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Hub You - Drawing the Lines - Setting Your Team's Boundaries
Infosnacking or Just Plain 'Screwing The Dog' On Company Time
Infosnacking was declared word of the year for 2005 by Webster’s New World College Dictionary. If you are reading this article while at work, and it is not research for your company or related to your job in some way, then you are officially infosnacking. Dang, we use to just call it ‘screwing the dog’, but guess that is no longer Politically Correct. Infosnacking is defined as using the internet, on company time, to check your email, read the news, peruse the sports scores or a myriad of other internet related time stealers.Long gone are the days employers have to worry about extended lunch or smoke breaks hurting the bottom line? Companies now have to be worried about employees wasting precious time at any point they are sitting in front of their computer. Just imagine, a few minutes to check Hotmail here, a few minutes to read a joke there and voila…another hour gone to the internet gods and money down the drain.It is estimated that infosnacking, also referred to as cyberslacking, costs the North American economy alone bill
omers, David Durovy, President of TapeResources.com, 'fired' the customers who overstepped his organisation's boundaries. He simply explained to them that their custom was not welcome within his organisation.Infosnacking was declared word of the year for 2005 by Webster’s New World College Dictionary. If you are reading this article while at work, and it is not research for your company or related to your job in some way, then you are officially infosnacking. Dang, we use to just call it ‘screwing the dog’, but guess that is no longer Politically Correct. Infosnacking is defined as using the internet, on company time, to check your email, read the news, peruse the sports scores or a myriad of other internet related time stealers.Long gone are the days employers have to worry about extended lunch or smoke breaks hurting the bottom line? Companies now have to be worried about employees wasting precious time at any point they are sitting in front of their computer. Just imagine, a few minutes to check Hotmail here, a few minutes to read a joke there and voila…another hour gone to the internet gods and money down the drain.It is estimated that infosnacking, also referred to as cyberslacking, costs the North American economy alone bill
Extreme? Maybe. But the result? People woke up and realised that this was an organisation that cared about them more than it cared about just making another sale. Imagine the power of showing your team members that they are more important to you than simply making profit. You will reap the rewards in terms of staff retention and knowledge retention, morale, commitment, effort, performance, attendance, ... the list goes on and on. And that's not to say we don't do business; just that we don't do business regardless of the cost to our values a
Passion as a Sales Tool
We all know that Sales is really all about “closing the sale”. There is not a salesperson alive who does not use a variety of techniques to help them be successful with customers. However, I believe passion is the most underrated and underutilized sales tool in our arsenal because it is too hard to measure and no one has found an effective way to teach it. Why don’t more people use passion to their advantage? It’s simple. Passion exists in those who are humble, focused, and unlikely to advertise their expertise.Passion is an effective sales tool because it isn’t artificial and can’t be faked for a long period of time. It is displayed in people who genuinely care and are willing to take the time to serve their customers in whatever manner is necessary. If your mindset is not to compassionately serve people, you can stop reading because the rest of this article is not for you. If you do have a willingness to serve and demonstrate concern, then continue reading.Passion in sales is evident when the sales person takes the time to listen to their customer and
We all know that Sales is really all about “closing the sale”. There is not a salesperson alive who does not use a variety of techniques to help them be successful with customers. However, I believe passion is the most underrated and underutilized sales tool in our arsenal because it is too hard to measure and no one has found an effective way to teach it. Why don’t more people use passion to their advantage? It’s simple. Passion exists in those who are humble, focused, and unlikely to advertise their expertise.Passion is an effective sales tool because it isn’t artificial and can’t be faked for a long period of time. It is displayed in people who genuinely care and are willing to take the time to serve their customers in whatever manner is necessary. If your mindset is not to compassionately serve people, you can stop reading because the rest of this article is not for you. If you do have a willingness to serve and demonstrate concern, then continue reading.Passion in sales is evident when the sales person takes the time to listen to their customer and
Most team development specialists would agree that defining a set of team rules, or a team charter, is one of the steps in a successful team's development. Step 2 in our 8-Step Model for high team performance is to develop a set of ground rules. I see this as a very important step in the team development process, and it is not merely focused on rules around attendance, dress code, attendance at meetings or production of reports. It is much more than that: defining your ground rules is about establishing the laws, or boundaries, by which your team will live every day.
Boundaries and standards - one and the same?
Boundaries and standards are different. Standards are levels of behaviour that you set with your team and make yourselves honour - in other words, how others experience working with your team. Examples of standards could include quality, punctuality, accuracy, attention to detail, and so on.
Boundaries, on the other hand, are more inwardly focused and describe the lines that you draw in order to be treated as you would wish. These could include such things as courtesy, respect, listening, positivity or honesty - there is no limit and no 'correct' list.
You might refer to these types of behaviours as 'values'. I prefer the concept of boundaries because for me the word conjures an image of lines; lines that I draw around myself and my team; lines that should not be crossed under any circumstances.
Why so important?
We all have our personal boundaries. Think of them as filters by which we allow people into our lives or not. These filters contribute towards defining us and shaping our personal brand. In the same way, the boundaries that we apply within our teams help to define our team brand; that is, how people see and experience us as a team of people.
Once you define your team's boundaries, you must apply them both internally and externally. This means that you make them real, both in terms of how you treat one another within the team and how you allow yourselves to be treated by others.
The former is usually easy: we agree how we will behave towards one another and, if those rules are broken, we openly call it out and deal with it. Applying your boundaries outside the team can test your mettle somewhat more, but the benefits are huge.
I recently joined a teleseminar run by Tom Heck about expanding your team's boundaries to improve your team's performance. Tom suggests that there are several benefits to establishing firm team boundaries:
- trust increases
- people respect you and your team more
- fear diminishes significantly
- the team grows faster.
In the teleseminar, Tom described a real-life example of marking out boundaries in business.
When some of his team were being upset by abusive customers, David Durovy, President of TapeResources.com, 'fired' the customers who overstepped his organisation's boundaries. He simply explained to them that their custom was not welcome within his organisation.
Extreme? Maybe. But the result? People woke up and realised that this was an organisation that cared about them more than it cared about just making another sale. Imagine the power of showing your team members that they are more important to you than simply making profit. You will reap the rewards in terms of staff retention and knowledge retention, morale, commitment, effort, performance, attendance, ... the list goes on and on. And that's not to say we don't do business; just that we don't do business regardless of the cost to our values a
Top Two Ways to Close More Sales
You found a prospect and got the appointment, now what? It's time to decide if this person or organization is in need of your product or service. It's time to find the problem you can solve and then present your product or service as the solution.Selling Tip #1: Find the prospects problemThe BEST way to implement this selling tip and discover the true needs or problem of a prospect or client is with proper questions. Questions allow us to gather important information, which enables us to help our clients. When we ask questions in a professional manner we establish the most important aspect of the sales process - TRUST. When you ask questions that show a sincere interest in the prospect they'll learn that you're not just another salesperson trying to take their money. They'll discover that you are truly interested in helping them.When you ask questions to uncover the prospects problem, you should ask the question and then shut your mouth and listen for the answer. Tom Hopkins says "you have two ears and one mouth, you should listen twice as much as
make yourselves honour - in other words, how others experience working with your team. Examples of standards could include quality, punctuality, accuracy, attention to detail, and so on.You found a prospect and got the appointment, now what? It's time to decide if this person or organization is in need of your product or service. It's time to find the problem you can solve and then present your product or service as the solution.Selling Tip #1: Find the prospects problemThe BEST way to implement this selling tip and discover the true needs or problem of a prospect or client is with proper questions. Questions allow us to gather important information, which enables us to help our clients. When we ask questions in a professional manner we establish the most important aspect of the sales process - TRUST. When you ask questions that show a sincere interest in the prospect they'll learn that you're not just another salesperson trying to take their money. They'll discover that you are truly interested in helping them.When you ask questions to uncover the prospects problem, you should ask the question and then shut your mouth and listen for the answer. Tom Hopkins says "you have two ears and one mouth, you should listen twice as much as
Boundaries, on the other hand, are more inwardly focused and describe the lines that you draw in order to be treated as you would wish. These could include such things as courtesy, respect, listening, positivity or honesty - there is no limit and no 'correct' list.
You might refer to these types of behaviours as 'values'. I prefer the concept of boundaries because for me the word conjures an image of lines; lines that I draw around myself and my team; lines that should not be crossed under any circumstances.
Why so important?
We all have our personal boundaries. Think of them as filters by which we allow people into our lives or not. These filters contribute towards defining us and shaping our personal brand. In the same way, the boundaries that we apply within our teams help to define our team brand; that is, how people see and experience us as a team of people.
Once you define your team's boundaries, you must apply them both internally and externally. This means that you make them real, both in terms of how you treat one another within the team and how you allow yourselves to be treated by others.
The former is usually easy: we agree how we will behave towards one another and, if those rules are broken, we openly call it out and deal with it. Applying your boundaries outside the team can test your mettle somewhat more, but the benefits are huge.
I recently joined a teleseminar run by Tom Heck about expanding your team's boundaries to improve your team's performance. Tom suggests that there are several benefits to establishing firm team boundaries:
- trust increases
- people respect you and your team more
- fear diminishes significantly
- the team grows faster.
In the teleseminar, Tom described a real-life example of marking out boundaries in business.
When some of his team were being upset by abusive customers, David Durovy, President of TapeResources.com, 'fired' the customers who overstepped his organisation's boundaries. He simply explained to them that their custom was not welcome within his organisation.
Extreme? Maybe. But the result? People woke up and realised that this was an organisation that cared about them more than it cared about just making another sale. Imagine the power of showing your team members that they are more important to you than simply making profit. You will reap the rewards in terms of staff retention and knowledge retention, morale, commitment, effort, performance, attendance, ... the list goes on and on. And that's not to say we don't do business; just that we don't do business regardless of the cost to our values a
A Career in Interior Decorating
Imagine having a career that lets you use your creativity to make homes and businesses more beautiful and comfortable. Welcome to the world of interior decorating!There are few careers that offer so many benefits. As an interior decorator you will have the satisfaction of making your vision a reality. You will meet interesting people, and because many people who hire interior decorators are wealthy, you will likely spend time in many beautiful homes and businesses. If you start your own decorating business you can enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. And perhaps most importantly, your "work" will be fun, interesting, and rewarding.As long as you have the desire, you can become an interior decorator. No special education or experience is necessary to break into this career and succeed. (Unlike becoming a certified interior designer which has strict requirements including two to five years of post-secondary education in interior design.) You can become an interior decorator immediately.If interior decorating sounds like the career of your dream
Imagine having a career that lets you use your creativity to make homes and businesses more beautiful and comfortable. Welcome to the world of interior decorating!There are few careers that offer so many benefits. As an interior decorator you will have the satisfaction of making your vision a reality. You will meet interesting people, and because many people who hire interior decorators are wealthy, you will likely spend time in many beautiful homes and businesses. If you start your own decorating business you can enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. And perhaps most importantly, your "work" will be fun, interesting, and rewarding.As long as you have the desire, you can become an interior decorator. No special education or experience is necessary to break into this career and succeed. (Unlike becoming a certified interior designer which has strict requirements including two to five years of post-secondary education in interior design.) You can become an interior decorator immediately.If interior decorating sounds like the career of your dream
We all have our personal boundaries. Think of them as filters by which we allow people into our lives or not. These filters contribute towards defining us and shaping our personal brand. In the same way, the boundaries that we apply within our teams help to define our team brand; that is, how people see and experience us as a team of people.
Once you define your team's boundaries, you must apply them both internally and externally. This means that you make them real, both in terms of how you treat one another within the team and how you allow yourselves to be treated by others.
The former is usually easy: we agree how we will behave towards one another and, if those rules are broken, we openly call it out and deal with it. Applying your boundaries outside the team can test your mettle somewhat more, but the benefits are huge.
I recently joined a teleseminar run by Tom Heck about expanding your team's boundaries to improve your team's performance. Tom suggests that there are several benefits to establishing firm team boundaries:
- trust increases
- people respect you and your team more
- fear diminishes significantly
- the team grows faster.
In the teleseminar, Tom described a real-life example of marking out boundaries in business.
When some of his team were being upset by abusive customers, David Durovy, President of TapeResources.com, 'fired' the customers who overstepped his organisation's boundaries. He simply explained to them that their custom was not welcome within his organisation.
Extreme? Maybe. But the result? People woke up and realised that this was an organisation that cared about them more than it cared about just making another sale. Imagine the power of showing your team members that they are more important to you than simply making profit. You will reap the rewards in terms of staff retention and knowledge retention, morale, commitment, effort, performance, attendance, ... the list goes on and on. And that's not to say we don't do business; just that we don't do business regardless of the cost to our values a
Do You Know What Your Strategy is?
It is fundamental to all businesses that understanding your markets and customers allows for the development of effective strategies. Strategies that, when implemented will enable you to develop your competitive advantage. Simply put your competitive advantage is built upon your ability to exploit what it is that you do better then anyone else.A Companies BASE STRATEGY forms the basic foundation upon which you plan and build your Competitive Advantage. Your Base Strategy represents your broad game plan and how you intend to succeed in your current business environment; how you plan to leverage your strengths vs. the competition, it also serves as a guideline for decision-making, resource allocation as well as new product and service development. Understanding what external and internal factors drive your Base Strategy will enable you to create your unique Strategy for success.To this end I have outlined several basic strategies which will help you better understand where you and your company fit, thereby enabling you to re evaluate your present base s
nd deal with it. Applying your boundaries outside the team can test your mettle somewhat more, but the benefits are huge.It is fundamental to all businesses that understanding your markets and customers allows for the development of effective strategies. Strategies that, when implemented will enable you to develop your competitive advantage. Simply put your competitive advantage is built upon your ability to exploit what it is that you do better then anyone else.A Companies BASE STRATEGY forms the basic foundation upon which you plan and build your Competitive Advantage. Your Base Strategy represents your broad game plan and how you intend to succeed in your current business environment; how you plan to leverage your strengths vs. the competition, it also serves as a guideline for decision-making, resource allocation as well as new product and service development. Understanding what external and internal factors drive your Base Strategy will enable you to create your unique Strategy for success.To this end I have outlined several basic strategies which will help you better understand where you and your company fit, thereby enabling you to re evaluate your present base s
I recently joined a teleseminar run by Tom Heck about expanding your team's boundaries to improve your team's performance. Tom suggests that there are several benefits to establishing firm team boundaries:
- trust increases
- people respect you and your team more
- fear diminishes significantly
- the team grows faster.
In the teleseminar, Tom described a real-life example of marking out boundaries in business.
When some of his team were being upset by abusive customers, David Durovy, President of TapeResources.com, 'fired' the customers who overstepped his organisation's boundaries. He simply explained to them that their custom was not welcome within his organisation.
Extreme? Maybe. But the result? People woke up and realised that this was an organisation that cared about them more than it cared about just making another sale. Imagine the power of showing your team members that they are more important to you than simply making profit. You will reap the rewards in terms of staff retention and knowledge retention, morale, commitment, effort, performance, attendance, ... the list goes on and on. And that's not to say we don't do business; just that we don't do business regardless of the cost to our values a
Selling Deck Washing Services in Your Power Wash Business
Selling deck cleaning and washing services takes a little practice. Additionally once you do a good job, often you can secure a second job, which pays even more to put a coating or treat the wood. Once you are done with this, well it is time for referrals, which you are sure to get merely by giving them a stack of five business cards for their friends.Spring and fall are always a perfect time for home maintenance in fact they are the best seasons in the deck care profession. Let your potential clients know that you have a professional staff at your company and you are here to help. Your customers should know that if they have a new deck they need to seal it now before the elements can do more damage. You need to study up on all the various types of woods, composites and coatings in the deck industry, then use this information and tell your customer that;“Our extensive knowledge of woods and sealers ensures your satisfaction. We use top quality sealers that do not contain wax. Most retail brand water sealers cost considerably less to make, are wax-like,
omers, David Durovy, President of TapeResources.com, 'fired' the customers who overstepped his organisation's boundaries. He simply explained to them that their custom was not welcome within his organisation.Selling deck cleaning and washing services takes a little practice. Additionally once you do a good job, often you can secure a second job, which pays even more to put a coating or treat the wood. Once you are done with this, well it is time for referrals, which you are sure to get merely by giving them a stack of five business cards for their friends.Spring and fall are always a perfect time for home maintenance in fact they are the best seasons in the deck care profession. Let your potential clients know that you have a professional staff at your company and you are here to help. Your customers should know that if they have a new deck they need to seal it now before the elements can do more damage. You need to study up on all the various types of woods, composites and coatings in the deck industry, then use this information and tell your customer that;“Our extensive knowledge of woods and sealers ensures your satisfaction. We use top quality sealers that do not contain wax. Most retail brand water sealers cost considerably less to make, are wax-like,
Extreme? Maybe. But the result? People woke up and realised that this was an organisation that cared about them more than it cared about just making another sale. Imagine the power of showing your team members that they are more important to you than simply making profit. You will reap the rewards in terms of staff retention and knowledge retention, morale, commitment, effort, performance, attendance, ... the list goes on and on. And that's not to say we don't do business; just that we don't do business regardless of the cost to our values and principles.
Living with your boundaries
GE's Jack Welch says that an organisation's values need to be at least as important as the numbers. He describes four kinds of employees:
- those who demonstrate the values and deliver the numbers - it's pretty easy to know what to do with these ones: reward, motivate and develop them
- those who neither have the values nor deliver the numbers - again, easy: these people need to go
- those who have the values but don't deliver the numbers - these people should be given a chance. The intentions are good and maybe the performance can come good with time
- those who deliver the numbers but don't have the values - these are the ones who are often kept on because they get results, even though they typically create huge problems such as high turnover, low morale or damaged organisational reputation. Welch suggests that these are the people you have got to be prepared to fire, and be open about why you're doing it.
Applying your defined boundaries in this way requires courage and the strength to 'walk the talk', even if it goes against what is normally accepted. The highest performing teams and leaders will be able and prepared to behave in this way because they have considered what is acceptable and why, and they have confidence in their convictions.
One of the ways to start being able to apply your boundaries consistently is to define them with your team - as opposed to just telling them - and for everyone to commit to living by them. You may then need to consider other stakeholders and how you will get them to agree to your applying those boundaries every day.
Challenges to boundary setting
One of the challenges to setting team boundaries is that it requires the entire team to be bought in. If one or two people disagree you can be pretty sure that they will apply different rules and permit different behaviours from the rest of the team. This will result in an inconsistent image, or brand, presented by the team and hence confusion amongst those who deal with the team. People will see the team as a group of individuals to whom different behaviours are acceptable and will behave accordingly.
In defining and applying your team's boundaries it is a good idea to give people a chance to adjust. If you have never previously taken a stand against, for example, negative language or expletives and you suddenly start to object when people use them you will likely find yourself faced with indignation and confusion. You need, therefore to think about how you will communicate your newly defined boundaries to those you deal with in order to ensure their understanding and acceptance of the new rules.
Your action steps for this month:
- Make a list of your personal boundaries - what are the lines you do not allow people to cross no matter what?
- Now make a list of your team's boundaries
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