Your employees need a professional supervisor to watch over the shop floor, however this individual also needs to play an even greater function. Any supervisor you pick out is required to understand the necessity of health and safety education and have the ability to encourage others to share their excitement about it. As well as observing any relevant legislation, the supervisor must furthermore make certain that each employee works efficiently. This is a challenging job. Good industry knowledge is needed in a supervisory role in addition to a very high standard of comprehension of the latest regulations with regard to safety, risk assessment and CPR. It just is not adequate to offer your staff health and safety training. To effectively find a hazard they must get practise. Employees in addition must have insights into the steps necessary to remedy the situation and how best to react if anything goes wrong. Workers are only really prepared when everything has become routine.

Education is in fact ineffective without safety equipment. When they don’t have items they require, or even learn that equipment is damaged when they really need them, all the education there is to offer can not help them.

It is crucial to perform conscientious checks often to make sure that all the essential apparatus is there and that everything is in good repair. When you have a problem with your supplies, ensure it is fixed or serviced as a matter of urgency.

Health and safety education is important for the well being of your workforce, however they also require quality gear, the chance to practise, and an experienced supervisor who can get everyone excited about being healthy at work. When you put these ideas into practice you will find health and safety legislation will become established in the culture of your business and no longer an inconvenience for employees to remember constantly.

Of course, everyone knows that making the most out of your business necessitates knowing where your staff work best, and knowing how to tailor your procedures to match. Learning about and making this data ready for use is often where things can become challenging, however.

To take one part of this – namely employee performance – defining their progress and tracking it is a significant hassle. The first step is to bring employee appraisal systems into play. Once this is done you can track the work of each worker. If this was done with conventional approaches, you’ll have to analyze all of that data by hand in order to set goalposts, and keep track of future progress.

Employing performance management software you can be confident that this appraisal is done for you and you only need to study the different analyses to find what the right set of targets for this staff member would be. It also renders keeping track of the staff member’s progress much easier. With more useful information in less time, this can be a cost saving measure on its own. It is also possible, of course, just to use the system to keep track of raw information like performance reviews and to make your own analysis.

Needless to say, it isn’t merely the efficiency of employees that you can improve by advice from performance management software. Both clients and suppliers can be studied using the appropriate programs, granting access to even more performance appraisal tools. Knowing which suppliers carry the higher grade or lowest priced products can reduce costs greatly. When it comes to clients this kind of software can help there, too, showing you just who sells the most of your products, their loss percentage and similar fallout, and serving as a reminder of outstanding payments. You can then adapt your ordering and stock handling to maximize your profits while cutting expenses. This information will allow you to determine your best target audience. With this in mind advertising and other marketing is free to become more effective and quicker to plan. You can analyze your suppliers to minimize costs and stay aware of your market so that you can maximize profit employing performance management software. In addition it smoothes out the process of managing employee performance and helps set unambiguous targets for your staff dramatically. There may be no upper limit with performance management software backing you up.

Realizing all the problems that employees, managers, and job applicants face with the current system, one company has turned to technology for an easier way to complete Employment Verification

Once you have your part completed, the system goes into action. Previous employers listed on the form immediately receive the information to complete forms of Employment Verification to submit to your account. There is also an option to add any pertinent information about said employee they see fit. Once this is done, you will receive and email notifying you that your verification information is available at your account. You can then log in to your account and look at the findings of your request(s). It really is that simple and as long as response time is quick, it is also fast. This truly is the information age.

Using a system that does the “footwork” for you is the most effective, accurate, efficient and time saving solution you will ever find. Put down that telephone and start using a system that gets you the confidential information you need about a prospective employee or new hire. This system is a cost effective solution that saves you time in the Employment Verification process.

Build relationships: Begin by using the names of the staff. Speak to people; look people in the eye when you are speaking. Have a respectful attitude, and do pay attention to everything the other person has to say, even if you disagree or have another opinion. The development of the ability to listen is among the best things you can do to better your human resource management skills. Show an interest in what they can contribute to the team. Live up to promises: Keeping your promises is crucial. When you don’t deliver on what you promise, the delicate bond of trust is violated, and no-one will give you their best efforts if they don’t trust you. When you say something or give a promise, ensure you can deliver or it would be better not to give your word at all. The truth is, when your people can’t depend on you, your team won’t be available when they are most needed.

Feedback is important: It’s a two way street. Human Resource management skills mean being open to all feedback. If you are able to establish accessibility and receptiveness, you prove that other people’s ideas matter to you, your thoughts will be valued in return. Open discussion also promotes innovative ways of doing business, innovative methods of accomplishing goals, and strengthens the company in general. When your team members can express their opinion, each member of staff takes ownership of the project’s outcome.

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Communicating is the key: Dealing with people comes down to one concept – communication. Be accessible, listen intently to other people, retain an open mind, and allow each of your team members to express themselves. Employees should be encouraged to talk to one another as well as with you. The creative process depends to a great extent on the open exchange of opinions, and in listening to each other, it’s easy to root out problems early, allowing corrective measures to be put in place to prevent any further problems. Some time and effort is needed, nevertheless the rewards are worthwhile. Through establishing the bonds of a good team and developing effective listening techniques, you can easily achieve the best in business success.

Live up to promises: Do not give promises you can not keep. If you can’t deliver on what you have promised, the delicate bond of trust is violated, and people won’t give you their best if they do not trust you. Everytime you say something or give your word on something, you are wasting your time and effort if you don’t follow through. The truth is, when your people can’t count on your word, you can be certain they will behave in the same manner. Be open to feedback: It’s a two-way street. Talent management skills mean having an open mind to all feedback. If you can prove that you are accessible and receptive, you prove that other people’s thoughts count, your views will be respected in the same fashion. Promoting open conversation in addition encourages development of new ways of thinking, original ways of fulfilling the mission of the company, and strengthens the bonds of an excellent team. When team members have a voice, every employee takes ownership of the outcome.

Communication is essential: Good communication is fundamental to managing people with skill. Be accessible, listen closely to other people, retain an open mind, and allow all your team to express their views. Staff must be inspired to communicate with one another as well as with you. The creative process depends to a great extent on the open exchange of ideas, and when the team members communicate effectively, it is simple to identify any problems early, allowing corrective action to be put in place to prevent further problems.

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This may require time, yet the rewards are worthwhile. By establishing the bonds of a good team and by listening to your team’s opinions, a successful business will be achieved.

When we speak of leaders and leadership, we tend to think of celebrities or famous people but we all have the capacity to lead and therefore are leaders in our own right. Leadership is influence and every single day, whether positively or negatively we are influencing another human being. If you are coaching little league, if you are influencing 3 or 4 people on the job or even your clients you are a leader. This important work not just because that’s how you make a living but because you are influencing another person’s life. As a leader you bring purpose and value to people’s lives.

We are all leaders.

Because we all have the ability to influence another person, it means we are all leadership in our own right. If you want to grow your organization, you have to grow your capacity to lead. You do that by learning, By practicing and developing the traits that make good leader you can grow your capacity to lead and thus grow your team.

Here are some of the traits that make a good leader:

Leaders are dreamers.

They have great personal vision and by extension they have a great vision for the team.

They understand that People are not motivated by small dreams and so they paint a huge challenging view of the future for their followers. In this way it is not easy to achieve and it forces the team to come out of its comfort zone and inspires them to stretch beyond its limitation.

Communication

The art of communication is the language of leadership. The leader has to be able to communicate the vision with passion. Not just from the intellectual head side but also from the emotional heart side. It is a fact that once people get emotional about where they are going then they start to eliminate some of restrictions they have in their minds.

Good communication is the ability to listen intently and to ask questions in order to deepen understanding and strengthen understanding. It is also being courteous and appreciative not just to clients but to employees as well.

Participation

The traditional way of thinking is that leaders must always be aloof. There had to be a gap between them and the team and that he or she never do any of the little things that would help the team to achieve its goal. That was seen as a sign of weakness. On the contrary I believe that that denotes power, for only a strong, powerful person would even consider giving up power but in so doing empowered those around him and in essence made the team far more effective and far more likely to reach if not supercede its goals.

A leader who gives of himself selflessly and helps others to explore their full potential and reach the pinnacle of their own power creates an environment where everyone is enriched by the accumulation and the magnitude of talents. True power is the art of making other people powerful and one of the sure fire sign of a good leader is that he develops other leaders.

Integrity

Leaders need to have an internal guidance system, a moral compass, that I call integrity. The three qualities I just discussed can be taught but integrity is something that has to be ingrained in a persons make up over a lifetime of development. It is what separates a good leader from a great leader

Leaders of integrity hone organizations that are ethical in all they do which in turn attract good honest people who reflect the organization and in turn attract more clients. People want to be led by someone who maintains the highest ethical standards, not someone who is likely to cheat or deceive them or other. Unfortunately, we live in a world where lack of integrity is the name of the game proving to be quite costly to the team over the long haul. Simply reflect on the news coming out of the corporate world in recent years and you’ll see what I mean.

Although I defined leadership as influence note that to be a good leader is to be a person of good character. It is impossible to positively influence another person with flawed character. Developing the traits we discussed will ensure that your not only a good leader of others but of your self.

Copyright (C) 2005 Devon Harris
All rights reserved worldwide
www.devonharrislive.com

The contents of this E-zine may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author’s name, copyright notice, and contact information are included.

Proven Technique Number 1 – They delegate and assign simple routinary tasks to other people so that they can have more free time to do as they please.

This is very elementary but of great significance. If you have the money, hire people to do the housework, the repairing, and even some of your office jobs. Let others do the research. But of course, you have to reward them accordingly so they will get motivated to render their services again.

You can then focus on the more important things in life, like planning and managing your activities.

Proven Technique Number 2 – They plan seriously.

The less time you think you have, the more critical it is for you to plan. By planning carefully, you’ll be able to manage your time better and avoid costly mistakes that eat up much more of your time.

You might say that you’re so busy you don’t even have time to plan. Maybe you can insert some time planning while doing your other activities. The planning phase is very important in organizing your thoughts to carry out the desired effects.

You might say that this is boring stuff, but you should never underestimate this process. This is like a guideline to steer you into the right direction.

Your plan will be your road map. Spend enough time to ponder through the different approaches and activities, and you will soon realize that you can save a lot more time by doing this.

It will be best if you can choose a quiet place to make your plan.
Your mind can focus and think more clearly this way.

Every individual has his unique perception of a well-made plan. There are no specific rules in making it. But in case you’re in a tight situation, let me give you some tips.

1. Write down your objective. This is a precise definition of your target.

2. Brainstorm the strategies & tactics you will employ to accomplish your objective.

3. Assess the advantages & disadvantages of carrying out those strategies & choose those tactics where the pros outweigh the cons.

4. Set a timeline or deadline in completing your mission.

5. Make modifications & back-up plans in case Plan A doesn’t work.

6. As your plan evolves, you will gain experience. Learn from your mistakes.

Most important of all, don’t delay. Start applying what you have learned today, and have lots of great time!

Do you want to get rid of your dreadful “time-wasting” habits and start doing things in an organized, efficient manner? Take a few minutes and I’ll show you how to quickly and effectively get more done in a week than what most people can accomplish in a month! Just visit: www.time-management-tips-techniques.info

This crisis has arisen in part because of the end of the industrial age. With the coming of the information age that we are now living in, many of our institutions have been reinvented. Life is therefore uncertain for many people, which makes leadership much more risky.

With the coming of the information age the internet has connected the world together like never before. This new way of communication and doing business has brought change in a whirlwind fashion that has never been seen in history. Yet in the midst of all this change that has supposedly brought the world closer together, never have so many people felt so isolated from one another, disconnected from their roots, and unsure of their future.

This feeling of isolation for so many people has happened in large part because, as the world becomes more virtual, the skill of human relations is quickly becoming lost. Thus, never before has the skill of human relations been more valuable. In the near future, almost every person will have an e-mail address and every business will have a Web site. The only way you will be able to differentiate yourself and your business is by becoming exceptionally skilled at leading and persuading others.

In the industrial age of hierarchal organizations, big government, and traditional families the need for leadership was evident. We knew what the rules were and we needed the leaders to hold us to those rules. However, in the information age of internet based businesses, two career families, and the increasing irrelevance of government we no longer have a clear set of rules to follow. What’s more, the command and control leaders that try to hold people to seemingly arbitrary rules, are no longer successful.

What’s needed today are the type of leaders who can inspire and motivate others within this virtual world, while never loosing sight of the timeless leadership principles that never change.

An effective leader must be flexible and adaptable. A servant and not a slave to his or her partners. A distributor of power who is trustworthy, tough, and decisive.

The good news is, leadership is a skill that can be learned. While some leaders are born, everyone has the potential to become an effective leader. There is no one way to lead and there is no one personality type. Some leaders are quiet, and others are loud. Some are funny, and others are serious. And some leaders are tough, while others are gentle.

To become an effective leader you first have to ask yourself what personal characteristics you have that can be turned into qualities of leadership. Maybe you pride yourself on your persistence, on your finely honed logical mind, on your good imagination or creativity, or on your values. You have to work with what you have.

There are certain qualities that all true leaders have, and one of the most important is a vision of a better future. They try to make their vision, into the form of a dream, mission, or a goal. Leaders, because they rely heavily on other people are excellent at motivating other people. They never play off being a boss or being in an authoritative position, because they’re excited about the future and they want to share that vision. They don’t blame others for having a lack of vision, they blame themselves, not the people around them.

Leaders believe that each person is valuable, able, and responsible. Real leaders see leadership as a process for empowering people to see themselves is positive ways, as competent, productive, and important. They recognize the potential in others that mere mangers miss because the leaders are looking for it. They come into leadership roles knowing that empowerment is part of the political process that’s overlooked and under-used.

Leaders make good politics fashionable. Put all of your efforts into finding out what people see, and work to change that. If you do, you’ll have taken a giant step along the continuum toward positive politics. They view themselves favorably as valuable, contributing team members, not managers. The see a field of political equals, not subordinates to be dealt with.

Leaders expect to be role models, and they deliberately model the behaviors they want to adopt. What do others see? Do they see you behaving in ways you want them to copy? They know the Golden Rule is good business. Leaders treat people as they expect to be treated. They model the respect they expect in all personal and professional interactions with others.

Leaders recognize that each person has untapped skills that can be harnessed to achieve organizational goals, and at a profit. A leader must have the courage to look for hidden abilities, including those others managers have written off. Leaders do this by observing, monitoring, and most important, listening. They know they do not have to beat up on everyone to have it known that they are important. They greet people. They ask about families. They listen.

Leaders are aware that it’s not only what’s said but also how it’s presented that empowers people to be successful. Leaders are aware that each action has a consequence. They know that encouraging people to make work-related choices promotes independence. Independence results in job ownership and a sense of responsibility for productive quality.

Leaders consistently behave in positive and trusting ways. They never compromise their personal value systems, yet they recognize cultural diversity and respect differences among people. They empower people across the board. This means they don’t play favorites. Be fair, regardless of your personal feelings, and be seen and acknowledged as fair and even-handed.

Effective leaders do not start out their day with the question, “What do I want?” They start out by asking, “What needs to be done?” Then they ask, “What can and should I do to make a difference?”

They constantly ask, “What is the organization’s mission and what are it’s goals? What constitutes performance and results?” They tolerate diversity in people; they don’t look for clones of themselves. It rarely occurs to them to ask, “Do I like or dislike this person?” But they are intolerant when it comes to a person’s performance, standards, and values. And they are not afraid of strength in their associates. They relish in it.

In one way or another all effective leaders submit themselves to the “mirror test”: They make sure the person they see in the morning is the kind of person they want to be, respect, and believe in. This keeps them from doing things that are popular rather then right, and it keeps them from doing mean, petty, or sleazy things as well.

What leadership comes down to is that true leaders always behave like a leader, whether they make the right decisions or whether they make the wrong decisions because of their own mistakes. Leadership, ultimately, is less a matter of what you do than who you are. What you do may vary from day to day, but who you are should remain steadfast and unchanging.

It’s increasingly clear that drugs, gangs, illiteracy, poverty, crime, and the breakdown of the traditional family, put every aspect of society at risk. Leaders of the future realize, further, that government and social groups aren’t going to solve these problems. It’s not their fault; they need a broader network of helping hands. Everyone thus needs a sense of responsibility and stewardship for the community.

We also need to develop a similar sense of responsibility in young people. Begin by becoming a role model for your family. Are you serving the community in some way? Are you working to understand community problems to see how you can help solve them? Are you organizing service opportunities for the entire family?

Create a vision for a better society and help bring it to life!

Copyright© 2005 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of America’s largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

People are not asking ‘how can I balance two opposing areas of existence?’, but ‘how can I live a holistic life; where all aspects of life co-exist and compliment each other and do not oppose each other?’ Balancing things puts them in opposing positions – we reinforce a problem as oppose to deal with it. We need integration not balance.

If you are living a non-integrated life then perhaps you need to make some major changes. Some escape home by going to work and others escape work by going home. Some people feel like two different people. The person at work is not the person at home. If that’s the case, both your team and family are missing out. For some this is so extreme they keep the two parties at arms length. They feel that if the two meet there will be some kind of implosion of realities and life will end. Actually – it’s at that point that life begins.

I believe it is my reasonability as a leader and employer to care for my team. Yes, we have goals, vision, dreams and commitments – but they are meaningless if we destroy lives, demoralize people and deny children their parents input.

Leaders lead people not projects. If we do not care for our people they will not stay around.

Southwest Airlines (the most successful airline in the world!) has some ways they help people live integrated lives. How do they do this? Their office corridors are lined with photos of team members’ families, wedding photos – they even have an area devoted to pets. Their people don’t leave. They are committed to the business because the business is committed to them

I suggest that we need to focus on integrating all aspects of life and not attempt to balance them out. People will happily work overtime to meet a deadline when they know there is a commitment to them as a person coming back.

For more infomation go to the Generous Leadership website – http://generousleadership.com

Steve Holloway is the founding leader of a registered charity with a team of 40+. He is also a professional speaker & author – for more information see generousleadership.com.

You’ve built a great team.

You’ve put strong players in every spot.

You have clearly defined procedures for every part of the business.

You have incentive, safety recognition, and bonus programs.

But something doesn’t seem quite right.

Somehow, there seems to be a sense of unease. You can’t put your finger on it exactly, but you know it’s there. It’s what you wake up at 2 a.m. worrying about.

What are the symptoms?

Well, it’s not that precise. It’s the little things. Like, well, you spend too much time monitoring your workers – checking time sheets, correcting behavior problems, and dealing with attitude problems. People seem to be “doing their own thing” instead of being a part of a team.

Sound familiar?

It should, because getting optimal team performance is a common problem for business owners, from the largest corporation to the mom and pop business. Building a strong team provides the foundation for good performance, but that is only part of the process. As the manager, you need to encourage behaviors that create positive business results.

A powerful tool for encouraging these behaviors is the use of targeted positive reinforcement within a well defined performance management system. Much has been written about the use of positive reinforcement in recent years, but many managers and business owners still struggle with how to apply it appropriately. One reason many people do not get the results they hope for is a misunderstanding of how reinforcement strategies really work.

Much more than “pats on the back”, “atta-boys”, and “warm fuzzies”, the effective use of positive reinforcement strategies in a structured performance management system relies on knowledge of your business systems, understanding the effect of specific employee behaviors on business results, and precisely targeted behavioral reinforcements.

Creating a strong performance management system starts with understanding why people do what they do.

One model of explaining human behavior says that an individual’s behavior results from the consistent pairing of antecedents (situations or events just prior to our behaviors) and consequences (situations or events created by our behaviors).

For example, we enter a dark room and flip the light switch to “On”. We do this because we expect light to be the result. Darkness is the antecedent. Light is the consequence. If we enter a room and consistently get no light by flipping the switch, we resort to some other behavior (light a candle, carry a flashlight, etc).

While this sounds simple enough in the example, in practice, it is often more difficult when we apply it in the workplace.

The key is to identify the behaviors that produce the desired business results; then create consequences for employees that will reinforce those behaviors. Any consequence that encourages a behavior to repeat is a positive reinforcement.

But there is a subtlety that is very important. We can encourage behaviors, but we cannot enforce them. Many companies try to enforce appropriate behaviors rather than encourage them.

Enforcing requires a high degree of supervisory input and nets only minimal standard performance from employees, but encouraging requires minimal supervisory input once the system is in place, and it usually results in superior performance.

One way to achieve a consistent pairing of results (consequences) and behaviors is accomplished through a targeted improvement process much like the processes advocated by ISO, QS, and TQM management systems. The steps in this process are:

- Identify the behaviors that create the desired results

- Measure the results of the behaviors

- Provide feedback to employees

- Positively reinforce the effective behaviors

- Evaluate the choice of behaviors and measurements – iterate to improve selection

As business people, we should all know that human behavior drives business results. Our daily behaviors create the results that either help or hurt our businesses. Learning to encourage behaviors that grow the business can make the difference between success and failure.

Copyright 2005, Guy Harris

You may use this article for electronic distribution if you will include all contact information with live links back to the author. Notification of use is not required, but I would appreciate it. Please contact the author prior to use in printed media.

Guy Harris is the Chief Relationship Officer with Principle Driven Consulting. He helps entrepreneurs, business managers, and other organizational leaders build trust, reduce conflict, and improve team performance. Learn more at http://www.principledriven.com

Guy co-authored “The Behavior Bucks System TM” to help parents reduce stress and conflict with their children. Learn more about this book at http://www.behaviorbucks.com