Monday Mornings with Madison

Category Archives:
Staff Management

October 28, 2013

Skills for Success – Part 2

Issue #303

Difficult conversations are some of the most awkward, tense, tie-you-up-in-knots moments in people’s lives… both their personal and professional lives. In fact, there are thousands of books, articles and seminars on the topic of how to handle difficult conversations. One large training firm that provides professional workshops started offering a seminar titled ‘Dealing with Difficult People’, and it quickly became one of their most well-attended and lucrative programs. While it is not really a skill that anyone wants to be good at, most people understand that is an important skill for success.

The first step is to consider “Why is it a difficult conversation in the first place?” Sometimes, it’s because of the relationship between the parties such as a subordinate speaking to a supervisor. Sometimes it is because of the content of the conversation, such as communicating a criticism or pointing out a harsh truth. Sometimes it is because the person on either end of the talk is a difficult or hostile person. No matter the circumstances, there are strategies on how to handle even the most difficult conversation. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
October 14, 2013

Fake Reviews – Part 2

Issue #301

With the advent of the Internet, word-of-mouth referrals, written recommendations and printed reviews have spread into the online world. All manner of websites now allow consumers, experts and trusted sources to write reviews about any product or service… or person, for that matter. Such sites abound including Linked In, Yelp, Trip Advisor, Angie’s List, Urbanspoon and countless others. They allow people to rate everything from restaurants and hotels to retailers and professionals. The problem is that as much as a quarter to a third of all online reviews are totally fake.
Some companies spend a lot of time and money to get good fake reviews or generate bad reviews for competitors. Why do they do it? Is it really all that beneficial to the business? And, if so, what’s to stop all businesses from writing fake reviews until no reviews – even legitimate ones – will have any credibility? Continue reading →

Leave a comment
October 7, 2013

Fake Reviews – Part 1

Issue #300

It’s been said that people do business with people they know, like and trust. That is considered by many to be a basic truth of business. The key ingredient of that formula is trust. Customers want to do business with companies that they trust will do a good job and treat them fairly and courteously. Long before the Internet, consumers used the old-fashioned but reliable method of identifying worthy vendors: Word-of-Mouth. It was understood that past performance was the best indicator of future behavior. From doctors to department stores and from Realtors to restaurants, people would frequent nearby businesses recommended by a family member, friend or colleague. A business that was highly recommended generally could be trusted to deliver a good product or service.
With the advent of the Internet, however, consumers had more choices of companies with which to do business, including companies that were much farther away than their neighborhood. The global village offered more choice but with it also came the challenge of knowing which businesses to trust. The old-fashioned method of identifying worthy vendors was updated for the Internet age. Word-of-mouth referrals evolved into online customer reviews. To facilitate the process, websites sprung up that allowed consumers to write reviews about their experience with that business. Sites such as Yelp, Trip Advisor, Angie’s List, Urbanspoon, Chowhound, and others, allowed customers to rate vendors; everything from restaurants and hotels to retailers and professionals. Problem solved? Not exactly. It now appears that as much as 25-33% of all online reviews are completely bogus. Called astro-turfing, the problem of fake reviews is a growing. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
September 30, 2013

Dressing for Success

Issue #299

While it’s been said many times that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, marketers know that people do just that. That’s why product packaging plays such a pivotal role in product sales. Product packaging designers know that looks matter, and without a properly designed package a product is hard to sell regardless of how good its other attributes might be. Indeed, packaging design represents what the brand stands for as much as other elements of the brand visual identity do, and in certain cases the packaging is almost as important as the product itself.

This applies not only to the sale of products. It also applies to the most valuable resource any business has… its employees. Career coaches and HR experts agree that applicants should dress for the job they want, not the job they currently have or last had. Applicants are evaluated first by their appearance, which is a key part of body language. Employers want to hire someone who ‘looks the part.’ But ‘dressing the part’ applies not only to those seeking employment. Dressing for success is a personal philosophy that everyone in the workplace should adopt. While office attire has certainly changed over the years, giving rise to ‘business casual’ and ‘casual Fridays’, how employees dress for work still matters. Here’s why. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
September 16, 2013

Untying the K”nots”

Issue #298

What is standing between you and success? Is it a person, place or thing? For many, a person is the biggest obstacle to achieving their greatest dream. It might be an enemy or nemesis. Or perhaps it is a competitor. Or it could be a coworker. It might even be someone much closer, such as a friend or family member. But for some, it is someone even closer than that. For some, the most daunting impediment to achieving their goals is their own face in the mirror. That’s right. For some, the biggest barrier to achieving their dreams is themselves and the negative self-talk inside.

For some, the knots binding them from achieving their wishes and dreams are in their mind and heart. They are bound by the have nots, can nots and do nots in their own minds. They are anchored by the will nots, may nots, and might nots that have affixed themselves to their hearts. They are tethered by the could nots of the past, the should nots of the present and the anticipated would nots of the future. The “nots” in their thinking become the actual knots that bind and obstruct their path to happiness and success. Most importantly, the am nots, especially thoughts such as “I am not good enough” hold people down. And if you think that positive thinking and positive self talk is just a bunch of nonsense, think again. There is scientific proof that positive thinking has a powerful positive effect and negative thinking has a powerful negative effect. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
August 26, 2013

Embrace Office Organization

Issue #295

Organization and time management are two of the biggest challenges that people face day-to-day. Busy lives often result in messy lives. This is true both at home and work. In fact, lack of time often leads to clutter. At home, it might be the medicine cabinet that needs tidying. Or it might be the utensil drawer in the kitchen that needs sorting. Or it might be financial records that need organizing. For some, clutter is confined to one area. For others, mess is found in every drawer and closet… every nook and cranny. Lack of organization is not just irritating to the eye and stressing to the mind, it can actually cause real problems. For example, a person can’t take medicine if they can’t find the medicine. Bills not paid on time can result in a lower credit score or worse. Cluttered closets can hide resources that result in unnecessary purchases.

At work, lack of organization can also cause problems. A cluttered or messy desk can waste time as an employee searches for a needed paper or file. A disorganized supply room can cause staff to order additional supplies needlessly. Cluttered or misplaced records can even result in lost clients if key work is overlooked or deadlines are missed. Disorganized accounting records can wreak absolute havoc during an audit or at tax time. Given that organization is key to efficiency, economy of motion and effectiveness, how does a leader or manager ensure that all staff get and stay organized? How can a busy employee stay organized despite a heavy workload? Continue reading →

Leave a comment
August 5, 2013

Poison Pill: How to Deal with a Toxic Employee

Issue #292

No employer ever wants to think of any employee as ‘toxic’ or ‘poisonous’. Yet anyone who has ever worked with or managed a large team of people can attest that there is occasionally an individual who is so negative and damaging to the workplace that he/she is secretly thought of as a ‘poison pill.’ It could be an employee who is great at her job, but speaks to customers with utter contempt. It might be a stellar salesperson who is a top producer but treats support staff like lowly peasants. Perhaps it is a manager who is wonderful to customers but rude and harsh to his direct reports. Or maybe it is an employee who says all the right things to management but then turns around and bad mouths the company to other employees and customers. Whatever the scenario, the problem of a poisonous employee is not one that can be ignored.

The real problem with a poisonous employee is that, like a poison pill dropped in a well of fresh water, he or she can contaminate the entire source. Left untended, that individual can create problems with customers, other employees and management. But dealing with a poison pill employee can be tricky business, especially if the person is great at what they do. How should a company handle the hostile employee that threatens the harmony and success of the team? The answer is carefully but decisively. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
July 29, 2013

The Power of a Winning Smile

Issue #291

It used to be that a salesperson or company employee could deal with a client for months or years by phone, mail and (most recently) by email and never know what they looked like or vice verse. The advent of social media, digital photography and video has changed all that. Most businessmen and professionals now have a profile on at least one social networking site (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, etc.). Such profiles often feature the person’s picture. Suddenly, a salesperson or employee is not just a faceless name and a headless voice. A picture makes the person ‘real’. Seeing an actual face establishes a deeper connection. And, arguably, the most important part of a person’s facial expression is the smile.

Ironically, if you Google the term “winning smile,” the top ranking results are for dental services. In the world of search engines, smile equals teeth. But in the world of business, a smile actually equals trust. A person’s look / expression can either inspire trust and confidence or conjure doubt and misgivings. A genuine smile (not to be confused with a grimace or fake smile) generally denotes pleasure, sociability, happiness and/or amusement. Smiling is something that is understood by everyone despite culture, race, or religion. Internationally known, cross-cultural studies have confirmed that smiling is a positive means of communication throughout the world. There is even evidence that smiling actually has a positive effect on business, sales and ultimately the bottom line. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
July 8, 2013

The Best Time To Work: Early Birds, Night Owls and Intermediates

Issue #288

Virtually every organism on the planet — from bacteria to humans — has a circadian clock, a biological timing mechanism that oscillates with a period of about 24 hours and is coordinated with the cycle of day and night. And while it runs independent of external cues, it is influenced by sunlight, temperature and food availability. This internal ‘body clock’ guides the best time for many activities. The observation of this process in humans was mentioned in Chinese medical texts dating back to around the 13th century. Referred to as the circadian rhythm – from the Latin ‘circa’ meaning “around” and diem meaning ‘day’, this timekeeper guides activities of the body including the best times to eat and sleep.

Almost every function of the body oscillates during the day according to this clock. For example, body temperature is regulated in part by this internal clock. The body’s temperature is lowest around 5am, just before waking in the morning, and highest in the late afternoon. This may have some bearing on heart attacks, which are most common in the morning hours. There are indications that the circadian clock also helps to regulate metabolism. When altered or hindered, that biological clock can wreak havoc in the body. For example, people can experience fatigue and dizziness, known as jet lag, when crossing time zones. Others suffer from depression when living in places with minimal daylight/sunlight such as Alaska.

This internal clock seems to also impact a person’s chronotype; that is whether the individual is a morning person, a night dweller or somewhere in between. A person’s chronotype affects their productivity at work. How so? While a person’s chronotype may not seem like an important employment variable, it has a profound impact on every employee’s creativity, attitude, problem solving skills, and ability to socialize. And those variables have a direct impact on the bottom line of every business. It helps to understand how a person’s chronotype should fit with their work hours and demands.
Continue reading →

Leave a comment
July 1, 2013

Managing Employee Requests for Time Off

Issue #287

Vacations are necessary for employees (and employers) to rejuvenate and recharge their batteries. For most, a summer vacation is a care-free time away from the non-stop grind of ‘work, work, work.’ But for business leaders and division or department managers, the summer means an influx of requests for time off. The same is true during holiday seasons such as Passover/Easter, High Holy Days, and Thanksgiving. While vacations and holidays may be a happy-go-lucky time for some, it increases the workload and stress level for others. Multiple requests for leave may arrive at the same time. Vacation requests may coincide with other requests for time off such as maternity leave, family reunions, jury duty, and/or sick leave for medical issues. Conflicts are inevitable. What is a boss to do?
Processing employee requests for vacations or leave needn’t be a nightmare. To minimize leave stress, the key is to set clear policies and plan well in advance. When followed, there are best practices which can help minimize problems with those taking leave and those who will cover for them while they’re gone. Some of these strategies may seem strict or even harsh but, in the long run, ensures the overall well-being of both the staff and company. Continue reading →

Leave a comment