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Other Added - Crisis Management - A Team Approach to Addressing Business Problems
There are numerous industries which interact with clients that would be better off giving a real gift of appreciation at the close of a deal, or business sale, than gifting some cheap logo scribed trinket. For an executive gift or corporate gift you may consider a fine gourmet gift of class and distinction, Alaska smoked salmon.Real estate, mortgage, and corporate executives are constantly looking for the closing gift that will appear genuinely thoughtful, and be sincerely appreciated and remembered by their customer or client. A corporate gift, like a glass golf ball on the desk plaque, just doesn’t work for most people. You may say, 'but it is cheap, and you can purchase them by the case, and even have them engraved.' Sure you can, and you can certainly go with that, but your corporate image will reflect those same under laying tones. What does the recipient perceive? A cheap gift. You know, about as useful as the chiropractor’s bent pen.One mortgage company came up with a great solution to this need. ake emotion out of the exercise. Whether individual or small teams, clear assignments must be made with the expectation of how the information should be summarized or presented to the action team and when. Ideally, they should be in the form of a presentation with back-up details in advance of the next action team meeting to allow for detailed review prior to the next meeting.
Step 3: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
The Second Action Team Meeting
Action teams must work in compressed time frames to be most effective. Within a short period following the initial action team meeting and the completion of the assigned research, the team should reconvene, in an environment where they cannot be interrupted by any normal day-to-day issues. These should be either delegated or temporarily reassigned during the action team meeting to allow complete focus on the task at hand. The action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Restatement of the business problem
- Review of the direction from the CEO including the time frame for resolution
- Crisp prese
It still never ceases to amaze me why B2B advertisers who pay good money for print ad do not have headlines in their ads.Four out of five readers will see the headline and not the rest of the ad (body copy). It's the one in five who is caught by the headline will read on and proceed to the body copy.Without a headline, not only have you, as the advertiser, lost some 80% or your readership, but chances are you have lost 100%. Why? Simple, what was used to capture your reader? Nothing.Unless the rest of the ad has graphics that will grab the reader by the neck, that person will proceed to the next page. Expecting a reader to go to your body copy, without a headline to grab him/her, is really expecting a lot. A heck of a lot. Again, because you have to first catch that person and entice him/her to proceed with to the body copy.Headlines I've found that work well are "How to's", "Direct offers", "Unique product statements", "Questions" and a few others.Many years ago, Samuel Johnson said that "promise, large promise, is the soul of a
Identifying business problems.
One of the greatest challenges in business is separating problems from the numerous daily issues, challenges, competitive pressures and change. Many if not most of these are part of the day-to-day and must be addressed by the individual managers with functional or organizational accountability in the area where they arise. This is not to minimize the importance of these. It is just that they must be acted upon by the individuals who have accountability and responsibility where they arise. There are other business problems that go beyond the accountability of the individual manager. Some of their characteristics are:
- They impact the revenue top line against the business plan
- They impact the cost and/or expense against the business plan
- They impact market share against what was targeted in the business plan
- They impact customer satisfaction against the measure in place
- They impact employee retention and/or satisfaction against the measure in place
While there may be business problems beyond these that need to be addressed by a team and the process outlined below, these are the key indicators externally and internally for the success of any business. Any deviation in any of these measures against the business plan or other internal metric is a candidate for action by a cross functional and/or cross organizational action team.
Step 1: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM IN CLEAR, CONCISE LANGUAGE
Team to resolve the problem
Now that the problem has been identified and documented in clear, concise language, the next step is who can address the problem. Short of the Chairman or the CEO, who is the business owner for the outcome or achieving the committed business result? This needs to be defined clearly within the organization at the functional and organizational level. Once that individual has been identified, she must be empowered by a senior leader (CEO ideally) to own and resolve the problem. Along with this goes the charter to establish an action team to work the problem to resolution. The CEO (or other senior executive) needs to be clear about the time frame for action. The problem owner must next reach within and outside their organization to assemble a team to address and resolve the problem. While this team may include members of organizations such as Finance, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Research and Development and Human Resources, the composition should be specific to the problem and not include more than one participant per organization or functional area. The members of the action team need to be committed to the project through their leadership and committed to a pre-agreed amount of their work time and project duration. While these may change at points during the project, they should be communicated up front.
Step 2: ASSEMBLE AN EMPOWERED TEAM TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM
Initial Meeting
The action team must have an initial meeting for several purposes. First it should serve to communicate the problem to all participants. Secondly it should serve as an occasion for all the action team members to get to know one another. Thirdly, the timeline, expectations, and roles must be clearly outlined at the initial meeting. Finally, specific fact-finding assignments must be made during the initial meeting along with time frames for reporting out information from the fact-finding. More information is better. While business instincts are important, facts serve to take emotion out of the exercise. Whether individual or small teams, clear assignments must be made with the expectation of how the information should be summarized or presented to the action team and when. Ideally, they should be in the form of a presentation with back-up details in advance of the next action team meeting to allow for detailed review prior to the next meeting.
Step 3: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
The Second Action Team Meeting
Action teams must work in compressed time frames to be most effective. Within a short period following the initial action team meeting and the completion of the assigned research, the team should reconvene, in an environment where they cannot be interrupted by any normal day-to-day issues. These should be either delegated or temporarily reassigned during the action team meeting to allow complete focus on the task at hand. The action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Restatement of the business problem
- Review of the direction from the CEO including the time frame for resolution
- Crisp presen
EDM refers to wire electrical discharge machining. Wire electrical discharge machining or EDM is a metalworking process with the help of which a material is separated from a conductive work piece, by means of electrical erosion. The wire never comes in contact with the conductive work piece. The wire electrode leaves a path on the work piece, which is slightly larger than the wire. Most often a 0.010' wire is used which creates a 0.013' to 0.014' gap. The wire electrode once passed through the work piece cannot be reused.Wire electrical discharge machining is mainly used to cut intricate shapes and designs into hard metals, which are otherwise difficult to form, mold or manipulate. It is most useful in the electronics and aerospace sectors for prototyping and manufacturing various parts. Most often, steel and titanium are processed with help of wire electrical-discharge machining. Jewelry designers are using the system for cutting intricate shapes. Even artists working with metals find the machining very convenient and practical to use.Many manufacture
- They impact the revenue top line against the business plan
- They impact the cost and/or expense against the business plan
- They impact market share against what was targeted in the business plan
- They impact customer satisfaction against the measure in place
- They impact employee retention and/or satisfaction against the measure in place
While there may be business problems beyond these that need to be addressed by a team and the process outlined below, these are the key indicators externally and internally for the success of any business. Any deviation in any of these measures against the business plan or other internal metric is a candidate for action by a cross functional and/or cross organizational action team.
Step 1: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM IN CLEAR, CONCISE LANGUAGE
Team to resolve the problem
Now that the problem has been identified and documented in clear, concise language, the next step is who can address the problem. Short of the Chairman or the CEO, who is the business owner for the outcome or achieving the committed business result? This needs to be defined clearly within the organization at the functional and organizational level. Once that individual has been identified, she must be empowered by a senior leader (CEO ideally) to own and resolve the problem. Along with this goes the charter to establish an action team to work the problem to resolution. The CEO (or other senior executive) needs to be clear about the time frame for action. The problem owner must next reach within and outside their organization to assemble a team to address and resolve the problem. While this team may include members of organizations such as Finance, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Research and Development and Human Resources, the composition should be specific to the problem and not include more than one participant per organization or functional area. The members of the action team need to be committed to the project through their leadership and committed to a pre-agreed amount of their work time and project duration. While these may change at points during the project, they should be communicated up front.
Step 2: ASSEMBLE AN EMPOWERED TEAM TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM
Initial Meeting
The action team must have an initial meeting for several purposes. First it should serve to communicate the problem to all participants. Secondly it should serve as an occasion for all the action team members to get to know one another. Thirdly, the timeline, expectations, and roles must be clearly outlined at the initial meeting. Finally, specific fact-finding assignments must be made during the initial meeting along with time frames for reporting out information from the fact-finding. More information is better. While business instincts are important, facts serve to take emotion out of the exercise. Whether individual or small teams, clear assignments must be made with the expectation of how the information should be summarized or presented to the action team and when. Ideally, they should be in the form of a presentation with back-up details in advance of the next action team meeting to allow for detailed review prior to the next meeting.
Step 3: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
The Second Action Team Meeting
Action teams must work in compressed time frames to be most effective. Within a short period following the initial action team meeting and the completion of the assigned research, the team should reconvene, in an environment where they cannot be interrupted by any normal day-to-day issues. These should be either delegated or temporarily reassigned during the action team meeting to allow complete focus on the task at hand. The action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Restatement of the business problem
- Review of the direction from the CEO including the time frame for resolution
- Crisp prese
(Say What You Mean and Get What You Want!)Great business communication skills requires learning to say exactly what you mean and saying it in a way to get a desired outcome that is beneficial for both the business contact and your home based business. Many times we send cross signals in our communications because we ourselves are not completely sure how to convey our thoughts properly. We know what we want to say but are unable to get the correct wording in order to get the your point across.Enhancing our business communication skills has numerous advantages in all aspects of our home based business from negotiations to routine business conversations. Your bottom line will increase more by getting the desired outcome that you want. Whether it is better pricing from a manufacturer or handling a disgruntled customer you will notice that the results will be more favorable for your home based business.* Tips for Effective Communication:* Have a Main Objective* Be Prepared for Objections* Conside
Step 1: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM IN CLEAR, CONCISE LANGUAGE
Team to resolve the problem
Now that the problem has been identified and documented in clear, concise language, the next step is who can address the problem. Short of the Chairman or the CEO, who is the business owner for the outcome or achieving the committed business result? This needs to be defined clearly within the organization at the functional and organizational level. Once that individual has been identified, she must be empowered by a senior leader (CEO ideally) to own and resolve the problem. Along with this goes the charter to establish an action team to work the problem to resolution. The CEO (or other senior executive) needs to be clear about the time frame for action. The problem owner must next reach within and outside their organization to assemble a team to address and resolve the problem. While this team may include members of organizations such as Finance, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Research and Development and Human Resources, the composition should be specific to the problem and not include more than one participant per organization or functional area. The members of the action team need to be committed to the project through their leadership and committed to a pre-agreed amount of their work time and project duration. While these may change at points during the project, they should be communicated up front.
Step 2: ASSEMBLE AN EMPOWERED TEAM TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM
Initial Meeting
The action team must have an initial meeting for several purposes. First it should serve to communicate the problem to all participants. Secondly it should serve as an occasion for all the action team members to get to know one another. Thirdly, the timeline, expectations, and roles must be clearly outlined at the initial meeting. Finally, specific fact-finding assignments must be made during the initial meeting along with time frames for reporting out information from the fact-finding. More information is better. While business instincts are important, facts serve to take emotion out of the exercise. Whether individual or small teams, clear assignments must be made with the expectation of how the information should be summarized or presented to the action team and when. Ideally, they should be in the form of a presentation with back-up details in advance of the next action team meeting to allow for detailed review prior to the next meeting.
Step 3: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
The Second Action Team Meeting
Action teams must work in compressed time frames to be most effective. Within a short period following the initial action team meeting and the completion of the assigned research, the team should reconvene, in an environment where they cannot be interrupted by any normal day-to-day issues. These should be either delegated or temporarily reassigned during the action team meeting to allow complete focus on the task at hand. The action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Restatement of the business problem
- Review of the direction from the CEO including the time frame for resolution
- Crisp prese
Do you have a recent college graduate who is unemployed, or if they are employed, dislikes and maybe even hates their first job? Well, don't feel bad, because by all estimates, at least half of all recent graduates are either unemployed or underemployed (working a job that doesn't use either their education or their ambition). It's difficult deciding who should feel worse, our kids or us.The children of baby boomers (our kids) are going to college in record numbers. There are more applicants to American universities today than at any time in our country's history. There are also record numbers of foreign students flocking to American universities taking up a limited number of seats. Our college track and soccer teams have very talented South Americans, our swim teams include world class Australians and the University of Colorado's entire ski team is European. As a result of this growing imbalance of supply and demand, the price for each college seat continues to rise.When you and I went to college, the monthly cost was equal to a car payment. To
Step 2: ASSEMBLE AN EMPOWERED TEAM TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM
Initial Meeting
The action team must have an initial meeting for several purposes. First it should serve to communicate the problem to all participants. Secondly it should serve as an occasion for all the action team members to get to know one another. Thirdly, the timeline, expectations, and roles must be clearly outlined at the initial meeting. Finally, specific fact-finding assignments must be made during the initial meeting along with time frames for reporting out information from the fact-finding. More information is better. While business instincts are important, facts serve to take emotion out of the exercise. Whether individual or small teams, clear assignments must be made with the expectation of how the information should be summarized or presented to the action team and when. Ideally, they should be in the form of a presentation with back-up details in advance of the next action team meeting to allow for detailed review prior to the next meeting.
Step 3: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
The Second Action Team Meeting
Action teams must work in compressed time frames to be most effective. Within a short period following the initial action team meeting and the completion of the assigned research, the team should reconvene, in an environment where they cannot be interrupted by any normal day-to-day issues. These should be either delegated or temporarily reassigned during the action team meeting to allow complete focus on the task at hand. The action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Restatement of the business problem
- Review of the direction from the CEO including the time frame for resolution
- Crisp prese
A seal is a small press into which a document is placed to be embossed. The imprint made by the seal shows the name, date, and state incorporated. Seals used to be mandatory in all states, but are now optional in some. However, most corporations choose to maintain the use of a seal, especially in legal documents, as a sign of authority and as a matter of formality.Corporate seals are essential when opening corporate or LLC bank accounts, distributing stock or membership certificates or in any other corporate business activities. Active filings in LLCs include a custom-made corporate seal as a part of its corporate kit.The corporate seal kits are stored inside a personalized pouch. Normally, corporate seals and company seals are 1 5/8 inches in diameter and are custom-made with the corporate name, state, and date or year of filing. The corporate seal sets are stamped with your company name, year and state of organization.Corporate seals range widely in format and price. A rubber stamp used with an ink pad might run for as little as $5, while a st
Step 3: DO YOUR HOMEWORK
The Second Action Team Meeting
Action teams must work in compressed time frames to be most effective. Within a short period following the initial action team meeting and the completion of the assigned research, the team should reconvene, in an environment where they cannot be interrupted by any normal day-to-day issues. These should be either delegated or temporarily reassigned during the action team meeting to allow complete focus on the task at hand. The action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Restatement of the business problem
- Review of the direction from the CEO including the time frame for resolution
- Crisp presentations by each of the individuals or teams on their research topic
- Boarding (Post Its or large flip charts) the causes of the issue, actions to address the problem, other effects of those actions and good ideas and issues but unrelated to the problem at hand should be posted on a “parking lot”
- Vote on the issues and actions to identify the top three of each
- Assign a team to present each of the issues and a team to present each of the actions
Step 4: CLARIFY THE TOP THREE ISSUES AND RELATED TOP THREE ACTIONS
The Third Action Team Meeting
The action team should reconvene to present the top three issues and related top three actions. This could be the next day or the next week. It should not be more than two weeks after the Second Action Team meeting. The third action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Review of the business problem and time frame for resolution
- A crisp presentation by each of the sub team of their top (one of three) issues and related action (one of three)
- At the end of each there should be a rigorous question and answer period. The points should be boarded on a flip chart
- When the discussion of all three issues and actions have been completed and documented, their should be a vote among all participants of the dominant issue and action
- The dominant issue and action should be documented to insure clarity among all participants
- Each participant should speak to their role in addressing the issue; this should not be constrained by resource, budget or organizational contention
- The agreed upon issue and action including first step organizational and functional roles should be documented and reviewed with the entire action team
- A target for presenting the action team issue, action and accountabilities to the CEO or senior business leader should then be scheduled
Step 5: ALIGN ON A SINGLE ISSUE, SINGLE ACTION, FUNCTIONAL OWNERS
Present, Close and Act
The agreed upon issue, action and owners with accountabilities and time frames must next be presented to the CEO or senior business leader. If the senior business leader agrees with the action team’s recommendations, the next step is to implement the action plan with specific objectives, owners and time frames (metrics). If the senior business leader does not agree with the action team’s recommendations, the action team must either go back and do additional research and follow the subsequent steps or if additional research is not needed then the team should go back to step 3.
Step 6: ACT, MEASURE, CORRECT, ACT, MEASURE, CORRECT
During the execution of the action plan, the individual functions and organizations must perform the roles, actions and within the time frames presented by the action team to and as approved by the CEO or the senior business leader. The action team does not own this, they must be owned by the functions and the organizations as part of day-to-day business. Otherwise it will be viewed as an action team issue and not a business issue. The time frames, metrics and readouts to the CEO or senior executive by the overall business owner are essential to resolve the business problem.
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