Training courses! The most recent had been termed “Management for Senior Officers” and had been a minor disaster – all psychology and how to be nice to junior officers. How to involve them, how to motivate them, how to relate to them. Rebus had returned to his station and tried it for one day, a day of involving, of motivating, of relating. At the end of the day, a Detective Constable had slapped a hand on Rebus’ back, smiling.

“Bloody hard work today, John. But I’ve enjoyed it.”

“Take your hand off my f….ng back.” Rebus had snarled. “And don’t call me John.”

The DC’s mouth fell open. “But you said … “ he began, but didn’t bother finishing. The brief holiday was over. Rebus had tried being a manager. Tried it and loathed it.

If you are like Ian Rankin’s Inspector John Rebus (“Tooth and Nail”, by Ian Rankin, St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 1996, New York) who finds learning to be a manager difficult and in fact loathes being a manager, or you love being a manager, or you merely languish in being a manager, but in any of these cases still find learning how to manage difficult, then there’s some good news! Our difficulty with learning how to be a manager is probably not to do with “management” per se, but the way the learning is presented to us and the different ways in which we all like to learn. (Mind you, managing - being responsible for the performance of others - is probably the second most challenging task one can undertake, if you’ll agree with me that “parenting” is probably the most challenging.)

If you’d like to make learning to be a manager a little easier, then read on.

Each of us learns in a different way and at a different pace, but researchers have found that in general terms, we have a preference for learning through seeing, learning through listening, or learning through moving, doing and touching. To make it easy for us, Peter Honey and Alan Mumford have identified four main learning style preferences –

• Activists, who like to be involved in new experiences. They are open minded and enthusiastic about new ideas but get bored with implementation. They enjoy doing things and tend to act first and consider the implications afterwards. They like working with others but tend to hog the limelight.

• Reflectors, who like to stand back and look at a situation from different perspectives. They like to collect data and think about it carefully before coming to any conclusions. They enjoy observing others and will listen to others’ views before offering their own.

• Theorists, who adapt and integrate observations into complex and logically sound theories. They think problems through in a step by step way. They tend to be perfectionists who like to fit things into a rational scheme. They tend to be detached and analytical rather than subjective or emotive in their thinking.

• Pragmatists, who are keen to try things out. They want concepts that can be applied to their job. They tend to be impatient with lengthy discussions and are practical and down to earth.

Which is your preferred style of learning? Read the descriptions over again, then make a mental note of the description that best suits the way you prefer to learn. You may find, that there are two styles that you can relate to – that’s ok, you can take a bit of both (in my own case for instance, I prefer the pragmatic approach, but at times I also need to reflect to learn best).

Following are some tips on how to learn best about being a manager, depending on your style.

Activists:

• Talk with your colleagues about how they have managed difficult situations – invite them to lunch for a discussion!

• Get involved in project teams – particularly at the start of the project. Volunteer for the brainstorming or idea generation segments, but not for implementation issues or activities. It’s a good idea to take on the Chair’s role so that you can direct others!

• Visit other organisations to see how they do things (short visits only)

• Take part in business games • If someone gives you a management book to read or suggests you read a particular book, get someone else to précis it for you and tell you about the “good parts”. If it includes activities, go straight to these.

• Avoid conferences or training courses where you know there will be a lot of theory presentations. If you have to attend, make sure you ask a lot of questions to keep yourself from being bored. Try taking a lot of notes or drawing pictures during the “boring” presentation parts and think about how the issues being raised could be used back at work.

Reflectors:

• Take the time to watch people as they work – particularly in groups and how they respond to one another.

• When you have just been through a difficult experience, take some time off (an hour or two) to think about it. Write down what went right, what went wrong and what you would do differently next time.

• Keep a log of the management activities you undertake over a one week period. Classify these activities under “Leading” (setting the direction, giving the big picture to your people) “Managing” (setting performance objectives for people, following up on performance issues, and implementing development initiatives for your team) and “Operating” (doing the administrative tasks such as budgeting, reporting). At the end of the week, spend a couple of hours reviewing your log and decide where you need to change your emphasis to improve your management.

• At least once a year, take a day or so off work and spend your time reflecting on what has gone and what you need to do over the coming 12 months to improve. Try to split your reflection time between 20% reflecting on the past and 80% focusing on what you are going to do in the coming 12 months.

Theorists:

• Undertake training courses and activities that are highly structured. You will need to make sure that the training is based on sound logic and reasoning and contains interesting concepts.

• Because you are less likely to attend courses of an “emotive” or “feeling” nature, go out of your way to do so, keeping in mind the above point so that it won’t be too painful for you!

• Seek out colleagues who have a similar learning style to yours. Arrange to meet with them regularly. Make sure that the meetings are well structured, have clear aims and are based around a particular management challenge, concept or theory. If there is an article or book on the topic, ensure that both of you have read it first.

• Look for management development articles (The Harvard Business Review is an excellent source). Send a copy of an article to colleagues who think similarly to yourself – ask them to read it and attach three or four questions that you think are relevant to your workplace. Ask for their feedback. If you really want to get into a management topic in depth, the publication “Organizational Dynamics” is very good.

• Seek out interesting projects where the issues are complex.

• Set yourself up as an “expert” in a particular field of your work and encourage others to ask for your advice. Be careful to see how the issue they raise relates to how you might also improve your own management style.

Pragmatists:

• Find another manager whom you respect and who is recognised as a good manager. Take a particular management challenge or issue to him/her and ask them how they would handle it.

• Look for training courses that have a particular relevance to your industry and job. Make sure they include plenty of feedback (such as 360 degree profiles, role plays and active coaching from the trainer).

• Look for “management techniques” – e.g. principles, concepts, techniques that will save you time.

• Look for management models. Ask some of your colleagues (such as the Theorists) to show you how the “best management concepts they know” work in practise.

• Avoid theory type training sessions, meetings and books. If you buy a management book, make sure it has very short chapters (one page is ideal!) with lots of “How to”. You will probably enjoy books such as The One Minute Manager.

• Look for training videos that show you “How to”, but do not dwell on theory.

• Get a trusted colleague to sit in on some of your management meetings and give you some feedback on their effectiveness. Make sure to ask him/her how they would run them if they were you.

Does management training have to be painful? My own belief is that the old saying of “no pain, no gain” should not apply to learning about how to be a better manager. Management training should be interesting, fun and exciting and it can only be that way for you if it is designed to suit your particular learning style.

I hope that some of the above tips on learning about management have been useful – mix and match to suit your own preferred style of learning. I would hate to think that we might all end up like John Rebus, loathing being a manager simply because we do not have the right opportunities to learn!

I’m always interested to hear your stories about managing, so if you have any, please drop me a line viahttp://www.nationallearning.com.au or if you would like some more information about any of the above or perhaps some free tips or advice, you can contact me or get these athttp://www.nationallearininginstitute.com

Good luck with learning to be a manager.

Copyright © 2006 The National Learning Institute

Bob Selden was once a manager. Since then he has worked hard to try and help others to improve their management skills. As Managing Director of the National Learning Institute, he now spends a lot of time designing and helping to design management development processes for organisations and consultants. If you are a manager, Bob would love to hear from you – he gives his advice freely to any manager who is prepared to ask the difficult questions. You can contact Bob via http://www.nationallearning.com.au/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Selden

Only a few years ago my approach to business was very much along the lines of risk avoidance. I didn't want to take risk, not at all.
In the last few years I have spent more time than ever with risk takers. Talking and meeting with these people has been, and continues to be, extremely stimulating.

Through conversations I realised that, despite my previous perceptions, there was an ounce of entrepreneurship within me. In fact, not an ounce but a seed and like all seeds it needed nurturing to grow. I have been focussing on this ever since and channelling my energy and time toward this.
One key skill that I realised I have is that of risk management. Through avoiding risk for so long I have a great eye for identifying risks in the first place. What is different now is that I want to take risks.
Risk is stimulating and challenging. It breeds uncertainty which takes us back to challenges again. I see more and more that;
[a] taking risk is an absolute necessity in today's world. There are far too many people out there competing with you. They are not just in your geographic location, they are global.
taking risk can certainly reap rewards in much the same way that gambling can. Few people though want to gamble.
[c] the role of the Risk Manager will be key to all organisations from start-up to global. It's not the traditional risk manager role though. This is about the literal translation - managing risk. To be explicit, it means that you need to take risks and mitigate them where possible and monitor them closely where not.


For me there are few better environments to work in other than this. Let's take risks, let's move fast, let's get up quickly when we fall and not slip on the same banana skin for a second time.

We will all need to take risks in the future as we become more and more globalised. We'll work with people we haven't met before, in countries we've not been to. What I like immensely about this forthcoming change is how traditional project management and programme management - which I have been involved in for years - is going to change dramatically.
Management style will need to be far more innovative and creative as a direct result of your options for resourcing a project and delivering it become limitless. True project managers will need to have the fundamental skill of team building (search and selection if you prefer) and collaboration. Online communities will prevail, communities of practice, project level communities, client level communities etc etc.

I'm looking forward to working with Entrepreneurs and managing teams in this new environment greatly, not all will feel the same way.

Who am I? Why choose to work with me?

My background and experience is mainly project management within diverse environments such as large corporate financial institutions, medium-sized technology consultancies and smaller start-ups. Having held positions including Operations Director (COO) and Head of Process Management, I recently decided that the time is right to take a calculated risk and leave corporate life for good…the entrepreneurial side of my character is prevailing.

My focus is on becoming an “Un-natural Entrepreneur”. I want to work with people and companies that have vision. I can offer key values and skills to help bring your ideas to fruition. If you are a “starter”, then I am your “finisher”. My approach to a challenge is to clarify, understand, problem-solve, develop and deliver.

To take an idea or concept through from its inception to its execution requires a consultative approach - a partnership. I am a rational and pragmatic thinker and can work within an existing management structure, or create a new management team through my extensive network

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stuart_Oliver

ost businesses have lulls and peaks throughout their financial year. We have all been in the situation where some weeks we have too many staff for the workload in hand and other weeks where we could do with army of people to help out. One of the possible solutions is a system we introduced more than 6 years ago called ‘Annualised Hours’.

Since that time our electronics business in Bedford, UK employing about 80 staff has enjoyed many positive benefits.

The way it works is simple. Each person works a set number of hours on an annual basis. In most businesses this translates to a set number of hours per week or month. Where the annualised hours system differs is that it looks at the annualised figure as being the most important one and how that is achieved on a weekly or monthly basis is mutually agreed between employer and employee with the confines of legislation.

In our case rather than work at set week of say 37 hours the annualised hour systems balances the weekly or monthly hours to reflect actual work load. For example, in some weeks our staff will work 32 hours but be paid for 37 hours and in others they will work in excess of 40 hours but still receive the basic 37 hours rate.

In return for this increased flexibility the staff involved get an annualised hours payment which and also a share of the companies profits. The process being – work smarter – more profits – more profit share.

This ‘leveling’ effect has been a major contributor to our outstanding quality and delivery record. The system works because trained staff who would normally carry out certain activities are on the whole available to cope with any surges in work load rather than using people who are simply willing to work the overtime. In addition, because we are able to put in more hours as and when the business requires, delivery performance does not suffer but remains at its normal level.

Other more subtle benefits include staff being able to enjoy more time off during the summer

months (traditionally a quieter time of the year for our business),absence levels have dropped to one third of previous figures and financially it is easy to both project cash flow movements due to more predictable outgoings and it significantly simplifies the payroll activities.

Paul Wilson is a lean manufacturing/lean office trainer. Schooled in lean since 1991 he is now regularly involved in implementing permanent change within businesses to further increase their competitivness.

For futher information contact:

Paul Wilson
Axis Electronics Ltd
www.axis-electronics.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_D_Wilson

A previous article outlined the horrific costs associated with Inventory Shrinkage in the retail industry – approximately 4% of the total annual inventory costs. A good POS (Point of Sale) system can help cut this in half by helping to eliminate two of the major causes of Inventory Shrinkage – internal theft and “messed up paperwork”. The last article dealt with the “carrots” you can implement with a good Point of Sale system to reduce the internal theft component of Inventory Shrinkage. It covered things like improved communications, profit sharing, employee discounts, and the tracking and offering of sales commissions, SPIF’s, etc.

In this article, I’m going to show how a Point of Sale system can be used to reduce internal theft using the “stick” of increased security measures. A following article will discuss how to improve “messed up paperwork”.

A good Point of Sale system should balance between carrots and sticks, but sometimes the only way to reach some employees is through a “stick” of an effective security program and a straightforward policy of prosecuting any employee caught stealing. Here are some sticks that a good POS can give you.

• Each employee should have a username and password required to log on to the Point of Sale system. This promotes accountability, especially if they know that transactions can be immediately traced back to an individual

• Run frequent Administrator Reports – daily or at least once a week. By keeping a close eye on sales and inventory and by immediately following up on discrepancies, staff will soon learn that nothing gets by “ol’ Eagle-eye”

• Prevent unauthorized “markdowns” by setting security levels to reflect what the individual needs to do. Frontline salespeople don’t need to access the Accounting backend, and only those responsible for receiving inventory should be able to adjust stock levels. Your POS should have complete flexibility to customize security access and “clone” settings, so all Salespeople have similar security access

• There will always be situations where Salespeople may need to offer a discount to make a sale. Make sure your POS can handle predetermined sales discounts on a per item basis – with or without a “Manager’s Override” required

• Brazen theft of cash from the cash register is reduced when your POS can give real-time reconciliations simply and quickly, and with the complete itemized list of who did what transactions

• Refunds are often an area of “vulnerability” that is open to employee abuse. Your POS should be able to quickly access the original sale based on the item being returned. A complete sales history of both the customer and the inventory item, coupled with the salesperson involved, can also identify any suspicious activity

• Receiving and Shipping are also areas prone to potential “mishandling”. Your POS should automatically handle Purchase Orders, generate Receiving forms, and easily handle short-shipped and backordered items. All this information should be immediately and easily available for spot checks

Jim Hawkins works at Windward Software, developers of Point of Sale software, and is passionate about promoting "best practices" in business. For more information about how Windward Software can help your business improve its processes, visit us at http://wws5.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Hawkins

All of us solve problems in our daily and professional lives. Although we perceive some of them to be ‘big’ problems, most are not.

What if you had the following problem to solve: You are asked to “fix” an IT (information technology) problem in your $250 million company. It seems all of your order processing and product distribution systems are unable to cope with your business volume and you expect to triple your volume in the next two years. This will require you to completely redesign a new system, somehow transition out of the old one, train everyone nationwide on the new system as you implement it, and coordinate the entire process between seven different departments.

That is the good news. Here is the bad news; you have one year from the start date to design this custom, state-of-the-art system, write the code, test it, put together a training and transition program for 2,500 people nationwide, and have it fully implemented, ‘bug’ free!

Here is the worst news, you have no experience or knowledge of IT projects or the technology involved and you have to put together the team that is going to execute this program, starting NOW! The clock is ticking.

This is exactly where I found myself some years ago. I did have a track record of solving difficult problems for the company in a variety of departments. But, I had never undertaken this type or size of problem before. In fact, after getting my marching orders from the Chairman of the Board I thought I had committed professional suicide. So did my staff!

I had only two things I had secured from the Chairman: unlimited budget and the ability to transfer anyone I selected from any department to be on my team, with one week’s notice.

Looking back, I believe the “lack of knowledge” was actually a distinct advantage for me. I was not concerned with systems limitations but with user limitations. I believed, and still do, that the system should be designed around the users which would include customers.

So, the first three months were spent designing the system from a user’s/customer’s perspective entirely. Then, we began to incorporate the common and most desired functions from the various corporate departments. We tried to provide the users with the maximum amount of features and functions and then do the same for the corporation.

I had one rule: never place a corporate function/feature as a higher priority over the user function/feature. When push came to shove, and it did at times, the user always won.

Having put together a great team and kept their focus on the overall goals, we were able to have most of the system completed in 8 months. Concurrently, we were developing user manuals and training programs with the flexibility to change details as the system evolved. In addition, we were coordinating with all the departments, especially IT, to have a hardware and software implementation plan that everyone could live with.

In the last 4 months of the year, clock still ticking, we were able to fully implement the system and train all the users. To our occasional amazement, it actually worked as it was designed to.

You do not have to be an expert to be a leader. It is more critical to be able to select the best people, form a cohesive team, and provide clarity of vision and then communicate it!

I had a vision of the final product that I believed in; I selected only the best people from many departments to join my staff, I forged them into a cohesive working team, and then stayed true to our mission throughout the process. I never lost sight of our vision and never stopped repeating its tenets. Whenever there was a question of what to do I would ask “Does it serve the users best? Does it provide them the tools they need?”

That was it. If they could pass that simple test then we would do it. If not, it may get eliminated or put on a ‘wish list’ for future enhancements.

By the way, the system went on to handle the order and fulfillment processes as the company grew to over $1 billion in sales. If you build a solid foundation the building will continue to stand.

Stephen A. Burgess is founder and CEO of Corporate Toolbelt, a premier business strategy, business planning, leadership and advisory firm. He has served as a 'C' level executive, is a noted speaker, and has his MBA. He currently serves on several Boards of Directors. Steve is also a partner in the Power of 8 and the co-founder and Managing Partner of Speakers Alive!, a southern California speaker’s bureau.

He is the Co-Author of the #1 Best Selling book, Purpose, Passion, Abundance, On an Enlightened Path and Business Successes. He is also author of the forthcoming book, Legacies of Leadership, as well as numerous published articles. Steve’s advice is highly sought after by entrepreneurs, business owners and companies of all sizes. He works together with clients to uncover the power to maximize their growth and profits!

Discover more at http://www.thebusinessprophet.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Burgess

People often tell me about being angry at work. Well, anger at work is inevitable. If you work with others there will be times when you are angry at them—and if you work alone there will be times when you are angry at yourself!

Learning to deal appropriately with our anger is vital to our own health as well as the wellbeing of those unlucky enough to be around us at the wrong moment. But it's not easy. What do you do when that boor on the other side of the boardroom table keeps cutting you off mid-sentence? What about the subordinate who clearly didn't listen to your instructions and now you have to deal with their mistake? And how can you not be angry when your boss unfairly blames you for someone else's failure?

Some experts tell us we must learn to think things through and "respond rather than react". But how do you do that when you are so furious you'd like nothing better than to punch someone on the nose?

The trick is in being able to switch from your angry state into a state in which you are calm enough to defuse the situation. The best way I've found to do this is by using an "anchor". This is a form of communication with yourself—persuading yourself to change your state and thus your behaviour. Here's how that works.

In order to calm yourself down, you must remember to breathe normally and relax any tension you may be feeling, especially in your neck, shoulders or jaws. An anchor is an action you take that reminds you to consciously do so. The particular anchor you use is up to you. I like to squeeze my thumb and forefinger together, and others have told me they snap their fingers or simply imagine a "stop" sign. It doesn't matter what you use, as long as you can do it easily and without drawing attention to yourself.

Decide what your anchor will be. Then close your eyes and silently tell yourself that each time you do this you will relax your neck, shoulders and jaws, breathe easily, think clearly and respond calmly. Consciously use the anchor often at first, even when you're not angry, because your mind needs to get used to the anchor and the programmed response. But once it's embedded in your consciousness, it's an invaluable tool to help you "keep your head while all around are losing theirs"!

Helen Wilkie is a professional speaker, workshop leader and author of "The Hidden Profit Center". Visit her website at http://www.mhwcom.com for more articles. While you're there, subscribe to Helen's free e-zine, "Communi-keys" and get your free 40- page e-book, "23 Ideas You Can Use RIGHT NOW to Communicate and Succeed In Your Business Career!"

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Wilkie

Often we overload ourselves with extra work, waste large amounts of our time and build resentment against others, simply because we don't know how to say 'no'.

A friend complained about a stockbroker who keeps calling him regularly, even though he has no interest in investing. I asked if he has told the man he's not interested, and he says he has. But one day I was in his office when the broker called, and after much rolling of his eyes and hemming and hawing, my friend said, "It's just not the right time for me to invest right now," and after another moment or so the call ended. When I asked why he didn't just tell him he wasn't interested, he thought he had!

There are degrees of negative response, depending on how final the answer is. Here are some suggestions:

"Leave it with me and I'll get back to you tomorrow." Even if you are sure your answer will be no, this buys you time to think, and to craft the best way of saying so. But do call them back the next day.

"I can't lead the meeting this week, but I'd be happy to do the next one." Offering an alternative lets you say 'no' on a positive note. Again, don't say this if you've no intention of carrying through.

"A $100 contribution is too much, but I'd be pleased to donate $25." You've renegotiated the terms to which you'll agree.

"No." Sometimes it's a complete sentence. Even if you have to repeat it several times as the other person tries to persuade you, eventually your message will get through.

Learning to say 'no' effectively is a specific communication skill that can save your time, your energy and your peace of mind.

Helen Wilkie is a professional speaker, workshop leader and author of "The Hidden Profit Center". Visit her website at http://www.mhwcom.com for more articles. Subscribe to Helen's free e-zine, "Communi-keys" and get your free 40-page e-book, "23 Ideas You Can Use RIGHT NOW to Communicate and Succeed In Your Business Career!"

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Wilkie

A couple of weeks ago I heard a speaker detail several of the ways where men and women differ in business. In her book, Stop Whining and Start Winning: 8 surefire ways for women to succeed in business, Molly Dickinson Shepard lists lack of self-promotion as one of the critical reasons why men get promoted faster and more often.

Women tend to believe in fairness…that if they work hard, they will get promoted or recognized. They see self promotion as bragging and look unfavorably on it. Men on the other hand, are more comfortable with self promotion and speaking to their supervisors about their accomplishments and achievements. This practice of self promotion directly correlates to higher pay, more raises and better jobs.

There are many ways to call attention to your hard work and achievements without being perceived as a braggart. Below I have listed some ways that I have used over the years to gain credit for my hard work:

   1. Create a status report of some sort that is circulated to your supervisor(s) on a regular basis. This keeps your boss updated on what you are doing and what you have achieved at her or his convenience. It will be viewed as a great tool for her/him (since (s)he is ultimately responsible for your work), will highlight your accomplishments and you will appear well organized and on top of your game.
   2. Create anecdotal stories that illustrate your successes. For example, “last week while I was speaking at a national meeting in LA, I happened to meet a key prospect who would be a great contact for you as well”. This highlights your expertise as a speaker, creates an air of importance because you were working outside of your geographical area, and shows your understanding of your colleague’s or contact’s business as well.

   3. Be sure to be well prepared for reviews and other performance appraisal situations. Always go into these meetings with a list of accomplishments and responsibilities along with specific and quantifiable results where possible.
   4. Get excited. Call your boss and leave a voicemail when you get a new client, a hot lead (use this one with caution because it can highlight a weak closing rate), a new account or a huge order. Certainly most supervisors want to hear about your successes. Use this one sparingly with colleagues. Some can be very excited for you…others can less so.
   5. If you happen to find yourself in an elevator or other “informal” environment with a very senior person, at least take the opportunity to introduce yourself. Let them know who you work for and don’t hesitate to throw in a little self promotion. This particular scenario works well if you credit the whole team, including your boss if this is your boss’s (boss’s) boss.
   6. While crediting the team is important, don’t forget to throw yourself in there. Saying something like, “my team and I just closed a huge sale” is a wonderful way to illustrate that you led the team without taking all of the credit.
   7. When considering a new position, try taking a bit of a risk. Women tend to wait until they have 100% of the required skills to put their name in the ring for a promotion or apply for a new job. Men tend to assume that they will be able to handle the new challenges that come at them. Let the correct people know you are interested. Then, when specific experience is questioned in the interview, bring up scenarios where the same skill set was needed and understand that this will enable you to effectively handle the new responsibilities. A perfect example of this type of situation happened to my husband. A “recovering attorney”, he was anxious to get out of civil law which he found less than satisfying. He interviewed, at a job fair, for a pharmaceutical sales position. On the surface, he was lacking several of the key experience they sought…specifically sales experience and some type of healthcare background. When questioned, my husband brought up his 10+ years as an Assistant District Attorney where he “sold” hundreds of juries in cases that often involved complicated medical issues and testimony. He brought up his excellent presentation and communication skills. He got the job.
   8. Get testimonials. Whether they are from current clients, past clients or colleagues testimonials allow others to do your promotion for you. Ask clients who love your work to put it in writing and ask them to be as specific as possible about what results you help them to achieve. Don’t forget to include “internal” clients as well. Ask them to act as advocates for you. Be sure to reciprocate.

Be sure you are prepared to promote yourself. Start by determining what the key tactics are that will help you reach your goals. Do you need to meet more influential people, get more clients, speak in front of groups, develop more products? Then, start to actively seek out opportunities where you can accomplish these tactics. Finally, keep a record of these accomplishments as you achieve them and strategically get the word out by using the methods listed above or any other means that have worked for you in the past. By promoting yourself, you just may end up with a promotion!

For 18 years Karyn Pless built her career in marketing, working her way up the corporate ladder to Vice President of Marketing of Zany Brainy while also juggling two children and a husband. After turning to a personal coach herself to reduce the chaos in her life, Karyn decided to become trained and certified as a professional coach and started a company called Shine Personal Coaching in 2004 to help business leaders who are also mothers balance those competing roles.

In January of 2006, Shine Personal Coaching officially transitioned to Beyond Balance, Work Life Integration Strategies for Professionals in response to client requests for expanded offerings including corporate training, seminars and keynotes in addition to the executive coaching she was already providing.

For more information, please visit http://www.WorkLifeExpert.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karyn_Pless

ulture, a Major Obstacle To Business

Morale was high at the US based contracting company. They had just been invited to join a consortium of companies that had pre-qualified for a big public works tender in Central Asia. The offer came via e-mail. After concluding the initial round of correspondence with their counterparts, a two man team made up of one senior engineer and one business development exec were sent to Europe to meet up with their potential partners and sign the consortium agreement.

The trip started well, as they were well received by their hosts at the airport, guided to their hotel and were pleased to see that a well planned itinerary awaited them. Two mid- level managers took them out to dinner that night, and a jovial relationship was established.

The next day, still dazzled by the late night and effects of jet lag the US team met with the senior execs of the consortium and gave a strong power point presentation as to their capabilities, past business performance and key deliverables. Everyone was all smiles at lunch, and things were very cordial in the afternoon during the contract negotiations. The US team e-mailed back the tentative consortium agreement late afternoon and was treated to a special evening of entertainment and fine dining “Asian” style by the corporate execs.

Next morning, they received confirmation from the legal department at corporate that the agreement was acceptable and that they could go ahead and sign. The agreement was signed, pictures were taken and small gifts were exchanged. After having generated so much good will in such a good time, it was decided that the new consortium partners should visit the government office which was organizing the tender in order to introduce the US company.

Up to that time, the whole process had been text book perfect. The meeting with the government authorities went ahead as planned, but it was not possible to gauge the results of the meeting from the US company’s point of view. They had also received some conflicting news from the Government officials. The pre-qualification for tender had been cancelled, and the process would start over again.

Their new partners assured them that this was a normal occurrence for this part of the world. Other disturbing news started to trickle down as comments of the need to make facilitation payments arose. The US team automatically countered with their need to abide by the Corrupt Foreign Practices Act, but their hosts assured them that it would be they who would take care of things, not the American’s, but that the American’s should know that such a arrangement had to be entered into as they were a part of everyday life if you wanted to do business in this part of the world.

The trip was concluded with a lavish good bye dinner and further entertainment, “Asian” style. The team was in a jovial mood when they arrived back in the US and were congratulated by the CEO for their accomplishment.

Their Asian counterparts meanwhile prepared for the new pre-qualification process and asked for intensive documentation. A project team was established for the Central Asia project and earnest work began to supply their consortium partners with the necessary materials to win the pre-qualification bid. At the same time hints that certain facilitation expenses were being made to Government authorities were being relayed to the American company over the phone. But, never in writing. After a while, these vague remarks became very much clearer as their foreign partners started to talk numbers.

The US stance was the same. We cannot be involved, we don’t want to know about it.

Two months after the signing of the consortium agreement, the new pre-qualification bid was held, and their consortium failed to qualify.

Their Asian counterparts blamed them in part for not assisting them in paying up the facilitation fees, and claimed that they would have won had the size of the payment been larger! They vowed to have the pre-qualification tender cancelled and the process renewed. Which they actually managed to do! But by this time, the American company had lost faith in their partners, and having allocated resources freely against the promise of lucrative rewards, decided to withdraw from the project.

The Asian partners accused the American’s of being short sighted, inflexible, and shallow. The American’s accused the Asian’s with being untruthful, slow, and not results oriented. Both sides threatened each other with law suits and asked for damages. Lawyers wrote letters back and forth, but even they had problems communicating. The cost of litigation would have been too expensive, so both sides refrained from going to court, but wrote letters of complaint to their respective embassies.

The communication gap between the cultures played an important role in how this project went bad. Communicating across cultures can be extremely difficult. What is the beginning for one culture can be the end for another.

ATN Management Consulting offers “Cultural Leadership” coaching programs to bridge the gap between cultures and to facilitate effective communication with the aim of delivering results in the International arena.

Morale was high at the US based contracting company. They had just been invited to join a consortium of companies that had pre-qualified for a big public works tender in Central Asia. The offer came via e-mail. After concluding the initial round of correspondence with their counterparts, a two man team made up of one senior engineer and one business development exec were sent to Europe to meet up with their potential partners and sign the consortium agreement.

The trip started well, as they were well received by their hosts at the airport, guided to their hotel and were pleased to see that a well planned itinerary awaited them. Two mid- level managers took them out to dinner that night, and a jovial relationship was established.

The next day, still dazzled by the late night and effects of jet lag the US team met with the senior execs of the consortium and gave a strong power point presentation as to their capabilities, past business performance and key deliverables. Everyone was all smiles at lunch, and things were very cordial in the afternoon during the contract negotiations. The US team e-mailed back the tentative consortium agreement late afternoon and was treated to a special evening of entertainment and fine dining “Asian” style by the corporate execs.

Next morning, they received confirmation from the legal department at corporate that the agreement was acceptable and that they could go ahead and sign. The agreement was signed, pictures were taken and small gifts were exchanged. After having generated so much good will in such a good time, it was decided that the new consortium partners should visit the government office which was organizing the tender in order to introduce the US company.

Up to that time, the whole process had been text book perfect. The meeting with the government authorities went ahead as planned, but it was not possible to gauge the results of the meeting from the US company’s point of view. They had also received some conflicting news from the Government officials. The pre-qualification for tender had been cancelled, and the process would start over again.

Their new partners assured them that this was a normal occurrence for this part of the world. Other disturbing news started to trickle down as comments of the need to make facilitation payments arose. The US team automatically countered with their need to abide by the Corrupt Foreign Practices Act, but their hosts assured them that it would be they who would take care of things, not the American’s, but that the American’s should know that such a arrangement had to be entered into as they were a part of everyday life if you wanted to do business in this part of the world.

The trip was concluded with a lavish good bye dinner and further entertainment, “Asian” style. The team was in a jovial mood when they arrived back in the US and were congratulated by the CEO for their accomplishment.

Their Asian counterparts meanwhile prepared for the new pre-qualification process and asked for intensive documentation. A project team was established for the Central Asia project and earnest work began to supply their consortium partners with the necessary materials to win the pre-qualification bid. At the same time hints that certain facilitation expenses were being made to Government authorities were being relayed to the American company over the phone. But, never in writing. After a while, these vague remarks became very much clearer as their foreign partners started to talk numbers.

The US stance was the same. We cannot be involved, we don’t want to know about it.

Two months after the signing of the consortium agreement, the new pre-qualification bid was held, and their consortium failed to qualify.

Their Asian counterparts blamed them in part for not assisting them in paying up the facilitation fees, and claimed that they would have won had the size of the payment been larger! They vowed to have the pre-qualification tender cancelled and the process renewed. Which they actually managed to do! But by this time, the American company had lost faith in their partners, and having allocated resources freely against the promise of lucrative rewards, decided to withdraw from the project.

The Asian partners accused the American’s of being short sighted, inflexible, and shallow. The American’s accused the Asian’s with being untruthful, slow, and not results oriented. Both sides threatened each other with law suits and asked for damages. Lawyers wrote letters back and forth, but even they had problems communicating. The cost of litigation would have been too expensive, so both sides refrained from going to court, but wrote letters of complaint to their respective embassies.

The communication gap between the cultures played an important role in how this project went bad. Communicating across cultures can be extremely difficult. What is the beginning for one culture can be the end for another.

ATN Management Consulting offers “Cultural Leadership” coaching programs to bridge the gap between cultures and to facilitate effective communication with the aim of delivering results in the International arena.

Culture, a Major Obstacle To Business

Morale was high at the US based contracting company. They had just been invited to join a consortium of companies that had pre-qualified for a big public works tender in Central Asia. The offer came via e-mail. After concluding the initial round of correspondence with their counterparts, a two man team made up of one senior engineer and one business development exec were sent to Europe to meet up with their potential partners and sign the consortium agreement.

The trip started well, as they were well received by their hosts at the airport, guided to their hotel and were pleased to see that a well planned itinerary awaited them. Two mid- level managers took them out to dinner that night, and a jovial relationship was established.

The next day, still dazzled by the late night and effects of jet lag the US team met with the senior execs of the consortium and gave a strong power point presentation as to their capabilities, past business performance and key deliverables. Everyone was all smiles at lunch, and things were very cordial in the afternoon during the contract negotiations. The US team e-mailed back the tentative consortium agreement late afternoon and was treated to a special evening of entertainment and fine dining “Asian” style by the corporate execs.

Next morning, they received confirmation from the legal department at corporate that the agreement was acceptable and that they could go ahead and sign. The agreement was signed, pictures were taken and small gifts were exchanged. After having generated so much good will in such a good time, it was decided that the new consortium partners should visit the government office which was organizing the tender in order to introduce the US company.

Up to that time, the whole process had been text book perfect. The meeting with the government authorities went ahead as planned, but it was not possible to gauge the results of the meeting from the US company’s point of view. They had also received some conflicting news from the Government officials. The pre-qualification for tender had been cancelled, and the process would start over again.

Their new partners assured them that this was a normal occurrence for this part of the world. Other disturbing news started to trickle down as comments of the need to make facilitation payments arose. The US team automatically countered with their need to abide by the Corrupt Foreign Practices Act, but their hosts assured them that it would be they who would take care of things, not the American’s, but that the American’s should know that such a arrangement had to be entered into as they were a part of everyday life if you wanted to do business in this part of the world.

The trip was concluded with a lavish good bye dinner and further entertainment, “Asian” style. The team was in a jovial mood when they arrived back in the US and were congratulated by the CEO for their accomplishment.

Their Asian counterparts meanwhile prepared for the new pre-qualification process and asked for intensive documentation. A project team was established for the Central Asia project and earnest work began to supply their consortium partners with the necessary materials to win the pre-qualification bid. At the same time hints that certain facilitation expenses were being made to Government authorities were being relayed to the American company over the phone. But, never in writing. After a while, these vague remarks became very much clearer as their foreign partners started to talk numbers.

The US stance was the same. We cannot be involved, we don’t want to know about it.

Two months after the signing of the consortium agreement, the new pre-qualification bid was held, and their consortium failed to qualify.

Their Asian counterparts blamed them in part for not assisting them in paying up the facilitation fees, and claimed that they would have won had the size of the payment been larger! They vowed to have the pre-qualification tender cancelled and the process renewed. Which they actually managed to do! But by this time, the American company had lost faith in their partners, and having allocated resources freely against the promise of lucrative rewards, decided to withdraw from the project.

The Asian partners accused the American’s of being short sighted, inflexible, and shallow. The American’s accused the Asian’s with being untruthful, slow, and not results oriented. Both sides threatened each other with law suits and asked for damages. Lawyers wrote letters back and forth, but even they had problems communicating. The cost of litigation would have been too expensive, so both sides refrained from going to court, but wrote letters of complaint to their respective embassies.

The communication gap between the cultures played an important role in how this project went bad. Communicating across cultures can be extremely difficult. What is the beginning for one culture can be the end for another.

ATN Management Consulting offers “Cultural Leadership” coaching programs to bridge the gap between cultures and to facilitate effective communication with the aim of delivering results in the International arena.

Culture, a Major Obstacle To Business

Morale was high at the US based contracting company. They had just been invited to join a consortium of companies that had pre-qualified for a big public works tender in Central Asia. The offer came via e-mail. After concluding the initial round of correspondence with their counterparts, a two man team made up of one senior engineer and one business development exec were sent to Europe to meet up with their potential partners and sign the consortium agreement.

The trip started well, as they were well received by their hosts at the airport, guided to their hotel and were pleased to see that a well planned itinerary awaited them. Two mid- level managers took them out to dinner that night, and a jovial relationship was established.

The next day, still dazzled by the late night and effects of jet lag the US team met with the senior execs of the consortium and gave a strong power point presentation as to their capabilities, past business performance and key deliverables. Everyone was all smiles at lunch, and things were very cordial in the afternoon during the contract negotiations. The US team e-mailed back the tentative consortium agreement late afternoon and was treated to a special evening of entertainment and fine dining “Asian” style by the corporate execs.

Next morning, they received confirmation from the legal department at corporate that the agreement was acceptable and that they could go ahead and sign. The agreement was signed, pictures were taken and small gifts were exchanged. After having generated so much good will in such a good time, it was decided that the new consortium partners should visit the government office which was organizing the tender in order to introduce the US company.

Up to that time, the whole process had been text book perfect. The meeting with the government authorities went ahead as planned, but it was not possible to gauge the results of the meeting from the US company’s point of view. They had also received some conflicting news from the Government officials. The pre-qualification for tender had been cancelled, and the process would start over again.

Their new partners assured them that this was a normal occurrence for this part of the world. Other disturbing news started to trickle down as comments of the need to make facilitation payments arose. The US team automatically countered with their need to abide by the Corrupt Foreign Practices Act, but their hosts assured them that it would be they who would take care of things, not the American’s, but that the American’s should know that such a arrangement had to be entered into as they were a part of everyday life if you wanted to do business in this part of the world.

The trip was concluded with a lavish good bye dinner and further entertainment, “Asian” style. The team was in a jovial mood when they arrived back in the US and were congratulated by the CEO for their accomplishment.

Their Asian counterparts meanwhile prepared for the new pre-qualification process and asked for intensive documentation. A project team was established for the Central Asia project and earnest work began to supply their consortium partners with the necessary materials to win the pre-qualification bid. At the same time hints that certain facilitation expenses were being made to Government authorities were being relayed to the American company over the phone. But, never in writing. After a while, these vague remarks became very much clearer as their foreign partners started to talk numbers.

The US stance was the same. We cannot be involved, we don’t want to know about it.

Two months after the signing of the consortium agreement, the new pre-qualification bid was held, and their consortium failed to qualify.

Their Asian counterparts blamed them in part for not assisting them in paying up the facilitation fees, and claimed that they would have won had the size of the payment been larger! They vowed to have the pre-qualification tender cancelled and the process renewed. Which they actually managed to do! But by this time, the American company had lost faith in their partners, and having allocated resources freely against the promise of lucrative rewards, decided to withdraw from the project.

The Asian partners accused the American’s of being short sighted, inflexible, and shallow. The American’s accused the Asian’s with being untruthful, slow, and not results oriented. Both sides threatened each other with law suits and asked for damages. Lawyers wrote letters back and forth, but even they had problems communicating. The cost of litigation would have been too expensive, so both sides refrained from going to court, but wrote letters of complaint to their respective embassies.

The communication gap between the cultures played an important role in how this project went bad. Communicating across cultures can be extremely difficult. What is the beginning for one culture can be the end for another.

ATN Management Consulting offers “Cultural Leadership” coaching programs to bridge the gap between cultures and to facilitate effective communication with the aim of delivering results in the International arena.

http://www.atnconsulting.com [email protected] Tel: 201 - 915 - 9850 Fax: 201 - 915 - 9851

Jim Kayalar is a Certified Management Consultant with the Institute of Management Consultants - USA, with 20 years of business experience in a multitude of industries and countries. Jim is multi-lingual and has lived/worked in Europe, the Middle East and most of Asia. Jim Kayalar is the founder and managing director of ATN Management Consulting LLC, a general management consulting company with focus on strategy that provides business start-up, turnaround management, international business development, change management, organizational development and design, strategic business planning services. http://www.atnconsulting.com [email protected] Tel: 201-915-9850 Fax: 201-915-9851

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Kayalar

Every decision we make, in business, in life in general, is bounded by just two options.

Like an on-off switch, we make one or the other - there are no variances to this. Because it's as simple as Yes or No - and so often we get it wrong.

You see it's those times that we say 'Yes', when it would serve us much better to say 'No' and we often say 'No' when there are real benefits in saying 'Yes'.

So, let's take a look at those situations we get ourselves into.

    * Saying 'No' More

      It is quite natural to say 'Yes'. We do it every day in our lives and it is the least confrontational thing we can do.

      Agreeing to the wishes of others pampers to our inner need to be liked, to be loved.

      Man is a social animal. We like to be liked by our peers - and so we go along with them.

      In business this is no different. It is tough, for most of us, to say 'No'. So we agree - we comply. And with what consequences?

      Saying 'Yes', way too often, leads us to complications we could do without. In the worst cases we take on tasks that others ask us to do, without question, which grinds us down, makes us bitter and generates a 'blame' culture.

      We agree to things that others, maybe stronger, maybe just more thick-skinned, thrust at us.

      Passing accountability to us, who say 'Yes'. Way too often.

      One solution to this is simple. At least put off 'Yes' decisions some of the time.

      By positive procrastination, we can put ourselves off making the wrong 'Yes' decision in haste - so make it tomorrow by coming up with a few 'let me think about it' phrases.

      By training ourselves, on just a few occasions to start with, we build our strength to say 'No' a little more each day. People start to realise we aren't a pushover anymore.

      Another solution, is to agree only on our terms. To say 'Yes' with a proviso. That a new ad-hoc piece of work can only be done if something else is dropped. Or on our timescale.

      Pushing back on someone else's urgency helps them to realise that there needs to be a different way - and they gradually learn to treat you differently too. New 'boundaries' are set. And everyone wins.

      And now the opposite!

    * Accepting a 'Yes' is OK!

      There is a converse to the saying 'Yes' too often problem.

      Sometimes we don't say it enough. Maybe it's a British thing. Maybe our 'reserve' means that whatever happens, we can cope. We can manage. So that when people offer us help. Make a gesture, that we feel we 'shouldn't' accept it.

      So we don't. And the problems pile up.

      Listen up - accepting help, by saying 'Yes', everyone is a winner again. You win, because you accept help. You show that you are open to support and you model that it's OK - to the rest of your team.

      There is another win. If you offered help to someone and they accepted, how would you feel about it? You would feel a stronger bond to the person who accepted. It's nice to be wanted.

      Offering support and having it accepted is a magnificent feeling. By being the one who says 'Yes' you show others that it's OK too. And others ask as well, and accept.

      The team grows by development support generously given and gratefully accepted.

This repositioning of 'Yes' and 'No' works in business as well as at home. The simple examples shown here are snippets of what this change in your philosophy can create - there is much more opportunity here.

To say 'Yes' less and 'No' more. To say 'No' less and 'Yes' more. In the right places.

© 2005-6 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martin_Haworth

Mentoring can provide great benefits to any enterprise when implemented properly. The following article discusses aspects not often considered when introducing mentoring.

1. People like to mentor

People are flattered when asked to mentor someone. It is recognition they have an expertise, knowledge or skill that someone else has noticed and values. The mentor does not have to be particularly senior in an organisation and can act as a mentor to someone more senior

2. Mentoring can be scary

When the mentor is new to mentoring, they worry about their abilities and the mentee’s expectations. All mentors require training to prepare them for their role and to give a structure to the process.

3. Mentoring is rewarding

The mentor gains from being a mentor in that it raises their self-confidence and helps them realise how much they know. When explaining something to a mentee the mentor sometimes realises an assumption may not be correct, re-evaluates a procedure, and implements a needed change.

4. Mentoring can be bi-directional

The majority of mentoring programmes assume a single direction, that of a senior person mentoring someone more junior. In practice senior people gain from the detailed and more up to date knowledge of junior people on the implementation of strategy, customer feedback and the use of technology.

5. Mentoring can accelerate your career

When your organisation recognises you as a mentor, it is recognising your value to the organisation. As you mentor more people, your mentees spread the word about your abilities and knowledge and more people consult you for advice. All of this recognition will help to accelerate your career.

6. Mentoring needs a structure

It is important that mentoring does not become a talking shop used to boost the ego of the mentor. The mentee requires specific goals and set timeframes to assimilate knowledge. The mentor should record agreed actions, for both the mentor and mentee and review these at subsequent meeting. A certain element of mentoring can be open ended and on-going but this should be relatively small.

7. Mentoring provides a high return on investment

The cost of a mentoring programme is relatively small even taking into account opportunity costs and administration. Research is producing statistics demonstrating higher employee satisfaction, higher employee retention rates and higher quality performance

Michael Daly is a highly experienced international executive coach and mentor. Details can be seen at http://www.ecam.nu

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Daly

What if people . . .

* Called a meeting only when they had a specific goal supported by a detailed agenda?

* Checked with the key participants to help them prepare for the meeting?

* Involved all of the participants in the work during a meeting?

* Obtained results with a team process based on consensus?

* Took responsibility for implementing the decisions made in a meeting?

Could this help a business become more profitable?

What if people . . .

* Helped others express their ideas during a conversation?

* Created a safe environment that facilitated clear thinking and free expression?

* Treated each other with respect in their conversations?

* Listened carefully and completely to what the other person was saying?

* Let others be the star in their conversations?

Could this help work proceed more efficiently?

What if people . . .

* Understood the goal for a presentation before preparing for it?

* Spoke with key people in the audience to learn about what they hoped to gain from the presentation?

* Rehearsed what they planned to say with a clock (to make sure that they finished on time)?

* Spoke about the audience and their needs instead of about themselves?

* Delivered compelling presentations that informed and inspired others?

Could this help these leaders influence others?

What if people . . .

* Could recognize how others preferred to think, work, and communicate?

* Knew their own strengths and how to apply them for maximize benefit?

* Knew their weaknesses and how to manage them?

* Were able to work together in harmony?

* Could earn trust and respect from each other?

Could this help people get along with each other?

Steve Kaye helps leaders hold effective meetings. He is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator, author, and speaker. His meeting facilitation and leadership workshops create success for everyone. Call 714-528-1300 for details. Visit http://www.stevekaye.com for a free report.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Kaye

Planning a team building day of fun is a great way to revitalize your group’s energy and enthusiasm, as well as improve communication and problem solving skills. There are many ideas for fun ways to increase your team’s cohesiveness and establish better working relationships.

Team building activities span the breadth of the imagination, from cooking to sports, wilderness survival type adventures, music and dance, and a wide variety of other games and group exercises. For the best results, try to choose something in a subject area that is likely to be enjoyed by everyone in your group. However, if picking a common interest is too much of a challenge, most team building activities can be adapted to suit your needs, and are designed to provide lighthearted entertainment, rather than overly daunting challenges.

Find an activity that will require everyone’s participation and interaction, but without putting too much pressure on individual performance. The idea is to foster cooperative teamwork, not competition, and each person’s contribution needs to be recognized as a valuable part of the combined effort.

There are a number of reasons to consider bringing in an expert from outside your organization to lead these team building activities. It will put everyone on equal ground, and the consultant you choose should be experienced at putting people at ease, a necessity if the day is to be a success. They should also be able to help maintain a focus on the ultimate objective of the day, which is to both have fun and improve your ability to function as a team.

A fun day of team building can serve many purposes, including:
- an icebreaker for a new team, to quickly establish comfortable and effective work relationships
- a break from boredom and routine for a group that could use some new energy
- a non-threatening way to address interpersonal conflicts or other barriers to productivity
- a treat for a job well done
- a way to facilitate a smooth transition during a time of restructuring
- preparation for a big project that will require enhanced teamwork
- creating a more cohesive team out of talented people who just are not functioning effectively as a group

If any of the above applies to your team, don’t hesitate to investigate your options to kick start productivity and renew enthusiasm in your workplace. Team building is a worthy investment in your organization’s present and future, and can help overcome difficulties of the past. Many great services and products are available to help you and your group get back on track and has fun at the same time. Take the initiative to improve workplace morale and productivity, the results will speak for themselves.

Chillisauce specialise in unique team building events in the UK and Europe for the ultimate corporate event experience. For a more information and ideas on corporate event activities, please visit http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ali_Kidd

The number of fun team building activities you can utilize to improve productivity at work are limited only by the imagination. From more simple and traditional games and sport-related activities, to more elaborate adventures drawing inspiration from popular reality tv shows, there are many ways to have fun while learning to work together as a team.

Creative and critical thinking, trust-building, problem solving, conflict resolution, and more are involved in many of these activities that give you and your team a chance to get to know and appreciate one another better as people outside of your typical environment, and help strengthen and revitalize work relationships. Some popular ideas include scavenger hunts, music and rhythm exercises, and other physical activities or games that require people to interact, work together, and have fun. Even a team cooking activity can provide a valuable team building experience. Many approaches to team building incorporate humor as an essential component to helping people lighten up, relax, and explore their potential as a group working together.

Some of the essentials to building an effective team include:
- helping each individual feel like a valuable member of the team with a unique purpose to fulfill that contributes to a common goal.
- encouraging open, non-threatening communication
- overcoming any barriers to group cohesiveness
- providing safe ways to manage conflict
- facilitating group interaction

Whether you have a new group of people who need to quickly get to know one another in order to form effective working relationships; renew an atmosphere of enthusiasm in a work environment that has grown stale or unproductive; or tackle some difficult issues such as the need for restructuring, or work on interpersonal conflict, there are many fun and helpful activities that can help accomplish these goals.

Depending on the size of your organization, the seriousness of the issues you need to address, and your current leadership capabilities, you may want to bring in a professional consultant, or order products you can implement on your own. Try browsing some of the latest ideas in fun team building activities online to get inspired and start considering the best approach for your team. Although the right solution will depend on the particulars of your situation, most team building activities are designed to suit a wide variety of groups, and can generally be adjusted to accommodate your needs.

Enjoy getting your group together for some enjoyable time outside of the office, and bring new vitality and cohesiveness to your organization. This investment in your people will have innumerable rewards in improving job satisfaction, reducing employee turnover and the associated expenses, and creating a better work environment for everyone. Why not take advantage of some proven strategies to creating a more effective team, and have a little fun while you’re at it?

Chillisauce specialise in unique team building events in the UK and Europe for the ultimate corporate event experience. For a more information and ideas on team building activities, please visit http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ali_Kidd