Late Friday afternoon, while watching Bart Jaworsky, associate mining analyst for Raymond James, discuss his three top uranium stocks on Canada’s ROB TV, it again became evident that the very best publicity is reserved for those with quality management. Readers will recognize Jaworsky echoing the very same themes, which have run through our commentary since June 2004, in every feature from ISL mining to U.S. uranium assets, and from the recent Wyoming series to the widely “How to Choose a Uranium Stock.” Jaworsky picked Energy Metals (TSX: EMC), UR-Energy (TSX: URE) and Strathmore Minerals (TSX: STM; Other OTC: STHJF) as his top three choices.

What attracts the big time publicity is the name behind the company. Often it is not the Chief Executive. If one were to speak to Gene Ramos, Reuter’s energy reporter based in New York, the first question he will fire back at you is: “Who is this person?” Translation: What has he accomplished? Bart Jaworsky astutely focused on “quality of management.” That is a lesson investors should learn.

For example, this past week, Strathmore Minerals was fortunate to have a triple play in publicity. On Tuesday, Lawrence Roulston, who writes Resource Opportunities, recommended Strathmore on ROB TV. On Wednesday, Bill Murphy’s Midas Report recommended Strathmore. On Friday, Jaworsky featured Strathmore on ROB TV. Who’s doing their public relations? In reality, the media attraction stems from the quality of management. When Spencer Jakab of Dow Jones (and Barron’s) wants a good quote about uranium, he turns to David Miller, president of Strathmore. Miller was chief geologist for Cogema’s ISL operations in the United States. Again, who are you and what have you done?

In the case of Energy Metals, when it comes to ISL mining, the engineer in charge of developing their U.S. assets is Dennis Stover. His claim to fame was designing the Smith Ranch ISL facility now owned by Cameco’s Power Resources. A review search of the ISL literature will inevitably turn up Dennis Stover’s name. Stover has proven himself, built a respectable reputation and inevitably will attract media attention at some point.

Finding a Wyoming geological textbook that omits the name of William Boberg, chief executive of UR-Energy, is easier said than done. His papers and presentations through the late 1970s and 1980s helped define the extent of Wyoming uranium geology. With previous experience at Conoco and Kennecott, as a uranium geologist, Boberg’s endeavors to bring his company’s Lost Soldier property into full production will, at some point, attract strong media attention.

What brings the media to a company’s door is not the tout by a self-serving, self-absorbed and megalomaniac newsletter writer, but all of the attributes we featured in “How to Choose a Uranium Stock.” Quality management, great (and proven) properties, hidden value in the company, and loads of cash help simplify an investor’s decision. Jaworsky warned about Kazakhstan, an area we’ve avoided coverage on because of the political climate (ditto for Mongolia). Focusing on North America reduces risk when it comes to uranium exploration and development.

In every uranium deal, there is a single individual who knows what is going on, as Bill Sheriff of Energy Metals advised us. If you want to know what is really happening at Smith Ranch, you talk to Patrick Drummond, the plant supervisor. He’s been in mining his entire life, having started off in the coal mines of Scotland. The Power Resources operation draws praise from Wyoming’s State Representative David Edwards and State Senator Robert Peck. The people who live in nearby Douglas, Wyoming speak highly of Power Resources.

At Uranerz Energy (OTC BB: URNZ), it is Glen Catchpole, who previously ran a Wyoming ISL operation, and helped develop Cameco’s ISL assets in Kazakhstan. Forum Development (TSX: FDC) has Dr. Boen Tan, who helped discover two of the Key Lake deposits in Canada’s Athabasca Basin. ESO Uranium (TSX: ESO) has precious metals geologist Tony Harvey advising the company. Perhaps it will be ESO’s Mikwam gold project in northern Ontario that puts this company on the map. With Forsys Metals (TSX: FSY), one turns to Graham Greenway, who previously compiled a resource estimate of FSY’s Valencia uranium property in Namibia for Rossing Uranium Ltd. Max Resources (TSX: MXR) has Clancy Wendt, who previously drilled the Utah property, and expects to again find uranium in the same place he found it more than 25 years ago. Mr. Anti-PR, Norman Burmeister of Kilgore Minerals (TSX: KAU), fails to boast about his stint as chief geologist for Silver Standard (NASDAQ NM: SSRI) or his former Bull Run gold mine. Yes, it is mentioned on his website. But, Norm is the kind of guy who quietly lines up a drill rig for his Idaho gold property, fairly certain he’s going to hit something big this summer. Then again, he doesn’t issue a wave of news releases to pump up his stock. These are the kinds of people the media just love to interview. They all have the “hidden” story that makes the reporter’s feature work for his readers, viewers or listeners.

These companies personify the qualities we investigate before writing about them in this column. Mainly, it is the quality of management that sets apart the possible winners from the likely losers. Everything flows out from that key point. If management really does know in which direction the company should be going, they’ll find the right properties. Fund managers will be eager to finance them. Investors will be less fearful about speculating on the company’s prospects. Eventually, even the most reluctant newsletter writer will be compelled to feature the company, or at the very least acknowledge the company has a shot. As long as the commodity price continues running higher, it becomes a win-win situation for those participating. Most of all, at some point, the mainstream media will stumble across such companies, or someone will bring the company to their attention. And then, you get the kind of rallies we’ve seen in Strathmore Minerals and some others.

James Finch contributes to StockInterview.com and other publications. His features on uranium stocks and the sector have been widely quoted across the world. His archived articles can be found exclusively on StockInterview.com at http://www.stockinterview.com James Finch welcomes feedback from you and can be contacted at [email protected]

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Decades ago, a now renowned orchestra leader, just starting out as an assistant, experienced a defining moment that would shape his future. He was rehearsing the Cleveland Orchestra in a Chopin piano concerto. He recalls, "An oboe solo went over me like some kind of tidal wave. I thought, ‘Nothing could make that any more beautiful.' And it came straight from the oboist. It wasn't because I did something."

He had hit upon a powerful principle of conducting that would come to inform his style; and in reading about it, I realized it's also a powerful, though seldom realized, leadership principle to inform your career. It's a principle that if manifested daily will make you a dramatically more effective leader. And it's a principle that calls for the end of leadership as it has been commonly known.

The principle is: The best results come not from what you make happen but from what you LET happen.

It might seem like a simple, if not simplistic, concept. Why is it so important and why does it call for something as seemingly presumptuous as the end of leadership?

Let's first look at the word and concept of leadership. "Leadership" comes from an old Norse word meaning "To make go." The trouble is, people misunderstand who makes what go.

The orthodox view of leadership is that the leader makes things go by directing people and resources towards certain goals. But within the context of this principle, this view misses what great leadership is about.

Having consulted for several decades with leaders of all ranks and functions in top companies world wide, I've seen what great things can happen when the leader lets them happen.

In a recent interview, the conductor noted that conductors can control a performance only up to a certain point, and they go wrong if they want to control it further. He says: "You have to leave room for the possibility that geniuses in the orchestra will bring you things you can't teach them. In rehearsal, I try to leave it short of tacking it down, because if it is tacked down, you can hear that all the way through. You can hear the conductor say, ‘Do it this way.' And I don't want that. I want to feel they absorbed it, and they play it to you as if they were a large chamber group. And when they get near that, it seems like a success to me."

To take this principle into your daily activities as a leader, do these three things.

1. Change your assumptions. The conductor, inspired by the oboist, changed his fundamental assumptions on how to bring out the best in an orchestra. So you as a leader, to adhere to the principle, should change your assumptions on how you relate to people to get results. Your trust in their abilities trumps your abilities in almost all cases.

Abraham Lincoln described this truth in another way: "You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's independence and initiative."

I'm not talking about a simple change in mind set; to achieve great results by letting things happen, you should undergo a transformation of your consciousness so broad and deep that it animates your activities throughout your career. When you come to understand that your leadership is not just about compelling or persuading people to act in certain ways but helping them bring out the best in themselves, you'll make big advances in your effectiveness.

2. Be rigorous. Just as the conductor had to be working with highly skilled and disciplined musicians, you cannot apply this principle to unskilled, undisciplined people. Bringing out the best in people by letting things happen entails, on the part of everyone involved, hard work, clear communication, cultivation of job skills, and a dedication to practical processes.

For instance, for more than 20 years, I've been teaching leaders of all ranks and functions in top companies worldwide a practical process called the Leadership Talk. (My website shows more about it.) The Talk helps leaders not to order people to do things but have them want to do things. That ‘want to' is the pivot point of getting great results by letting things happen.

3. Be results-oriented. The conductor understood the performance wasn't for his ego or the musicians but for the audience. This is a patently obvious point, but many leaders, strangely enough, miss this point. Just like conductors who are into "tacking it down", these leaders focus on cementing their power at the expense of releasing the greater power inherent in the people they lead.

There is only one reason letting things happen can truly be a trumpet call for you to end your commitment to orthodox leadership: It gets results. In fact, if the imperative is not helping you get far more results than ever before, don't heed the call; stick with the old leadership methods.

Mind you, if you do answer the call, know that putting an end to orthodoxy may not happen all at once. The endeavor can be carried out many times daily for the rest of your career. You'll often fail. But keep trying. Fail forward, fail better.

Clearly, this approach is not for every leader, but when it's fruits become evident, it may turn out to be a skill most leaders will endeavor to master. And, by such mastery, you, like the conductor as a young assistant, will come to shape your future through truly beautiful moments that achieve more results.

2006 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: [email protected]

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and for more than 21 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: "49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results," at http://www.actionleadership.com For more about the Leadership Talk: http://www.theleadershiptalk.com

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What is your time tempo? Are you impatient when people who use the express lane have one item over the limit? Do you leave for a destination with just enough time to arrive? Then maybe your time tempo is faster than many people who are in your life. We live in a world with different time zones, but what we don’t realize is that the tempo of time is different around the world. Culture shapes the way we approach time and spend time. Our inner clocks dance to the tempo that we are raised with. According to a study done by Professor Robert Levine with the University of Fresno in California, Japan has one of the fastest pace of life, while Indonesia is more relaxed. This placed the United States and England in the middle of the beat.

Time crunches can increase our adrenaline and induce a sense of urgency that will either speed up your tempo or destroy your ability to find the beat or make the deadline. Some people work well under pressure, while others fold. The problem is that when people work at a high state of alert their body begins to use its reserve adrenaline and they run the risk of not having a supply when they really need it. If your life is demanding make time to relax and let the adrenaline rush subside. Tips to decrease the rush and restore your body to normalcy include eating balanced meals and getting solid sleep that leaves you relaxed and refreshed. When we get rest and eat well, along with exercise, our body is able to function better, thus we are more productive and more positive in our day.

We all know that the problem with time is that it is perishable. The short supply of hours in a day is irreplaceable. If we agree this is true then why do we waste it? Most people spend 80 to 90 percent of their time doing things, which produce little or no results, while 10 to20 percent of the items we should be doing would have a higher pay off. How much more successful could we be if we used our time more wisely and applied ourselves fully to the 10 or 20 percent of the items that have high pay off. This means delegation is the key to getting our time tempo to a beat that will let us live longer and be healthier. Are you spending time doing things that could be delegated out to someone else? When we try to do it all, we lose ourselves, wear out our bodies, and begin a downward spiral to burnout.

Managing through delegation is a time saving device provided we know how to delegate and what to delegate. Delegating is the art of giving meaningful tasks that need to be done and are important to people that are capable of doing them. Appropriating time at different levels is a challenge: supervisors spend 70 percent of their time doing and 30 percent delegating. Middle Management is on a 50:50 scale. Top management should spend 70 percent of their time managing through delegation and 30 percent on the tasks that are vital to the future of the company and will have high pay off for the success of the business. Chief Executives should work with the 10:90 rule or the 20-80 rule (depending on your source). As a person who is self-employed I have to weight the 10:90 rule and spend more of my time doing those things that provide a higher pay off in terms of business, while other items I do better to delegate these out.

Interesting Time Facts :

Managers should spend 70 percent of their time listening and only 30 percent of their time talking.

On average, a person speaks between 120 to 160 words per minute. (Unfortunately, what many people say isn’t being said for its importance, but because people like to hear themselves talk). Therefore, in the course of a day, the average person would speak enough to fill a fifty-page book. Over the course of a year, that same person would fill over 130 books, each containing over 400 pages. Since few people like to read books that are long, it is likely that few people are listening to what this person is saying.

Copyright September, 2003 C.L. Krosky, LCSW For reprint permission of this article or other articles please email your request with your company or target audience. Send request to: [email protected] Achieving Corporate Excellence, Inc. Providing Motivational Training, Keynote Speeches, and Personal Coaching. C. L. Krosky, CSP, LCSW - President Office: (772) 461-8313 USA Eastern Standard Time Web: http://www.acespeaks.com and http://www.achievingcorporateexcellence.com Email:[email protected] (Certified Speaking Professional CSP, and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW)

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We are just hearing from news the variant aspirations and developments of FDI in retail in Indian Domestic market, whether it is a Specialty Retailer, Hypermarket or Super Stores. Now it is matter of challenge to increase our success once they open. Indian retailers need to follow 4 – A`s i.e Acknowledge, Analyze, Alter and Act

Few Facts and real threat of largest Retail Company in the World:

• 4 out of 10 Women will shop at Wal-mart
• Wal-mart being the largest employer than the US Army
• One in three Procter & Gamble products is sold through Wal-mart
• One out of every five toy purchases happen in Wal-mart
• Wal-mart can demand maximum margins from its vendors

Normal perception of a regional retailer is, My customers are loyal to my store but this will not suffice in the longer run, in today’s scenario where the expectation levels of a consumer has gone beyond our imagination.

In such developments, we to acknowledge the real threat and analyze our Current Infrastructure, Merchandise Mix, Trained sales team and finally the marketing plan through which we would be generating business.

Retail Infrastructure, which needs more attention to attract consumers and increase footfalls in our stores, this will lead a customer to spend maximum number of hours in your stores delivering business.

Merchandise Planning:

A store will perform better amidst of competition, through its forecast of understanding its consumer with latest fashion and trends,the overall goal is to have higher-end merchandise that isn’t as readily available with any big Discounter

Training & Development:

It is high time to analyze the sales team, do they value customer? Do they have a positive attitude? Do they no the features and benefits of the merchandise we sell? Does our sales staff know the technique of up selling. The major focus on comprehensive retail training will bring in results interpreting better customer service, creating disparity among parity

Reviewing Marketing Plan:

Analyzing, examining the existing marketing efforts will show the way to improvise the current phase, especially store should create a consistent image in the market to have a defined customer segmentation. the plan should basically cover your existing consumer and consumers who don’t know your store. Finally it is a matter of differentiating your business and take on the big box.

Business Style:

Firstly differentiate whatever products you have against the big box, if they carry the same brand find another expensive brand, taking time to creatively build a compelling and selling display. Finally, if there is no way to change your product mix to different brands, consider discontinuing the items most likely to sold with the Discounter or a Big box.

Now you’re ready to take Action! Prioritize, Plan, Profit

Initially we need to look at the critical things for success, even if it is not easiest thing to do. Critical things are absolute must will really bring change in the business growth. They might include adding new lights to your store, hiring new employees, moving your layout plan, re-training your existing employees. Work your plan until you have accomplished much of your list.

If you go through this discomfort early, you could have different outcome when Wal-mart opens. Changes is much better when you initiate it. When you Acknowledge the threat ,Analyze the weakness, take action to change and Act on those items on daily basis, you will be leagues ahead of your frightened competitor.

Happy Selling!!

Thanks and Regards,

S.Rabi Jayakumar
Head - Retail Operations
Mobile: 09323738042
Phone: +91 22 39402936 / 39407123
E.mail : [email protected]
Play at www.giniandjony.com

A leading retail Expert with variant expertise in Retail management and Operations

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With each project we have a desired end point, a definition of success. We spend time, and energy, creating solutions and plans to solve a problem or get to a desired end point; however we may not go ahead with plans because they are not simply financially viable or just too expensive.

Cost Benefit Analysis is a simple and widely used technique for deciding whether to make a change or to go ahead with a project.

As the name suggests, simply add up the value of the benefits of a course of action, and subtract all the costs associated with it. This calculation may be dollar focussed or undertaken on a more qualitative variation.

Costs are either one-off, i.e. a single expense, or may be incurred over a period of time eg weekly monthly etc. or perhaps could be a combination of both.

The Benefits of a course of action are most often received over a period of time.

We build this effect of time into our analysis by calculating a pay-back period. This is the time it takes for the benefits of a project to repay, to the investor or business, the full cost of implementing the project.

In business, companies usually look for pay-back over a specified period of time - e.g. three years being quite normal. This payback period is usually calculated using complicated mathematical and financial formulae, using interest rates and CPI etc and is often described as a percentage return on investment per year.

Simplistically for our purposes let’s say it takes 3 years to pay back the cost of implementation of a project, at zero interest rate, and CPI is also zero. (What a stagnant world that would be) The percentage return per year is therefore 100 divided by 3years equalling 33.33%.

Some businesses have a project hurdle rate of 30%. That means they will not invest in the project unless it returns a better rate then 30%. I.e. The project must pay for itself in less than 3 years.

In its simple form, cost/benefit analysis is carried out using only financial costs and financial benefits.

For example, a simple cost/benefit analysis of a new shopping centre would measure the cost of building the centre, and subtract this from the economic benefit to the developer of increased rental income. It would not measure either the cost of any environmental damage or the benefit to local consumers of convenient and easier travel to the shops.

A more sophisticated approach to cost/benefit analysis is to try to put a financial value on these intangible costs and benefits. This can be highly subjective.

For example; Is an historic building is worth only its material cost if it is in disrepair? Is it worth the value of the land it is sitting on? Or is it worth millions due to the history located with the building, who lived there, what decisions were made, and who was born/died there?

Alternatively what is the $ value of putting fresh plants in an air-conditioned office?

These are questions that managers and business/political leaders have to answer, and be able to justify their answers to others.

The version of cost/benefit analysis we covered here is simple. As noted though, where large sums of money are involved, eg mining projects, oil refineries, and large property developments etc project evaluation is a specialisation on its own.

Liz Cassidy, founder of Third Sigma International is an author, Speaker, Trainer and Executive Coach and is passionate about facilitating results in the businesses, professional and personal lives of her clients. For more information http://www.thirdsigma.com.au

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All of us should be familiar with what’s happening with learning management systems (LMS). As organizations move away from a training mindset to a learning and performance culture, LMS will play a central role.

The organization’s LMS should be more than a training documentation system. In a recent article by LMS-guru Elliott Masie, Elliott listed the following expectations for a fully implement LMS:

* a “dashboard” for managers that highlights what their teams and individuals are learning

* an invitation-to-learn system that personalizes and targets individuals based on their current projects and performance goals

* a system to create and maintain a social learning network that enables knowledge sharing throughout the organization

* a system that makes learning recommendations based upon an individual’s preferred learning style

* a system that maximizes the learning power of podcasting, wikis, blogs, and other “extreme learning”

* a system that delivers learning to a wide range of devices, including PDAs and mobile devices, not only to desktops and laptops

* a system that promotes external learning affiliations

* a system that works closely with knowledge management systems

* a system that provides peer reviews of content (similar to the reviews of books provided by Amazon.com)

* a system that can deliver multi-language content, which enables employees to learn in their native language

* a system that will capture informal as well as formal learning

Learning management systems are part of the leading edge of performance improvement interventions. Learning and development departments are now expected to significantly reduce time to competency. LMS will help reduce that time.

In the future, learning will be delivered through an increasingly wider range of channels. M-learning (mobile learning), including laptops, MP3 players, mobile phones, will become a key element in today’s efforts to embed learning in the work process itself.

Take a look at some of the latest innovations from the three leaders in LMS at Learn.com, NetDimension.com, and GeoLearning.com.

Dr. Mike Beitler is the author of "Strategic Organizational Learning." To read 2 free chapters from the book online go to http://www.strategic-organizational-learning.com/

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The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw, Maxims for Revolutionists

It is probably the number two task of leadership -- asking. You ask people to do things, and when they do -- well, stuff happens.

But what really extends your ability to make big things happen is asking for things that are "unreasonable."

What is unreasonable? Asking people for things you have no right to expect from them, which under ordinary circumstances, you would expect them to say, "no." But asking anyway.

The trick is to expect them to say yes, and not worry about whether they do or they don’t.

Create a game in your business. The game is for everyone to continually be unreasonable in what they ask of each other. And not just internally -- externally as well. Include all your stakeholders in this game. (You choose whether or not to tell them about it the game.) Do you think this game could rocket your project forward?

If making requests is not a normal activity for most people in businesses, unreasonable requests are doubly abnormal. Most of us don’t want to risk rejection -- so we ask for small things, easy things, wimpy things, and make it easy for people to say yes.

Keeping your requests small is a good strategy if you are no-o-phobic, but it limits your results.

The action in your business is moved forward in direct proportion to the size of your requests, so to move things along quickly, you have to ask big.

Think of what changes would make your requests unreasonable. Whatever you were going to ask for, ask for more. Whenever you wanted it, ask for it sooner. Whatever you were willing to pay or trade, ask for it for less, or free. You get the idea.

Make your requests larger. Bigger. Faster. Cheaper. Outrageouser.

Make them unreasonable.

Paul Lemberg is the president of Quantum Growth Coaching, the world's only fully systemized business coaching program guaranteed to help entrepreneurs rapidly create More Profits and More Life™. To get your copy of our free special report with detailed steps on how to grow your business at least 40% faster, even when you aren’t sure what to do next, go to Paul's business coaching website.

Click here if you are interested in Quantum's Business Coaching Franchise opportunities.

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What ever happened to employee loyalty? You know the type: people who went to work for a company at a young age and then stayed there throughout their entire career. I am sorry to report that those days are long gone. The mantra has become to stay with a company for three years and then move on. In fact, today if you haven't changed jobs several times throughout your profession it’s considered a detriment to your career.

One of the biggest problems in corporate America today is what I call the Brain Drain. It is a simple as it sounds – these employees are tapped out. Their brains have been drained. It is amazingly apparent when you look at the number is women who are leaving corporate America to start their own businesses. Why do these talented women leave feeling disenfranchised? The answer is complicated and a result of the employer not understanding the real issues at hand.

Women in the working world have all been taught to work hard, be good at your job and you will get ahead. (Yes, my mother told me this too). The problem is that teaching methodology is simply not true. Hard work will be just that: hard work. Without a game plan in mind, it’s difficult to move ahead even with good results.

Companies have yet to realize their directives for women in corporate America. On one hand, companies say they want women at the top. On the other hand, they stymie their potential and their ability to move up the corporate ladder. So, what can companies do to rectify this dilemma? They can brand themselves by addressing the progress of the female employee --from the top down.

We all have heard diversity policies and EEOC mandates, but how does this materialize in the real working world. It doesn't. Executives at these companies need to walk the talk and not spout PC rhetoric. I’ve seen reams of paperwork purporting the facts, but when it comes to implementation that's a different story.

Take a look at the senior management team. How many women are on it? Any? What are the plans to improve the odds? Doesn't it strike you as strange that women make up more than 50% of the workforce yet only X % at senior levels? The diversity message simply isn't being practiced.

When an executive discharges PC rhetoric they are really saying, “I can prove that we have a plan.” What they are not saying is how or when they intend to implement it. The truth is that they haven't reached the heart of the real issues. The majority of women don't want a handout or a token position. They want their hard work and commitment to count for something besides a paycheck. Yes, money is important but it’s not the spirit of the real issues that companies don't understand.

Many personal issues are different for women than they are for men: maternity leave, flex time, telecommuting, and time off for elderly parent care or sick children. The company policy covers many of these issues. Exercising one of these perks is not supposed to be detrimental to one’s career. The reality of the message may be different. “Yes, you will have a job when you come back from maternity leave but don't count on that promotion.”

Over the years, I have been told by senior executives that women don't make it to the top because they need special treatment (listed above). The truth is that the brightest and most talented resources don't need special treatment. What they need is an accurate understanding of these issues and why they are relevant in modern society. Women do have more of these responsibilities than their male counterparts do, and it’s up to them to figure out how to make it work.

That doesn't mean "having it all." It means companies understanding of the importance of these issues to the working woman. The fact remains that women reap the benefits of hard work and a job well done. Executives need to understand what makes the working woman tick. (It’s not about the money.)

We spend the majority of our day working and it’s important to enjoy what we do and feel fulfilled about our work commitment. Family needs and issues are just a part of the equation. Until companies realize that women will continue to leave in corporate America in droves for opportunities that allow them to enjoy what they do and feel fulfilled.

Discover the easy way to make yourself stand out from others. How to become an expert in your field; How to write a better resume; How to write a personal press release; How to accomplish things no one else is doing and to get people to think about you in ways they have not thought before and much more including critical checklists for those important business meetings.

This indispensable workbook will show you specific ways to accomplish your personal branding goals and launch your career into the stratosphere. We have done all the work for you with guidelines, cheat sheets and easy-to-use templates to customize for your own use.

So don't put off building your brand any longer. Don't wait till your associates get your promotion or raise or even a better job.

Order Packaging Yourself now @ http://www.packaginguniversity.com/pkgustorefront.htm

If you find that the strategies and tactics in these materials don’t work for you or in your business, we don’t feel like we should keep your money. We want you to try them for 30 days with zero risk.

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What does FedEx, Pfizer, Wachovia, 3Com, Mellon Financial, Shurgard Storage, Sempra Energy and Proctor & Gamble have in common? What board committee exists for only 10% of publicly traded companies but generates 6.5% greater returns for those companies? What is the single largest budget item after salaries and manufacturing equipment?

Technology decisions will outlive the tenure of the management team making those decisions. While the current fast pace of technological change means that corporate technology decisions are frequent and far-reaching, the consequences of the decisions—both good and bad—will stay with the firm for a long time. Usually technology decisions are made unilaterally within the Information Technology (IT) group, over which senior management chose to have no input or oversight. For the Board of a business to perform its duty to exercise business judgment over key decisions, the Board must have a mechanism for reviewing and guiding technology decisions.

A recent example where this sort of oversight would have helped was the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) mania of the mid-1990’s. At the time, many companies were investing tens of millions of dollars (and sometimes hundreds of millions) on ERP systems from SAP and Oracle. Often these purchases were justified by executives in Finance, HR, or Operations strongly advocating their purchase as a way of keeping up with their competitors, who were also installing such systems. CIO’s and line executives often did not give enough thought to the problem of how to make a successful transition to these very complex systems. Alignment of corporate resources and management of organizational change brought by these new systems was overlooked, often resulting in a crisis. Many billions of dollars were spent on systems that either should not have been bought at all or were bought before the client companies were prepared.

Certainly, no successful medium or large business can be run today without computers and the software that makes them useful. Technology also represents one of the single largest capital and operating line item for business expenditures, outside of labor and manufacturing equipment. For both of these reasons, Board-level oversight of technology is appropriate at some level.

Can the Board of Directors continue to leave these fundamental decisions solely to the current management team? Most large technology decisions are inherently risky (studies have shown less than half deliver on promises), while poor decisions take years to be repaired or replaced. Over half of the technology investments are not returning anticipated gains in business performance; Boards are consequently becoming involved in technology decisions. It is surprising that only ten percent of the publicly traded corporations have IT Audit Committees as part of their boards. However, those companies enjoy a clear competitive advantage in the form of a compounded annual return 6.5% greater than their competitors.

Tectonic shifts are under way in how technology is being supplied, which the Board needs to understand. IT industry consolidation seriously decreases strategic flexibility by undercutting management’s ability to consider competitive options, and it creates potentially dangerous reliance on only a few key suppliers.

The core asset of flourishing and lasting business is the ability to respond or even anticipate the impact of outside forces. Technology has become a barrier to organizational agility for a number of reasons:
• Core legacy systems have calcified
• IT infrastructure has failed to keep pace with changes in the business
• Inflexible IT architecture results in a high percentage of IT expenditure on maintenance of existing systems and not enough on new capabilities
• Short term operational decisions infringe on business’s long term capability to remain competitive

Traditional Boards lack the skills to ask the right questions to ensure that technology is considered in the context of regulatory requirements, risk and agility. This is because technology is a relatively new and fast-growing profession. CEOs have been around since the beginning of time, and financial counselors have been evolving over the past century. But technology is so new, and its cost to deploy changes dramatically, that the technology profession is still maturing. Technologists have worked on how the systems are designed and used to solve problems facing the business. Recently, they recognized a need to understand and be involved in the business strategy. The business leader and the financial leader neither have history nor experience utilizing technology and making key technology decisions. The Board needs to be involved with the executives making technology decisions, just as the technology leader needs Board support and guidance in making those decisions.

Recent regulatory mandates such as Sarbanes-Oxley have changed the relationship of the business leader and financial leader. They in turn are asking for similar assurances from the technology leader. The business leader and financial leader have professional advisors to guide their decisions, such as lawyers, accountants and investment bankers. The technologist has relied upon the vendor community or consultants who have their own perspective, and who might not always be able to provide recommendations in the best interests of the company. The IT Audit Committee of the Board can and should fill this gap.

What role should the IT Audit Committee play in the organization? The IT Audit function in the Board should contribute toward:
1. Bringing technology strategy into alignment with business strategy.
2. Ensuring that technology decisions are in the best interests of shareholders.
3. Fostering organizational development and alignment between business units.
4. Increasing the Board’s overall understanding of technological issues and consequences within the company. This type of understanding cannot come from financial analysis alone.
5. Effective communication between the technologist and the Committee members.

The IT Audit Committee does not require additional board members. Existing board members can be assigned the responsibility, and use consultants to help them understand the issues sufficiently to provide guidance to the technology leader. A review of existing IT Audit Committee Charters shows the following common characteristics:
1. Review, evaluate and make recommendations on technology-based issues of importance to the business.
• Appraise and critically review the financial, tactical and strategic benefits of proposed major technology related projects and technology architecture alternatives.
• Oversee and critically review the progress of major technology related projects and technology architecture decisions.
2. Advise the senior technology management team at the firm
3. Monitor the quality and effectiveness of technology systems and processes that relate to or affect the firm’s internal control systems.

Fundamentally, the Board’s role in IT Governance is to ensure alignment between IT initiatives and business objectives, monitor actions taken by the technology steering committee, and validate that technology processes and practices are delivering value to the business. Strategic alignment between IT and the business is fundamental to building a technology architectural foundation that creates agile organizations. Boards should be aware of technological risk exposures, management’s assessment of those risks, and mitigation strategies considered and adopted.

There are no new principles here—only affirmation of existing governance charters. The execution of technology decisions falls upon the management of the organization. The oversight of management is the responsibility of the Board. The Board needs to take appropriate ownership and become proactive in governance of the technology.

Do Boards need a Technology Audit committee? Yes, a Technology Audit Committee within the Board is warranted because it will lead to technology/business alignment. It is more than simply the right thing to do; it is a best practice with real bottom-line benefits.

MICHAEL SIERSEMA is a Managing Partner/CEO of Phoenix2000 Group LLC focusing on technology advisory services.

Phoenix2000 Group is a new breed professional services partnership of senior technologists that fit a niche at the senior executive support systems. Like the CEO looks to lawyers for advice, the CFO leans on CPA and audit firm for counsel, the technologist needs an organization to find true independent guidance. We don’t sell solutions, we sell answers. http://www.phoenix2000group.com

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Want a High Performance Organization?

For a while now we have been hearing a great deal about High Performance Organizations and High Performance Management and how achieving high performance will improve your business. In fact in today’s technologically advanced, global economy high performance is not an alternative it is a requirement for all businesses that want to prosper in the years to come. The terminology of high performance sounds pretty straightforward; if performance is at a peak then the business processes should follow suit and so then should productivity, profits, and competitiveness. Let’s investigate how it works.

How does business achieve high performance?

The standard methodology for achieving high performance within the workplace has been to breakaway from the traditional and highly structured model of business organization to one that is more organic and flexible. Within these organic systems managers are encouraged to create teams of employees who work together toward a common business goal. The teams are empowered to make decisions and solve problems, they monitor and improve their quality, and each individual employee is seen as a contributing business partner.

Utopia at last, people have meaningful work, employees are respected and trusted, creativity and innovation flourish, quality improves, and productivity reaches levels unheard of only months before. Yeah right!

So, what really happens? Why does the theory of High Performance so often get derailed when it is based on sound principles of human behavior and motivation?

The problem is not with the theory, it is in the execution!!!. Our culture is so indentured to the traditional model of organization that, despite our best efforts, it is almost impossible to remove the vestiges of managerial control, division of labor, and the reams and reams of policies and procedures that trap employees into doing things one way, and one way only. When well meaning executives, managers, and consultants get a hold of the notion of High Performance Management they often rush to create teams, write new job descriptions, set up feedback systems, and create elaborate reward and recognition programs all in an effort to convince their employees that they are valued and respected and that their contributions are meaningful and appreciated and will be rewarded.

Again, all sound notions but the problem is that these programs address only surface issues and they do not even begin to attack the traditional notions and customs that continue to prevail. Think of organizational dynamics like an iceberg where only 10% of the issues are visible on the surface and the bulk remains hidden and potentially menacing underneath. In truly High Performance workplaces managers do not have to “convince” employees that they are valued, the employees inherently know they are valued simply by the way the work is organized and performed.

So what’s wrong with this picture?

The organization that is trying to be High Performance is really no more than a traditional organization in disguise. It has adopted new terminology and is trying out some new human resource management techniques but the organization has NOT CHANGED the way that it approaches the system of working. Work is still narrowly defined and departmentalized and management is still controlling and directing the flow. On the surface it may sound like things have changed but the employees know they are doing exactly what they did before; except now, they are part of a “team” doing it.

Make a real transition using Human Capital Management (HCM)

The only way to move toward true High Performance is to adopt a system of Human Capital Management that helps measure and execute real changes in the way that human capital (resources) is managed. It starts with the realization and acknowledgement that your human, or intangible capital is as important as your tangible capital and that like the tangible items, human capital needs to measured and accounted for on a consistent basis. Just as you want to keep your equipment in top shape so should you keep your people in top shape – ready and capable of performing the job they were hired to perform. Just as you seek investment opportunities for your financial capital to grow, so you need to invest in your human capital and provide them with opportunities to grow.

By attending and understanding the needs of your employees you allow them to perform to their capacity. This maximum capacity yields high productivity and that is when you truly have a High Performance organization.

High Performance is as critical as it is possible. It is a process that starts with philosophical change and ends with practical solutions that lead to substantial improvements in the way work is accomplished, the way work is perceived, and the amount of work that is achieved. Practicing effective Human Capital Management that encompasses how the entire organization runs and how it evaluates employee success, will create a natural link to High Performance Management that will see businesses emerge as healthy, prosperous, and highly competitive.

Eva Jenkins is a visionary entrepreneur whose rich history of accomplishments in business and finance serve as both the foundation of and the fuel for her current success with VIP Staffing and VIP Innovations. Jenkins a lightening rod for innovative thought and a divining rod for uncovering hidden potential in businesses. Armed with a keen understanding of the dynamics of human capital aqcquisitions and an astute sense of the best way to leverage that capital, she uses her unique high-performance principles to help companies re-shape their fundamental business beliefs and practices. Her goal is to prepare her clients so that they may respond to, and more importantly anticipate, the precedent-setting HR challenges in today's evolving international global economy.

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If you have been doing project management for a while, your confidence has probably gotten an occasional shaking. And the resulting lack of confidence hurts you, but it also hurts your team members who need you to be confident and not self-conscious. You’re their leader after all, and they want you to have a strong plan, vision, self-esteem and the confidence to lead.

Obsessing over our personal and organizational shortcomings traps us. We may think it is for our own good – to help us truly learn from our past mistakes. But it can spiral downward into embarrassment and shame. And if you find this happening to you, the best advice is to turn it around early. Take the lessons learned with you, but shed the excess baggage of self-doubt. Sounds easy. But there certainly is not a quick fix. I have seen many project managers leave this challenging career path for non-management jobs for this reason. The fix requires having a consecutive series of successful projects to eventually construct a pillar of success.

Often it is an accumulation of shame-inducing situations that results in the loss of confidence. Maybe you have had a series of death-march projects. Set yourself up for success by getting all of these easy things down first, and then you will be in a better place to handle the harder project problems:

Keep your word. It feels good to be considered reliable. So be careful about what you commit to, but then take your commitment (even the really small ones) very seriously. A promise is a promise.

Be on time. Show your self-discipline to yourself and others. It’s a healthy habit that keeps you calm. Start on your way early and break the habit of always trying to squeeze in “one more thing” before leaving. It will be there when you get back and aren’t hurried.

Be honest, even when it hurts. Stick to the facts. Lying ends up being a bother and you also can get caught, leaving you again with the feeling of shame. Step up to the critical conversations to say the things that are hard to tell.

Cut the gossip. If you have ever walked up to hear comments made behind your back, you know that can be hard to forgive and forget. Don’t do it to others. It give you shame even if you aren’t caught. Focus on meaningful talk which will help you accomplish an aim.

Fall on the sword early. If you have bad news to tell, the receiver usually appreciates hearing it sooner (when they have time to help) rather than later.

If the damage is already done and you find yourself in an embarrassing situation, you can still maintain your confidence if you find a way to recover gracefully. Sometimes this takes real creativity, but there is almost always a way.

And finally, don’t avoid the people you made a mishap in front of – avoidance will leave you feeling further ashamed. The shame will wear off with faster with quick re-exposure to the people involved. So seek these people back out and re-open the communication.

Successful Projects is a project management training company in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Successful Projects can be found at http://www.successfulprojects.com.

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During the course of day-to-day business, only one thing can be expected. That is that problems how will arise. Some businesses hold individual managers responsible to resolve problems. Others address problems through teams of managers aligned either organizationally or functionally with the problem. And yet other businesses intentionally or unintentionally ignore problems until they are so impactful on business outcomes that they must be addressed in some manner. The latter usually requires additional resource due to the crisis nature of the problem. In that business problems are a given, there should be a consistent methodology for addressing problems as they arise. The purpose of this document is to summarize one of the most effective was to identify, address and resolve business problems.

Identifying business problems.

One of the greatest challenges in business is separating problems from the numerous daily issues, challenges, competitive pressures and change. Many if not most of these are part of the day-to-day and must be addressed by the individual managers with functional or organizational accountability in the area where they arise. This is not to minimize the importance of these. It is just that they must be acted upon by the individuals who have accountability and responsibility where they arise. There are other business problems that go beyond the accountability of the individual manager. Some of their characteristics are:
- They impact the revenue top line against the business plan
- They impact the cost and/or expense against the business plan
- They impact market share against what was targeted in the business plan
- They impact customer satisfaction against the measure in place
- They impact employee retention and/or satisfaction against the measure in place

While there may be business problems beyond these that need to be addressed by a team and the process outlined below, these are the key indicators externally and internally for the success of any business. Any deviation in any of these measures against the business plan or other internal metric is a candidate for action by a cross functional and/or cross organizational action team.

Step 1: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM IN CLEAR, CONCISE LANGUAGE

Team to resolve the problem

Now that the problem has been identified and documented in clear, concise language, the next step is who can address the problem. Short of the Chairman or the CEO, who is the business owner for the outcome or achieving the committed business result? This needs to be defined clearly within the organization at the functional and organizational level. Once that individual has been identified, she must be empowered by a senior leader (CEO ideally) to own and resolve the problem. Along with this goes the charter to establish an action team to work the problem to resolution. The CEO (or other senior executive) needs to be clear about the time frame for action. The problem owner must next reach within and outside their organization to assemble a team to address and resolve the problem. While this team may include members of organizations such as Finance, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Research and Development and Human Resources, the composition should be specific to the problem and not include more than one participant per organization or functional area. The members of the action team need to be committed to the project through their leadership and committed to a pre-agreed amount of their work time and project duration. While these may change at points during the project, they should be communicated up front.

Step 2: ASSEMBLE AN EMPOWERED TEAM TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM

Initial Meeting

The action team must have an initial meeting for several purposes. First it should serve to communicate the problem to all participants. Secondly it should serve as an occasion for all the action team members to get to know one another. Thirdly, the timeline, expectations, and roles must be clearly outlined at the initial meeting. Finally, specific fact-finding assignments must be made during the initial meeting along with time frames for reporting out information from the fact-finding. More information is better. While business instincts are important, facts serve to take emotion out of the exercise. Whether individual or small teams, clear assignments must be made with the expectation of how the information should be summarized or presented to the action team and when. Ideally, they should be in the form of a presentation with back-up details in advance of the next action team meeting to allow for detailed review prior to the next meeting.

Step 3: DO YOUR HOMEWORK

The Second Action Team Meeting

Action teams must work in compressed time frames to be most effective. Within a short period following the initial action team meeting and the completion of the assigned research, the team should reconvene, in an environment where they cannot be interrupted by any normal day-to-day issues. These should be either delegated or temporarily reassigned during the action team meeting to allow complete focus on the task at hand. The action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Restatement of the business problem
- Review of the direction from the CEO including the time frame for resolution
- Crisp presentations by each of the individuals or teams on their research topic
- Boarding (Post Its or large flip charts) the causes of the issue, actions to address the problem, other effects of those actions and good ideas and issues but unrelated to the problem at hand should be posted on a “parking lot”
- Vote on the issues and actions to identify the top three of each
- Assign a team to present each of the issues and a team to present each of the actions

Step 4: CLARIFY THE TOP THREE ISSUES AND RELATED TOP THREE ACTIONS

The Third Action Team Meeting

The action team should reconvene to present the top three issues and related top three actions. This could be the next day or the next week. It should not be more than two weeks after the Second Action Team meeting. The third action team meeting should be structured as follows:
- Review of the business problem and time frame for resolution
- A crisp presentation by each of the sub team of their top (one of three) issues and related action (one of three)
- At the end of each there should be a rigorous question and answer period. The points should be boarded on a flip chart
- When the discussion of all three issues and actions have been completed and documented, their should be a vote among all participants of the dominant issue and action
- The dominant issue and action should be documented to insure clarity among all participants
- Each participant should speak to their role in addressing the issue; this should not be constrained by resource, budget or organizational contention
- The agreed upon issue and action including first step organizational and functional roles should be documented and reviewed with the entire action team
- A target for presenting the action team issue, action and accountabilities to the CEO or senior business leader should then be scheduled

Step 5: ALIGN ON A SINGLE ISSUE, SINGLE ACTION, FUNCTIONAL OWNERS

Present, Close and Act

The agreed upon issue, action and owners with accountabilities and time frames must next be presented to the CEO or senior business leader. If the senior business leader agrees with the action team’s recommendations, the next step is to implement the action plan with specific objectives, owners and time frames (metrics). If the senior business leader does not agree with the action team’s recommendations, the action team must either go back and do additional research and follow the subsequent steps or if additional research is not needed then the team should go back to step 3.

Step 6: ACT, MEASURE, CORRECT, ACT, MEASURE, CORRECT

During the execution of the action plan, the individual functions and organizations must perform the roles, actions and within the time frames presented by the action team to and as approved by the CEO or the senior business leader. The action team does not own this, they must be owned by the functions and the organizations as part of day-to-day business. Otherwise it will be viewed as an action team issue and not a business issue. The time frames, metrics and readouts to the CEO or senior executive by the overall business owner are essential to resolve the business problem.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com See our blog at: http://consultingandcoaching.blogspot.com

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Companies are hiring right now. This is definitely good news and the sign of a strengthening economy. Since Corra Group specializes in background checking services we have observed the up tick. We have found our business has increased in these recent months. We are getting calls from all over the country. Some are from companies with HR managers who are experienced in background checks. But many are from HR personnel who are not entirely familiar with the process.

These HR Personnel who are new to employment screening services. They may lack the experience and wherewithal to understand the kind of employment screening they should order, or even how to comprehend the more intricate aspects of a final report. If there are red flags, they may want to know how to proceed. At the same time they are often being pressured by the hiring managers to bring someone on board, to fill the gaps, without much further delay.

This can lead to serious mistakes. This can create oversights or the dismissal of not only the more obvious criminal records, but of the little things that may provide testimony to the candidate’s actual behavior patterns. Sometimes these tips are obscure or abstract but telling nevertheless. Frequent MVR violations can be indicators of substance abuse problems. Candidates with such abuse problems will often be difficult in the working place, and may be more prone to theft and embezzlement in order to support their habits. And then of course the minor infractions may show struggles with self-control. Financial concerns, other than actual credit reports, like liens and judgments will show difficulties with money management and over extension.

To be sure all aspects are examined thoroughly; any background checking service should be willing to work with either the accomplished veterans or the neophytes to the background checking process. As well as structuring a thorough variety of employment screening packages, it is important to develop comprehensive and cost effect background services that are designed to fit the particular needs of an individual business. It is necessary to ask questions and use the experience of one’s service agency to help design the best background checking fit for a specific company. Bottom line, it is important to be accessible and to have a well trained staff that can recognize a company’s individual needs and offer the appropriate services.

While there is much news about inaccurate background screening reports leading to liability and financial complications, a thorough background check still helps a company avoid unwanted disasters and even greater liability through theft, violence or substance and sexual abuse in the work place. Human Resource staffs must always bear in mind they are not only there to recruit the most fitting candidate but to help avoid costly difficulties such as repeated turnovers in the workplace.

In the end an HR manager must be patient and develop a standardized employment screening package for every job level. Some background checks, such as those applied to the laborer or office clerk may be simpler while screening for management and executive positions poses more complex and different challenges. In this day and age of the Enron’s of the world it is important to research whether your Ivy trained, impeccably credentialed potential new executive didn’t plea bargain his way out of a serious white collar crime. Or sometimes it is necessary to explore the possibility that a laborer or office worker while not convicted of any particular thievery has not ended up on the dark side of the Retail Theft or Esteem Database Search. In many cases, despite a confession, an employer simply doesn’t have the time or disposition to prosecute but will list that employee on this database.

Finally, no essay on pre-employment background checking should dismiss either the prospect of threats to Homeland Security or corporate spying. Domestic workers notwithstanding, with the increased hiring of foreign born it is sometimes necessary to order foreign criminal background searches, was well as education and prior employment verification. Some companies are loathe to order these employment screening checks, due to their expense. However, think of the cost if this is the proverbial bad seed on the one with his own agenda. Think of the havoc destruction and the embarrassment they may create for your company.

So in the end, order the kind of background screening packages that will provide you with a comprehensive overview of your job candidate. Despite pressures from the hiring managers, don’t be in a hurry to exchange your common sense for expedience. Be patient; wait for all the necessary information to come back to you. And be sure you ire the kind of background checking service where you receive knowledgeable answers quickly. Pick a background checking service that is willing to listen to you, confer with you and help you interpret the information they provide. In the end, not only will you benefit, but so will everyone else in your company.

Gordon Basichis is the author of the best selling Beautiful Bad Girl, the Vicki Morgan Story, a non-fiction novel that helped define exotic sexuality in the late twentieth century. He is also the author of The Constant Travellers, a sci-fi fantasy Western. The first chapter of Basichis' new book Spook, a Roman A'Clef detailing Chinese Espionage in the United States, is featured in a forthcoming anthology, Sleeping with Snakes, Notes from the Los Angeles Underbelly.

A professional marketing executive, Basichis is also co-founder of Corra, which as the Corra Group specializes in pre-employment and online dating background checks.

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

Leaders live and die by results. For almost a quarter of a century, I've been teaching leaders of all ranks and functions worldwide to achieve not just average results but "more results faster continually." And "continually" is maybe the most important factor.

A lot of leaders live by having people get more results. They live by having them get more results on a faster basis. But they die when trying to get "more, faster" CONTINUALLY.

Here are four ways to make CONTINUALLY happen.

1. Deep Expectations. Clearly, expectations are a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you commit yourself to the expectations that achieving anything less than "more results faster continually" is unacceptable, you've created new contours for success.

I call those expectations "deep expectations" because they involve the five results-drivers that go deeply into your organization. The results drivers are: the strategies that marshal functions around central, organizing concepts; the tactics to execute those strategies; the resources to support the tactics; the people skills to promote great execution; and the motivational leadership to have the people be ardently committed to the execution.

The strategies, tactics, resources, people skills, and motivational leadership must be viewed within the context of and tested by "more results faster continually."

2. Deep relationships. To promote CONTINUALLY, you must champion deep, human, emotional relationships with the people you lead. This means going beyond the relatively shallow relationships involved in order-giving environments. The relationships cultivated in such environments don't go much deeper, in terms of their human bonding, than those involved with the giving, receiving, and carrying out of orders. When you order people to do a job, you may get more and faster results, but I submit that you won't get more/faster CONTINUALLY.

The power of deep relationships has been demonstrated since the dawn of history. In all cultures, whenever people needed to do great things, one thing had to take place: A leader had to gather those people together and speak from the heart. Profound, heartfelt relationships had to be established for great things to be accomplished.

Today, many leaders miss out on deep relationships that can lead to great results. They may know such relationships are important, but they don't know how to consistently create them, maintain them and enrich them.

Think of a time when you've experienced a deep, bonding with somebody -- not sexual as in a significant-other relationship -- but a bonding to achieve certain organizational accomplishments. It might have been with a boss, a friend, a colleague ... doesn't matter who, the important thing is the WHAT, the relationship.

Now, picture yourself interacting with that person on one or more occasions. What was the physical setting? What was said? What was done? Recall what you felt. Recall the bonding that took place. What were the physical facts that gave you those emotions, that bonding? What were the actions you took as a result of that bonding? What were the results that came from those actions?

You may conclude that those relationships led to better results – and provided necessary environment for CONTINUALLY.

3. Deep processes. How do we create and sustain those relationships? One answer is through processes. Processes, which are systematic series of mental or physical steps directed toward specific ends, cultivate clarity of purpose and repeatability of outcomes.

A proven, robust process to advance CONTINUALLY is the Leadership Talk. The Leadership Talk is not about having leaders order people to do tasks, but having those people badly want to do those tasks. The ability to have others "want to" separates average leaders from great leaders. Hence, the Leadership Talk is a key driver of CONTINUALLY. (See my website for more information.) In fact, without employing Leadership Talks, leaders fail to create and sustain results-producing bonding between the leader and the people.

4. Deep results. If Leadership Talks are a key process in achieving the deep relationships needed to advance CONTINUALLY, what kind of results should CONTINUALLY encompass?

You can begin to get great results CONTINUALLY by having them flow through the prism of the Leadership Imperative.

The Leadership Imperative is: I WILL LEAD PEOPLE IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE TOGETHER NOT ONLY ACHIEVE THE RESULTS WE NEED BUT WE ALSO BECOME BETTER AS LEADERS AND AS PEOPLE.

You are never more effective as a leader as when, in getting more results faster continually, you are helping others be better than they are -- even better than thought they could be.

Guided by the Leadership Imperative, you'll find yourself realizing deep results. Furthermore, those deep results will advance CONTINUALLY. After all, if people know that in working with you, they will improve their job performance, boost their career, and enrich their lives, won't they want to work with you ... CONTINUALLY?

Results, of course, come in many forms and are measured and evaluated in many ways. I've discovered that most leaders are getting the wrong results, or the right results in the wrong ways. When you aim to start achieving "more results faster continually" you are on the right road to achieving the right results. Be guided by the four ways to make CONTINUALLY happen -- deep expectations, deep relationships, deep processes, deep results -- and you'll insure you'll be getting them in the right ways.

2005 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: [email protected]

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and for more than 20 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: "49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results," at http://www.actionleadership.com

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