Did you ever know someone who wanted to stop doing something but never seemed to be able to fully flip the switch to disengage from that patterned behavior?
Maybe they got into a habit of always stopping for a donut or a cheese steak on a certain route back from a trip, when they really intended to do a better job of watching their diet.
Or maybe they spent money in their business before it was collected. And even after they got burned a time or two and logically realized that the money wasn‘t theirs to spend until the check cleared the bank, they still made decisions that left them overextended and at risk.
Ron was stuck in a “me first, be first“ habit when he hired me to coach him to grow his business. The main trouble was that as fast as he brought business in the front door, he had staff leaving through the back door.
Ron is spectacular at being the first with the most when it comes to hiring a new employee, responding with a proposal, and even negotiating a lease. It‘s refreshing to work with someone with so much energy and focus.
The flip side of the coin is that he was burning out himself and his staff by going after everything at only one speed: lightning fast.
We talked about the cost of pursuing everything at white-hot intensity and how it can lead to health risks and tension in his company. We talked about the early experiences he had that rewarded him for being fast -- talking fast, thinking fast, and acting fast. No surprises here: he won prizes and awards from Cub Scouts all the way up through high school and college and it was a behavior linked with positive outcomes.
Einstein said, “You can never solve a significant problem at the same level that you created it.“
We needed to change tracks dramatically, because he had nearly run himself and his business to death in this adrenaline-soaked paradigm.
I asked him if he knew what the early bird got, and right away he replied that the early bird always got the worm.
“Entrepreneurs are a little bit different,“ I explained. “More often, we‘re like a mouse looking for cheese. And that takes more cunning and cleverness than just mere speed. A mouse looking for cheese has risks to consider and different advantages to weigh.“ He nodded along, trying to figure out where this conversation was leading, but he didn‘t know the Steven Wright line I was about to lay on him.
“Ron, the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.“
We had a good laugh, and more importantly, he got the part about risk.
Even now, he‘ll downshift into neutral and say to his staff, “Maybe we‘d better check for safer cheese.“
Sometimes it‘s better to be the second mouse; it‘s always better to have a range of options and approaches to select from. Expand your repertoire and you‘ll build a stronger business.
By : Bill Ringle
Sabtu, 28 Februari 2009
10 Things to Make a Meeting Exciting
The boss walks in your office and casually asks you to increase sales by 20% and he has given you three days to complete the task. You are a little surprised by the request but you gladly accept the assignment. Before he leaves your office he asks you to cut the cost of doing business by 30%. He has kindly given you five days to complete the task. Some may be horrified by the assignments but you smile and tell your boss you will give it your best effort. Later in the day, he walks back in your office and says something that’s frightening. You begin to sweat. He has asked you to do something that’s almost impossible. He has asked you to make the next company meeting exciting. He can hear you gasping. You want to scream “Please give this assignment to someone else.” You want to shout “That’s an out of this world task.” You calm down, find some courage and boldly take the assignment. You can’t think small. Handing out hats won’t be sufficient. Telling a cute story won’t be enough. Here are 10 things you can do to keep a meeting exciting:
1. Announce to the group that during the meeting you will be mentioning three things that are not true. Inform the attendees the untrue remarks might be personal or about business. The people who come up with the three incorrect comments partake in a raffle and the winner receives a free dinner for two at a posh restaurant or perhaps they get Friday off with pay. People will be intently listening and it will add some fun to the meeting.
2. Have the CEO of the company enter the meeting and gladly refill coffee cups and water glasses. Perhaps he’s wearing a tuxedo. He offers people a pillow for their chairs. The CEO provides tasty snack to the attendees. He passes out teddy bears to everyone. The CEO enters the meeting several times and doesn’t say a word. This will create anticipation and smiles.
3. Hire a temporary employee to bring in numerous boxes, one at a time and stack them in a corner. If someone gets curious and asks you what’s in the boxes tell him you can’t talk about it until the meeting is over. Have the temporary employee shake his head as he leaves the room and ask you “Are you sure you want these boxes in here?” Contemplate for a little bit and say “I think so.” For added excitement have an alarm go off in one of the boxes. Get up, grab the alarm clock and without people noticing, set it ring in 10 minutes. Repeat the process several times. At the end of the meeting open the boxes and pull out some tasty snacks or gift certificates for the attendees.
4. Have an employee occasionally enter the meeting room and ask you “Have you told them yet?” Answer “No I have not.” This will make the employees curious and alert. Each time he walks in the room he wears a different color tie. At the end of the meeting ask the employees to write down the colors of ties he wore. The people who correctly write down the colors of ties win a prize.
5. Throughout the meeting ask everyone to perform an outrageous task that must be completed by the next meeting. For example, ask the manager of the advertising department to obtain free advertising for the company on national television. If they respond in disbelief simply say “You heard me.” Everyone will wonder what outrageous assignment will be tossed their way during the meeting and the anticipation will add some excitement to the meeting.
6. Hire a comedian to sit in the meeting and take notes. Frequently ask him to repeat comments that the attendees have made. Have him intentionally misquote them. The incorrect quotes cause the attendees to seem arrogant, rude, silly, selfish etc. For example, “My intelligence is simply astonishing.” Have the comedian misquote a response a timid employee made to one of your comments, “Boss, that’s outrageous and I simply won’t allow it.” Smile and the group will laugh.
7. Hire a singer to attend the meeting. Inform the group the new employee was highly recommended by an employment agency and will be a great asset to the company. Whenever you ask him questions he responds by singing answers in different music styles; perhaps with a country music slant or hip hop. Simply shake your head after he sings.
8. Have an artist sit in the room and make caricature portraits of attendees of the meeting. Keeping the portraits a mystery until the end of the meeting will add some excitement. Let the employees place their portrait in their office or take it home to show their family and friends.
9. Inform the attendees there will be a quiz on the content of the meeting. The person who has the most correct answers wins a desirable prize. The employees will be paying more attention during the meeting.
10. Without informing the attendees of the upcoming quiz, sprinkle famous quotes from movies into the meeting. Place the quotes in awkward situations in order to make the employees curious about the use of the movie quotes. Whoever writes down the most quotes that are accompanied by the correct movie wins a prize.
Don’t just have a goal to make the meeting interesting or appealing; make the meeting exciting. The employees will appreciate your effort and it will create a wonderful rapport with the employees. Be innovative once in awhile and you will have a happier office.
Many of these tips can work well for face to face meetings and even Web conferencing meetings. If you are planning an audio only teleconference meeting Numbers 1, 4, 5, 9, and even 10 will spice up your conference calls. It’s time to get creative with your own meetings and “think outside the box” when it comes to keeping your meetings exciting!
BY : Amy Linley
1. Announce to the group that during the meeting you will be mentioning three things that are not true. Inform the attendees the untrue remarks might be personal or about business. The people who come up with the three incorrect comments partake in a raffle and the winner receives a free dinner for two at a posh restaurant or perhaps they get Friday off with pay. People will be intently listening and it will add some fun to the meeting.
2. Have the CEO of the company enter the meeting and gladly refill coffee cups and water glasses. Perhaps he’s wearing a tuxedo. He offers people a pillow for their chairs. The CEO provides tasty snack to the attendees. He passes out teddy bears to everyone. The CEO enters the meeting several times and doesn’t say a word. This will create anticipation and smiles.
3. Hire a temporary employee to bring in numerous boxes, one at a time and stack them in a corner. If someone gets curious and asks you what’s in the boxes tell him you can’t talk about it until the meeting is over. Have the temporary employee shake his head as he leaves the room and ask you “Are you sure you want these boxes in here?” Contemplate for a little bit and say “I think so.” For added excitement have an alarm go off in one of the boxes. Get up, grab the alarm clock and without people noticing, set it ring in 10 minutes. Repeat the process several times. At the end of the meeting open the boxes and pull out some tasty snacks or gift certificates for the attendees.
4. Have an employee occasionally enter the meeting room and ask you “Have you told them yet?” Answer “No I have not.” This will make the employees curious and alert. Each time he walks in the room he wears a different color tie. At the end of the meeting ask the employees to write down the colors of ties he wore. The people who correctly write down the colors of ties win a prize.
5. Throughout the meeting ask everyone to perform an outrageous task that must be completed by the next meeting. For example, ask the manager of the advertising department to obtain free advertising for the company on national television. If they respond in disbelief simply say “You heard me.” Everyone will wonder what outrageous assignment will be tossed their way during the meeting and the anticipation will add some excitement to the meeting.
6. Hire a comedian to sit in the meeting and take notes. Frequently ask him to repeat comments that the attendees have made. Have him intentionally misquote them. The incorrect quotes cause the attendees to seem arrogant, rude, silly, selfish etc. For example, “My intelligence is simply astonishing.” Have the comedian misquote a response a timid employee made to one of your comments, “Boss, that’s outrageous and I simply won’t allow it.” Smile and the group will laugh.
7. Hire a singer to attend the meeting. Inform the group the new employee was highly recommended by an employment agency and will be a great asset to the company. Whenever you ask him questions he responds by singing answers in different music styles; perhaps with a country music slant or hip hop. Simply shake your head after he sings.
8. Have an artist sit in the room and make caricature portraits of attendees of the meeting. Keeping the portraits a mystery until the end of the meeting will add some excitement. Let the employees place their portrait in their office or take it home to show their family and friends.
9. Inform the attendees there will be a quiz on the content of the meeting. The person who has the most correct answers wins a desirable prize. The employees will be paying more attention during the meeting.
10. Without informing the attendees of the upcoming quiz, sprinkle famous quotes from movies into the meeting. Place the quotes in awkward situations in order to make the employees curious about the use of the movie quotes. Whoever writes down the most quotes that are accompanied by the correct movie wins a prize.
Don’t just have a goal to make the meeting interesting or appealing; make the meeting exciting. The employees will appreciate your effort and it will create a wonderful rapport with the employees. Be innovative once in awhile and you will have a happier office.
Many of these tips can work well for face to face meetings and even Web conferencing meetings. If you are planning an audio only teleconference meeting Numbers 1, 4, 5, 9, and even 10 will spice up your conference calls. It’s time to get creative with your own meetings and “think outside the box” when it comes to keeping your meetings exciting!
BY : Amy Linley
Know Your Telephone Calling Habits
Getting to know and understand your own calling habits, or patterns, can pay handsome dividends when selecting your telephone carriers. Do you make a lot of lang distance or international calls? Do you make most of your telephone calls during the day or night? Do you make your long distance calls throughout the week or wait for the weekend?
Knowing the answer to these questions, and following a few simple rules which we will share with you, will help you to get the best value from your carrier and your calling plan. So where do you start? Read on and we'll try to shed a little light on what you need to be aware of when selecting your long distance carrier or other telecommunications providers.
1. Ask if there are any special promotions:
Don't be afraid to ask your long distance provider if they have any special promotions available. Many times they have unadvertised specials available for the asking. You can also ask other providers if they have any special switching promotions or benefits available.
2. Buyer beware - read the fine print:
All providers have special restrictions and offerings regarding their calling plans. Many times these restrictions or offerings will be different between their various offerings. Make sure that you read and understand these restrictions and offerings before you accept. If you don't understand something in the fine print then be sure to ask. Reputable providers will answer all of your questions simply and directly so you will understand. If a provider fails to give you clear answers then move on to someone else.
3. Watch out for the added charges:
The per minute cost is not the only way providers make money. Check to see if there are monthly minimum charges or per-call charges in addition to the per-minute rates. For instance, if a provider charges a $5 minimum and you only make one 10-minute phone call, you will be charged for the $5 minimum - that's $0.50 per minute!
4. Comparison rates in advertising can be misleading:
You should be aware that some advertising showing comparison rates, such as 50% off normal rates, may be misleading because the "normal" rates may not be the lowest rate available from that provider. It’s the same as getting a 50% discount from a hotel's rack rate (normal room rate). In this case the "rack rate" is their full 100% price that they seldom, if ever, get from customers.
5. Check out the provider’s web site:
The provider should have detailed information concerning their calling plans, options and promotions on their web site. You might also be able to find support facilities, live help, FAQ's or more as well.
6. Strategic partner tie-ins and other promotions:
Some providers make strategic alliances with other companies in order to cross promote their products and services. Some providers make frequent miles from airlines available when using their services. You may also be able to find promotional tie-ins between credit card companies, hotels and more.
7. Check and double-check:
Get in the habit of regularly reviewing your monthly telephone bill. Even the best providers make mistakes and if you suspect that you have been charged in error then call your provider and ask for an explanation.
8. Commit your "10-10" codes to memory:
If you use a 10-10 service, then you owe it to yourself to become familiar with the specifics of their plan. They all have restrictions that define their service and abiding by these will save you money. I have a terrible memory so I make a little cheat sheet for each service I use that I carry with me. It's saved me on several occasions.
9. Time for wireless?:
There are many wireless plans from many different wireless providers available in the market today. This industry has matured vary rapidly and many of these plans may fit your calling needs quite nicely.
10. Limited or few long distance calls:
If your long distance calling is vary limited then you may want to consider not enrolling with a long distance provider. In this case it may be better to simply select a 10-10 dialaround service or use a long distance calling card instead. Make sure you select a carrier or card with no monthly fee and low per-minute rates. If you select one of these options make sure to call your local service provider and tell them that you do not want to have a long distance carrier.
Following these simple rules will ensure that you get the best value for your money.
By: Raymond Klesc
Knowing the answer to these questions, and following a few simple rules which we will share with you, will help you to get the best value from your carrier and your calling plan. So where do you start? Read on and we'll try to shed a little light on what you need to be aware of when selecting your long distance carrier or other telecommunications providers.
1. Ask if there are any special promotions:
Don't be afraid to ask your long distance provider if they have any special promotions available. Many times they have unadvertised specials available for the asking. You can also ask other providers if they have any special switching promotions or benefits available.
2. Buyer beware - read the fine print:
All providers have special restrictions and offerings regarding their calling plans. Many times these restrictions or offerings will be different between their various offerings. Make sure that you read and understand these restrictions and offerings before you accept. If you don't understand something in the fine print then be sure to ask. Reputable providers will answer all of your questions simply and directly so you will understand. If a provider fails to give you clear answers then move on to someone else.
3. Watch out for the added charges:
The per minute cost is not the only way providers make money. Check to see if there are monthly minimum charges or per-call charges in addition to the per-minute rates. For instance, if a provider charges a $5 minimum and you only make one 10-minute phone call, you will be charged for the $5 minimum - that's $0.50 per minute!
4. Comparison rates in advertising can be misleading:
You should be aware that some advertising showing comparison rates, such as 50% off normal rates, may be misleading because the "normal" rates may not be the lowest rate available from that provider. It’s the same as getting a 50% discount from a hotel's rack rate (normal room rate). In this case the "rack rate" is their full 100% price that they seldom, if ever, get from customers.
5. Check out the provider’s web site:
The provider should have detailed information concerning their calling plans, options and promotions on their web site. You might also be able to find support facilities, live help, FAQ's or more as well.
6. Strategic partner tie-ins and other promotions:
Some providers make strategic alliances with other companies in order to cross promote their products and services. Some providers make frequent miles from airlines available when using their services. You may also be able to find promotional tie-ins between credit card companies, hotels and more.
7. Check and double-check:
Get in the habit of regularly reviewing your monthly telephone bill. Even the best providers make mistakes and if you suspect that you have been charged in error then call your provider and ask for an explanation.
8. Commit your "10-10" codes to memory:
If you use a 10-10 service, then you owe it to yourself to become familiar with the specifics of their plan. They all have restrictions that define their service and abiding by these will save you money. I have a terrible memory so I make a little cheat sheet for each service I use that I carry with me. It's saved me on several occasions.
9. Time for wireless?:
There are many wireless plans from many different wireless providers available in the market today. This industry has matured vary rapidly and many of these plans may fit your calling needs quite nicely.
10. Limited or few long distance calls:
If your long distance calling is vary limited then you may want to consider not enrolling with a long distance provider. In this case it may be better to simply select a 10-10 dialaround service or use a long distance calling card instead. Make sure you select a carrier or card with no monthly fee and low per-minute rates. If you select one of these options make sure to call your local service provider and tell them that you do not want to have a long distance carrier.
Following these simple rules will ensure that you get the best value for your money.
By: Raymond Klesc
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)