How Can You Replace Existing Bad Habits Concerning Trends?

How Can You Replace Existing Bad Habits Concerning Trends?
After identifying the existing bad habits about orienting
yourself optimally relative to trends, you'll need to work
at eliminating the bad habits so that they can be replaced
with the desired habits. Communication and learning are
good ways to begin.

Rather than just sharing the conclusions you arrive at
about what your organization's bad habits are, you'll get
better results if you take other people in your enterprise
through the process of answering these questions:

1. What irresistible forces are already affecting your
enterprise?

2. What has your enterprise done well in responding to,
adapting to, anticipating, and creating these forces?

3. Why did your enterprise do well with regard to these
forces?

4. What habits would have helped your enterprise to be more
successful in these past situations?

5. What existing habits are in conflict with these habits
that would help you be more successful?

You'll learn something, too, because you'll often find that
the perceptions of others will differ from yours. With more
perceptions to work from, you're likely to get better ideas
for how to improve.

One way to do this is to measure performance and share the
results. For example, most companies would never acquire
oil producing companies if they realized that the
inflation-adjusted dollar price of petroleum products has
always declined over the long term. Seagram might never
have bought Conoco had they realized this fact, and earlier
improved the company's acquisition habits while increasing
the resources available for acquisitions.

Start Becoming a Stallbuster Now

Be sure to use the questions in each essay you read on this
subject to tie the lessons of each lesson back to your
organization. If you have not yet gotten out a pencil and
some paper, or turned on your computer, now is a good time
to begin making permanent your observations.

This article can be a valuable resource for you, much like
a consultant's workshop. But this will only happen if you
follow through by working on the questions as they arise.

In addition to answering the questions, make a list of your
own improvement ideas as they occur to you and keep the
list with you as you read the rest of the book. You'll find
that your ideas are apt to change and improve as you read
more material and answer the questions at the end of each
essay.

Make notes of how your ideas change. Keeping such a list
will also encourage you to work more in this area of
replacing bad habits because you'll have written record to
show you how much you've learned from when you started
reading these essays.

You will have obviously to move from thinking into action
before the benefits will become tangible. Having a record
of how much your thinking has been stalled will encourage
you to take that needed action.

Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of seven books including Adventures of an
Optimist, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The
Ultimate Competitive Advantage. You can find free tips for
accomplishing 20 times more by registering at:
====> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

How to Use Communication to Drive Staff Performance

How to Use Communication to Drive Staff Performance
In the workplace, communicating effectively with employees
can help them improve their job performance. Whether you
need employees to complete tasks on time or ensure that
they're meeting their client's needs, letting them know
what you expect and working with them to reach their job
goals is the reason why some managers are more successful
than others.

Meet with Your Staff

Meet with the members of your staff on a quarterly or
monthly basis to discuss recent projects they've worked on.
Review goals they may have made last quarter to see if
they've met them. Set new goals for productivity and
determine the best ways for the employee to meet their
goals. You can create individual goal sheets or ask staff
members to create a list of accomplishments and
work-related goals. If employees are having difficulty
meeting these goals, re-evaluating these goals or adjusting
them may be necessary. Common reasons why employees fall
behind on work related goals include:

* Inadequate training
* Lack of time
* Self-confidence issues

By talking to employees and addressing issues that are
standing in their way, you can increase their performance
level by providing additional training, freeing up their
schedule, and boosting their self-confidence by
acknowledging recent accomplishments. In addition to
helping staff members create and complete goals, you should
give advice and counsel to those who want to earn
promotions or take on additional responsibilities.

Review the Tasks of Each Staff Member

Reviewing the number of tasks each member of your staff has
to complete during the day can give you a good view of what
to expect from them. If you want to increase staff
performance, limiting the number of daily tasks, finding
ways to make the office more efficient or hiring additional
employees may help. Communicating your concern and asking
for employee input is a good way to involve everyone in the
process. Only when employees take ownership of their jobs
will they want to improve their job performance and help
others at the same time. Show that you are doing everything
you can to ensure each staff member is successful during
the workday.

Recognize the Achievements of Staff Members

Showing recognition by including staff members names in the
company newsletter, hosting an employee party or sending a
note of congratulations are all ways that you can
communicate your appreciation and share in your employee's
success. While you shouldn't overindulge your staff, it's
important to make sure they feel appreciated. Many
companies host an annual party or picnic where employees
can bring their families. These are fun events that
celebrate each person's contributions to the company.

Consider Your Role as Manager

Are you unrealistic in your expectations of your staff? Do
you offer support when needed? Do people enjoy working with
you? If you're unsure about the answers to these questions,
you should examine how you manage others and how you
communicate your expectations. If you need to make
improvements, consider taking a management course or meet
with other managers to discuss their management styles.

----------------------------------------------------
Sharon Alexander is the author of the ebook Claim that
Job.com - The Ultimate Job-Hunting and Career Management
ebook that teaches the skills and techniques needed to
succeed in a competitive job-market.
http://www.claimthatjob.com .
http://www.claimthatjob.com/blog .

Is Midlife Entrepreneurship for You?

Is Midlife Entrepreneurship for You?
Do you think that entrepreneurship is just for the young?
That anyone past 50 is simply too old to start up a
business? That midlife is the time when you should be
thinking about retiring and preparing to live on less? If
you do and if you are, then midlife entrepreneurship isn't
for you.

However, if you are someone who . . .

* likes to call the shots and live life on your own terms,
* has a strong desire for autonomy and independence,
* is a self-motivated starter,
* knows how to evaluate and take calculated risks,
* is highly self-motivated,

. . . then midlife entrepreneurship could be right for you.

I come from a long line of entrepreneurs. My grandfather
owned his own business and worked as an electrician up
until the day he died. He was 98. My father owned his own
private practice and worked as an expert psychological
witness up until three months before his passing. I, too,
am an entrepreneur. And, like my father and grandfather
before me, I enjoy my work, find meaning and value in what
I do, and am passionate about making a difference in the
world.

What about you? Could midlife entrepreneurship be right for
you?

The Changing Face of Retirement

Retirement, and how we view it, has changed dramatically
since the beginning of the 20th century. Before pension
plans became standard offerings to U.S. workers during
World War II, most people continued working until their
death, relying on personal savings and family support to
sustain them. While 65 is considered the normal retirement
age in the U.S., many of today's midlife entrepreneurs
eschew that age, preferring instead to remain actively
involved in their businesses well into their 80s. With Baby
Boomers comprising nearly half the country's self-employed
workers (7.4 million), entrepreneurship among seniors is
growing (so say reports from AARP and the U.S. Department
of Labor). People turning 50 today still have lots of life
ahead of them, and each year more than four million men and
women join their ranks.

So, what is retirement, then? Is it the time when you stop
work completely or is it the time when you retire from one
job and begin another? Does it start at a certain age or
depend on the number of years you have served in a specific
capacity? Is it based on your physical condition or your
personal choice?

10 Reasons for Becoming a Midlife Entrepreneur

1. You're healthy with many years ahead of you.
2. You want to stay involved and engaged.
3. You enjoy generating extra income.
4. You get to build a business around something you enjoy
and are passionate about.
5. You have a full Rolodex and 20-30 years of experience to
back you.
6. You want the independence and flexibility that comes
from working for yourself.
7. You have confidence and experience, and know what you're
good at.
8. You may already have a pool of money saved to help
finance your business.
9. You can do business from home, using the Internet as
your storefront.
10. As an entrepreneur, you aren't discriminated against
because of your age.

So what does retirement mean to entrepreneurial men or
women who have successfully woven passion into what they do
as small business owners? Do they plan on retiring when
they reach the age of 65? Do they even want to?

If you are happily turning your passion into profit, it's
hard to think about stopping. Oh, sure, you could use some
time away, an extended vacation, even a more relaxed pace.
But do you actually want to retire and cease what you're
doing? Or would you rather stay involved, continuing to
contribute, and enjoying life fully?

These days retirement is what you make it. At present, the
Baby Boomer generation is redefining retirement, shunning
the conventional traditions of stopping, ceasing, and
leaving in favor of staying involved, continuing to
contribute, and following their passion. Like so many of
them, you, too, might find that there are some very
compelling reasons to either become or continue being an
entrepreneur, well past midlife.

----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Susan L. Reid is a business coach and consultant for
entrepreneurial women starting up businesses. She is the
author of Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The
Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success. Susan
provides intuitive small business solutions, powerful
attraction marketing tools, inspiration, and direction.
Visit http://www.SuccessfulSmallBizOwners.com and download
your copy of her latest free business success article.

Build Your Expert Status to "Tip" Your Audiences in Your Direction

Build Your Expert Status to "Tip" Your Audiences in Your Direction
Why is developing one's "expert status" so important in
business positioning these days? Because as consumers, our
ability to focus our attention has reached an all-time low
due to the overwhelming deluge of information and
advertising that we're contending with today.

We frequently find ourselves scurrying for authoritative
advice on what to think, do, or buy. We have little time to
do this for ourselves, so we lean on know-it-all experts,
or "mavens," to direct our scarce attention. This article
offers a three-stage process for building a maven
reputation in your field.

------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
Stage 1: Identify a Role You Can Play as a Maven in Your
Domain
------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------

Malcolm Gladwell helped popularize "mavens" in his
blockbuster study of social trend setting, "The Tipping
Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference."

Gladwell posits that a maven is someone who gathers
extensive information on a subject, and knows exactly to
whom to deliver it. Because mavens are continually seeking
knowledge and love passing it along to others, they
contribute much of the fuel behind the tipping point
formula, in which ideas, products, messages, and behaviors
ultimately explode into "word-of-mouth epidemics."

What kind of positioning would you like to have? Think
about how the "experts" you hear, watch, or read about
today package their messages. Each may have a distinct
"persona," or character profile, that makes him or her
stand out. A few of the many "maven personas" you could
adopt are:

* Researcher - who filters, assembles, and delivers
cutting-edge information
* Contrarian - whose unusual or controversial convictions
intrigue audiences
* Intellectual - whose education, knowledge, and experience
create authority
* Futurist - who predicts emerging trends that can shape
people's decisions
* Synthesizer - who collects and integrates information
from many sources
* Cross-pollinator - who sees interconnections among ideas
in diverse fields
* Common person - who's "just like us" and has solved our
burning problem
* Advocate - who fights for an audience's interests and
keeps them informed

------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
Stage 2: Identify One or More Potential "Audience Personas"
------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------

In this stage, you focus on the audiences with whom you are
trying to connect. To begin, brainstorm the types of
general audiences you already serve, or might want to
serve. The more narrowly you can define your domain, the
better.

Many people would stop there, without drilling deeper.
Within each domain, however, lies a range of specialized
sub-audiences who could be drawn to specific aspects of
what you have to offer. They comprise distinct, and
possibly separate, slants or perspectives that your
offerings and marketing outreach eventually might address.

Whether or not you already have an audience base, start by
identifying one or more fictitious characters who represent
your specific audience, and who will become your "audience
personas." These personas portray typical consumers of your
information, product, service, Web site, or whatever you
will be developing. You might identify three to five or
more personas to explore in depth.

To make them as realistic as possible, give your personas
names, genders, ages, professional or personal roles,
friends and families, hobbies, educational backgrounds, and
major challenges.

Persona identification is especially important when no
specific client or customer exists, such as when developing
something for a nameless, faceless mass market. It can
also, however, work extremely well when working with a
client, to help pinpoint specific kinds of concerns and
options that would not have been readily apparent.

------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
Stage 3: Create Your Offerings and Promotional Materials
------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------

To establish a strong connection between the "maven" and
"audience" personas you've identified, consider the
following:

1. Choose a "maven" voice or perspective, particularly for
information-based products (for example, researcher,
expert, advocate, contrarian, futurist, synthesizer). This
is the role you're adopting for yourself as the idea-person
in your market. Select this approach based on what you feel
most comfortable with and how well it would sustain the
attention and interest of your audience.

2. Choose a framework for presenting ideas, such as
problem/solution, chronological, modular, numerical, or
compare/contrast frames of reference.

3. Develop an outline, proposal, or specification, and
fine-tune as needed.

4. Prepare the first and subsequent drafts of the content,
proof, or prototype. For information products, if you can
imagine having an informal conversation across a kitchen
table with one of your audience personas, you can explain
even complex ideas in a clear and engaging way.

5. Then ask a group of trusted colleagues to review or beta
test your material, and also help you derive a snappy,
memorable title.

Now you're ready to start promoting!

In conclusion, whether you seek customers, clients,
subscribers, partners, affiliates, or investors,
strategically building your expert status by connecting
your "maven" and "audience" personas will help tip your
audiences in your direction, and set you apart as the
undisputed champion of your cause.

----------------------------------------------------
Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is the author of the award-winning
"Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance" program.
She helps people "discover and recover" the profits their
businesses may be losing every day through overlooked
performance potential. To sign up for more free tips, visit
her site at http://LearnShareProsper.com

Interactive Whiteboards Explained

Interactive Whiteboards Explained
Interactive whiteboards are manufactured by a variety of
companies, but are all designed to work in a similar
fashion. Essentially, interactive whiteboards are meant to
work as extensions and large-scale representations of a
computer or laptop screen. Interactive whiteboards make it
possible for users to interact with the screen by using a
pen, a marker, a stylus, or even a finger. They work much
like a touch-sensitive computer screen.

An interactive whiteboard allows users to project images
from a computer screen onto the board's surface. Websites,
images, and software applications and programs can all be
projected onto the whiteboard screen. Users can take a
pen, marker, finger, or an IR device and use it in the same
way they would use a mouse to control a computer. They can
use the interactive tool, whatever it might be, to open and
close browser windows, take notes, click on and drag
objects, edit and mark-up text documents, and highlight
text. There are even some programs included with some
whiteboards that can take an individual's personal
handwriting and translate it into typed text.

Interactive whiteboards have become popular in classrooms,
boardrooms, studios, and even in the meeting rooms used by
sports teams. The interactive nature of whiteboards allows
them to be used in everything from teaching a lesson and
highlighting an important point on a presentation, to
editing a movie as a group and demonstrating how a
particular play or set is intended to be performed or
carried-out.

Today there are six varieties of interactive whiteboards to
choose from, including resistive, electromagnetic, infrared
or optical, ultra-sonic, optical, and infrared or IR
whiteboards. Differences between the types of boards
include variations in the material the board is made of,
the type of writing tool each board makes use of, and the
particular control method that the board uses to send
signals from the board to the computer.

Besides using them as teaching and presentation tools,
interactive whiteboards can also be used for other
purposes. Since the board is directly connected to a
computer, any program that it runs can be projected onto
the whiteboard screen for all to see and enjoy, including
DVD movies. For many schools and businesses that do not
have the funds needed to purchase multiple computers and
computer stations, interactive whiteboards also present a
more affordable and cost-effective way of providing
multiple users with access to computers and software
programs.

----------------------------------------------------
You can learn even more about the wide selection of
interactive whiteboards available to you. Simply visit:
http://www.av-audio-visual-projectors.co.uk/whiteboards.htm
to browser through their range of interactive devices.