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Other Added - It's Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 2)
Any day we can pick up the paper, listen to the radio or see someone on television and learn about people whose core values have brought their behaviors to local, state or national attention. From the corrupt officials in Corporate America to the equally corrupted politicians, citizens from school age children to adults can see the affect of poor leadership when positive values or ethics are not present.Values are the rudder for successfully navigating the challenges or rocks that we face as leaders when sailing through the various business seas. These non-negotiable rules of conduct keep us on course, our direction steady and focused even when the waves become turbulent and may appear to momentarily capsize our vessel.As people navigate the issues of making good choices and tough decisions, what is so interesting is that very few identify the lack of value or ethics as the real problem especially those in leadership roles. Excuses are made from "It was over 20 years ago" to "that depends upon how you define is." For if we acknowledge that val
So if the problem is so obvious; if our inability to collaborate is the result of a lack in personal and social skills, then why aren’t we addressing the problem at the source? Perhaps it is because of our insistence in applying quick intellectual fixes to our collaboration problems. One of my favorite quotes by Fyodor Dostoyevsky reads, "It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the he
Ok. So you’ve decided it’s time to make a career move!Maybe you just got laid off. Or management is driving you crazy. Maybe you need to make more money. Or you’re anxious to advance yourself.Whatever your reasons, it’s critically important that you go into the job marketplace with your eyes wide open. If you haven’t been there recently, things have changed--a lot!For example, the expectations of employers are different from what they were just a few years ago. Formerly, it was enough to have a good resume with a strong employment track record of accomplishments. You could tell an employer what you used to do and hope that he/she would make the connection and see you as a valuable addition to the organization.Those days are gone forever!Today, you have to be able to demonstrate that you understand the goals of the organization and show exactly where you would fit in and how you can make a contribution to bottom line.So, before you head into that marketplace you have to understand and practice the FOUR BEES.1. BE COMMITTED to
The Wrong Focus
It is fascinating that the first thing we do when identifying human resources needs is list the job skills for the position (cognitive and technical). But when given the choice between two equally qualified applicants we tend to choose based on their level of “personal maturity”. Traits like self-confidence and other characteristics (like guiding awareness of values, goal orientation, awareness of their strengths and weaknesses, evidence of self-development, decisiveness, etc.). We say that we choose the best fit for the team or the company culture.
What we really mean is that we found traits in that person that really appealed to us. Traits that sometimes aren’t clear or tangible. We just like them based on their personality and character. You just know that you want people like that in your department and your company. We choose our friends, softball teammates, and our mate similarly; perceiving a connection and an attitude that supports collaboration.
Incidentally, as we base our decisions to hire people solely on skill or technical competence, we also resort to the same thinking to correct unexpected behavior (diversity training, disciplinary action, and sometimes termination). Yet, fewer employees are fired for not knowing their job than for problems like: lack of trust and motivation, failure to adapt, lack of initiative in work performance, and apathy towards customers. The same can be said about thousands of failed marriages in the United States. The number of divorces filed under dissolution of marriage increases at an astonishing rate every year. And it isn’t because they lack marriage skills. The shortcomings are in their lack of personal skills; skills necessary for resolving problems.
So if the problem is so obvious; if our inability to collaborate is the result of a lack in personal and social skills, then why aren’t we addressing the problem at the source? Perhaps it is because of our insistence in applying quick intellectual fixes to our collaboration problems. One of my favorite quotes by Fyodor Dostoyevsky reads, "It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the hea
Understanding Branding for Professional Service ProvidersBranding. We’ve all heard the word. But what does it really mean for professional service providers. Whether you are a doctor, consultant, business coach or financial planner, YOU are the brand. Do you really understand how important YOUR brand is to your marketing strategy and business?What is a Brand?A brand it the way that current and potential customers feel about your service. What do you want your customers to think when they think about the services you provide to them? This is your brand. If your customers are not thinking and feeling what you want. Your brand is off the mark and its time to rethink your branding strategy.Why should you create a brand?Creating a good brand builds credibility with potential customers and keeps current clients coming back for more. The brand that you create helps guide the feeling and emotions that consumers feel when they come in contact with your brand . . . YOU. Your brand should communicate clearly who you are, what you do, whom you work with and
What we really mean is that we found traits in that person that really appealed to us. Traits that sometimes aren’t clear or tangible. We just like them based on their personality and character. You just know that you want people like that in your department and your company. We choose our friends, softball teammates, and our mate similarly; perceiving a connection and an attitude that supports collaboration.
Incidentally, as we base our decisions to hire people solely on skill or technical competence, we also resort to the same thinking to correct unexpected behavior (diversity training, disciplinary action, and sometimes termination). Yet, fewer employees are fired for not knowing their job than for problems like: lack of trust and motivation, failure to adapt, lack of initiative in work performance, and apathy towards customers. The same can be said about thousands of failed marriages in the United States. The number of divorces filed under dissolution of marriage increases at an astonishing rate every year. And it isn’t because they lack marriage skills. The shortcomings are in their lack of personal skills; skills necessary for resolving problems.
So if the problem is so obvious; if our inability to collaborate is the result of a lack in personal and social skills, then why aren’t we addressing the problem at the source? Perhaps it is because of our insistence in applying quick intellectual fixes to our collaboration problems. One of my favorite quotes by Fyodor Dostoyevsky reads, "It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the he
If you're really into medical billing you know the importance of doing a HCPCS update. You also know the headaches that doing these can give you. In this particular installment, we're going to look at some basic things about HCPCS, including, for the uninformed out there, what they are, how the updates are done and what problems you are likely to encounter when doing yours.The first thing that probably should be explained is what HCPCS stands for. HCPCS is an acronym for HCFA Common Procedure Coding System. So just what is this system? Well, it's a system where every procedure and piece of equipment that is sold in the world of medicine is given a specific code to identify it. Now you might be thinking, "Why is this so important?" Well, look at it this way. Imagine a medical biller needing to look up the pricing for a particular item and this item just happens to be one of 100 different items that start with the same alphabetic characters, such as the word motorized for wheelchairs. Without the procedure code, this biller would have to look through every single des
Incidentally, as we base our decisions to hire people solely on skill or technical competence, we also resort to the same thinking to correct unexpected behavior (diversity training, disciplinary action, and sometimes termination). Yet, fewer employees are fired for not knowing their job than for problems like: lack of trust and motivation, failure to adapt, lack of initiative in work performance, and apathy towards customers. The same can be said about thousands of failed marriages in the United States. The number of divorces filed under dissolution of marriage increases at an astonishing rate every year. And it isn’t because they lack marriage skills. The shortcomings are in their lack of personal skills; skills necessary for resolving problems.
So if the problem is so obvious; if our inability to collaborate is the result of a lack in personal and social skills, then why aren’t we addressing the problem at the source? Perhaps it is because of our insistence in applying quick intellectual fixes to our collaboration problems. One of my favorite quotes by Fyodor Dostoyevsky reads, "It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the he
Many a young man might consider a mobile detailing business and if they like to work on cars and are mechanically inclined perhaps a mobile oil change business too? This way they could detail customer’s cars every month, change the oil every three months and wash the cars each week. But does oil and water really mix all that well?Well sounds good enough doesn’t it? However, personally even if you are a “Car Guy” well, I do not recommend cleaning cars and oil changes out of the same unit and further would say if you are cleaning cars you need five to six units worth of customers to support one oil change unit of those same customer, due to frequency and time on each job.Oil and water do not always mix, so I am not advising that really. Might be better to find another company to market with and share customer lists and allow them to pitch it to their customers as a "bundling discount deal" and then give a price break for fast ramp up of customer base?What if the oil change business is an add-on with a much higher price? What about mark ups? Depends on market and
So if the problem is so obvious; if our inability to collaborate is the result of a lack in personal and social skills, then why aren’t we addressing the problem at the source? Perhaps it is because of our insistence in applying quick intellectual fixes to our collaboration problems. One of my favorite quotes by Fyodor Dostoyevsky reads, "It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the he
Answering emails has the same importance as answering telephone messages. Usually an email may more usefully be replied to with a phone call rather than another email (think about that)Emails need to be sorted into priorities;• “For your information” emails can be filed without answering.• “Requests for information and service” emails need to be addressed early, especially if from a customer (or manager).• General and personal communications can be responded to last.• Where someone has carried out a request which we made of them, then good manners requires that we respond with a short and simple thank you, just as if we were talking to them - as soon as we receive their email.As we noted in a previous article; if we are about to reply to an email in a manner that could start electronic warfare, then picking up the telephone and talking to them is a better option.However, if we are responding to the sender of a company wide email, rest assured that every member of the organisation does not want to have to read our reply, no
So if the problem is so obvious; if our inability to collaborate is the result of a lack in personal and social skills, then why aren’t we addressing the problem at the source? Perhaps it is because of our insistence in applying quick intellectual fixes to our collaboration problems. One of my favorite quotes by Fyodor Dostoyevsky reads, "It is not the brains that matter most, but that which guides them—the character, the heart, generous qualities, progressive ideas." I find myself talking with clients about things like generosity, courtesy, and respect, which I know our culture promotes, but seldom ever talks about in the workplace. I emphasize that customers won’t care about web design, slogans, or product features (and employees won’t care about your tactics and business initiatives) until they are clear about your values and until they trust your character.
Teaching People to “Fake It”
We have been teaching employees for the last 20 years to fake their way through collaborating with others. We have forced them into an irrational pattern of isolating who they truly are and behaving by the law of the “corporate land”. But the idea of separating personal values from corporate behavior is hypocritical at best; irrational for sure. We do it most often by teaching “teamwork” but not the character that drives sincere collaboration; by asking employees to embrace innovation, but quenching the emotional qualities behind “being” innovative. We tell employees to “care” for customers, but do not teach them empathy. Our marketing and advertisement tells people that our company is “world-class”, while employees walk out the back door to work for the competition. We talk big, but the heart of your customer service and retention strategies is missing the same component that has been missing from the heart of your employee development strategies for a long time: heart-felt service.
Tactics, technical skills, and expertise are only a part of what will make your company succeed. Interpersonal ineptitude is killing companies (even with the best products and services in the market). It is degrading performance, it is corroding motivation and commitment, building hostility and apathy, and subsequently it is preventing us from growing as human beings.
We have created a culture where people act with the same disregard for each other as they do on the road. It is
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