the self is not something that one finds. It is something one creates.” Thomas Szasz, 20th century American psychoanalyst who founded the ‘anti-psychiatry’ movement

Effective leaders are “unreasonable” optimists. Optimists refuse to live in “the real world.” They live in a world of hope and possibilities. They see an opportunity in every calamity. The pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity. Optimists excite and arouse others to action by helping them see, believe in, and reach for what could be.

If you haven’t already read Learned Optimism, put it at the top of your reading list. Learned Optimism was written by Martin Seligman, professor of social science and director of clinical training in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In it, he reports on decades of pioneering research he and others have done on the effects of pessimism and optimism, ways to assess the degrees of either, and how to change a pessimistic style to an optimistic one. His work adds an important new twist and depth to understanding the timeless principles of leadership action.

He writes, “The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do, and are their own fault. The optimists, who are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world, think about misfortune in the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case. The optimists believe defeat is not their fault: Circumstances, bad luck, or other people brought it about. Such people are unfazed by defeat. Confronted by a bad situation, they perceive it as a challenge and try harder.”

At the core of Seligman’s findings are the interconnected concepts of “learned helplessness” and “explanatory style.” Seligman explains, “Learned helplessness is the giving-up reaction, the quitting response that follows from the belief that whatever you do doesn’t matter. Explanatory style is the manner in which you habitually explain to yourself why events happen. It is the great modulator of learned helplessness. An optimistic explanatory style stops helplessness, whereas a pessimistic explanatory style spreads helplessness.”

He goes on to cite research that shows pessimism is a major cause of depression, inaction and inertia, worry, and much poorer physical health (including earlier death). He has also found “pessimism is self-fulfilling. Pessimists don’t persist in the face of challenges, and therefore fail more frequently even when success is attainable… their explanatory style now converts the predicted setback into a disaster, and disaster into a catastrophe.”

We can use Martin Seligman’s ABCs to assess our explanatory style: any Adversity we encounter triggers our habitual Beliefs, which determines the Consequences of that situation or those circumstances. Learned Optimism has many useful assessment tools to help you understand whether you tend to pessimism or optimism and suggestions on how to become more optimistic.

To see beyond what is to what could be, we need to become “learned optimists.” It starts by working with our teams or on our own to “reframe” negative situations and problems by looking for the improvement opportunities buried in them.

Jim Clemmer is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, workshop/retreat leader, and management team developer on leadership, change, customer focus, culture, teams, and personal growth. During the last 25 years he has delivered over two thousand customized keynote presentations, workshops, and retreats. Jim’s five international bestselling books include The VIP Strategy, Firing on All Cylinders, Pathways to Performance, Growing the Distance, and The Leader’s Digest. His web site is http://www.clemmer.net/articles.

If you have a task greater than you can handle on your own, then you need to delegate. Not a choice many of us choose to make, but one we can all learn. This article will take you through why delegation is so important and give you simple steps to take so that you communicate the vision, motivate your members and build them as individuals and as a successful team.

So let’s start with the Whys.

The first is obvious. The task if too big for one person. Or maybe is beyond the skills of that one person.

The second is that there is more chance of success because using other people brings in extra skill-sets, and added enthusiasm.

The third WHY is that delegation gives the leaders in an organisation the chance to develop the latent strengths and talents of their members, giving the organisation a greater pool of skill and potential leaders.

Be prepared before you Delegate

Ensure that you have your vision articulated very precisely. This is the vision that you will use to motivate and enthuse your members. Be very familiar with the place of this particular job in the organisation’s plans and objectives.

Run the idea past other members of the Board, or trusted friends, so that they can find any difficulties or flaws. They can refine the idea for you, until it is stronger and more authentic than your original.

Check out the resources available for the job to be delegated.

Understand the whole scenario. Look for the fears that your members may feel, anticipate the problems that might occur, and think through how you will deal with those, what you will say. Look for flaws that might exist in the way you will communicate your plan, and the ways you might be misunderstood. Then you will be prepared enough to present a confident persona when you are motivating those who will share the work.

Match the Job to the Person

How many people will you need?

What kind of history does that person have on previous jobs?

Does this person show enthusiasm and interest in this appointment?

Does this person have the basic intelligence, knowledge and willingness to learn, necessary for the job?

Look for latent skills, strengths, and especially enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Communicating the Vision

If the project is to succeed, everyone needs to see the broader aims of the whole project and the vision involved. Information is vital, but so is communicating the enthusiasm and value of the vision. Communicate the value of the project’s success – its value to the organisation and to the people taking on the various tasks. It is also necessary to make the members feel that the vision is theirs as well, that they can contribute to it, and feed it with their own creativity, enthusiasm and hard work.

Motivation

Communicating the vision involves the use of positive, encouraging language. Use words like believe, confidence in abilities, success. The language needs to communicate strength and positivity both in the enthusiasm for the project and in the faith in the people involved and their ability to achieve their goals.

Each person needs to be given the responsibility to achieve the task delegated to them. It will encourage them to contribute wholeheartedly to the job and its success. If the person does not want the responsibility, then perhaps it was not a good decision to delegate to them.

And those who are happy to work with responsibility, will also be motivated by the knowledge that you have the faith that they can achieve the job they have been given.

Expect high standards.

Make sure each person has the resources and the moral support to achieve their tasks.

Albert Schweitzer said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. So lead by example. Take your place on the ground floor and “at the coal face.” And if you have middle level managers, give them direct experience of the work and the workplace.

Building the Members of your Team

Bill Gates said, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”We need to look to the individuals in our teams. There’s an old saying that a rising tide lifts all boats. If we invest time to raise the level of each team member’s performance and feeling of self worth then it will increase the level of the team as well. This involves looking at each individual, to see what he or she could become. What are the attributes and skills that they possess, possibly without knowing it, and certainly that they do not use. Then it may be necessary to convince them that they can become the person you see within them. It may involve giving them tasks that use the skill or attribute and then pointing out how they used it to succeed. Obviously this means assigning achievable tasks, and certainly ones that do not encourage fear of failure.

When we are looking at people to whom we can delegate tasks, or who could be part of the team you need, it helps to see them in a positive light – as achievers, good friends, and worthy teammates. It will make it easier to bring out the best in them, rather than thinking of them as losers, and unworthy of our time and friendship.

Treat all team members differently because they are all different. Each has their own motivation, strengths and weaknesses and emotional intelligence, and will respond to different kinds of treatment. They will also bring the different skills and levels of ability that are needed in any project.

Build strengths and the feeling of strength.

Building a Team

If the task requires a team, then the best way to organize the team is to produce a group that, as a whole, will be stronger and more successful as a single entity than as the combined efforts of individuals. It means building individuals as we have seen above, but it also involves creating an image of the team as an entity – a valuable entity, one of which the members can be proud. Give each member the words and concepts to use, if necessary, so that they can express that value and that pride.

And encourage each member to encourage, assist and praise the other members of the team. The atmosphere needs to be one of constructive assistance. If it is absolutely necessary to look at errors, or failures or matters of discontent, then they must be examined always in the light of improvement for the future. Face the future always. Constructively.

© 2005 Bronwyn Ritchie AC(ITC) All rights reserved. If you would like to use this article, you have permission to use it only in full, and only with the following Resource box attached.

Bronwyn Ritchie is a speaker, writer, librarian and trainer and she manages Pivotal Points – resources for the times in your life when you pivot – change direction – towards a better you, a better life. For more resources on leadership, team building and communication skills visit http://www.consultpivotal.com

IBM, which registered 3248 patents last year, has decided that sharing technology can sometimes be more profitable than jealously guarding its property rights on patents, copyrights and trade secrets (Herald Tribune, April 11 2005).

International Business Machines have come to the above conclusion 205 years after the invention of electric light – thus clearly illustrating that even the 19th largest company in the world (fortune.com) with a market capitalization on $141 billion (nasdaq.com) is still only learning about creativity and innovation.

Of course the issue of control is important but a quick history lesson indicates that the above should not have taken so long!

The first electric light was made in England by Davy, in 1860 Swan attempted to devise a long lasting light using carbon paper, in 1877 Brush lit up Cleveland Ohio and in 1879 Edison began work on a practical light bulb that would eventually glow for 1500 hours.

Recently, Linux – open source software developed through collaboration on the Internet – has grown to the extent that it is closing in on Microsoft’s market share (news.com).

The above two examples indicate a number of factors about creativity and innovation that IBM should have learned a long time ago, some of which include:

a) Creativity (problem identification and idea generation) and innovation (idea selection, development and commercialisation) can take years and use huge resources – collaboration, networks and shared tacit knowledge rapidly reduce investment and rapidly increase speed to commercialisation.

b) Radical changes result from incremental improvement.

c) Radical shifts require the input of new knowledge.

d) New knowledge and incremental improvements result from eliciting tacit knowledge from a broad knowledge base.

e) New knowledge and incremental improvements result from eliciting ideas from a number of sources, a number of diverse sources and a number of novel sources – by utilising networks.

f) New knowledge and incremental improvements result from eliciting ideas from a number of sources, a number of diverse sources and a number of novel sources – through collaboration.

In conclusion, the probability of producing world changing innovation in-house is low. The knowledge pool is simply too shallow. And that can be said without considering motivation, group structures etc etc etc.

This topic is covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com. You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com.