Today’s business environment and the attitude and expectation of employees do not lend themselves to the old command-and-control style of management. Gone are the days where the boss sends a flurry around the office when he cracks a whip in the morning before you’ve had your first cup of coffee.

Today’s employee wants a more personal approach with managers. Increasingly, we hear about managers playing the role of coaches to their employees. There are already courses being run on the subject, such as the Australian Institute of Management’s Manager as Coach course.

However, there are some quite serious cultural and organisational challenges if you are trying to be a coach to your employee, while still wearing your manager hat.

Professional coaches usually subscribe to a code of ethics that entails very strict standards of confidentiality.

For example, the International Association of Coaching (IAC) code of ethics includes an extensive treatment of ... Continue reading]]> Today’s business environment and the attitude and expectation of employees do not lend themselves to the old command-and-control style of management. Gone are the days where the boss sends a flurry around the office when he cracks a whip in the morning before you’ve had your first cup of coffee.

Today’s employee wants a more personal approach with managers. Increasingly, we hear about managers playing the role of coaches to their employees. There are already courses being run on the subject, such as the Australian Institute of Management’s Manager as Coach course.

However, there are some quite serious cultural and organisational challenges if you are trying to be a coach to your employee, while still wearing your manager hat.

1.      Confidentiality and Reporting

Professional coaches usually subscribe to a code of ethics that entails very strict standards of confidentiality.

For example, the International Association of Coaching (IAC) code of ethics includes an extensive treatment of confidentiality, summed up for me in the sentence “All information obtained in the course of the professional service is confidential unless there is a compelling professional reason for its disclosure.”

But what if the manager learns something from the employee that puts the employee at a disadvantage when it comes to year-end review? Can the manager then raise that with a more senior person? Technically, a professional coach would say not unless there is a prior agreement with the person being coached.

 2.      Listening

Coaches place a high value on listening in a non-judgemental, objective way. They do this very well when training their athletes day in and day out.

At the risk of over-generalisation but based partly on my own years of experience as a coach, manager and senior executive, managers are expected to get to the point quickly, make decisions, and get everyone onboard quickly. Sometimes listening is a luxury you can’t afford.

3.      Power Relationships

However advanced or enlightened the management of a company may be, if you are a manager and you are coaching someone you supervise, there will always be an imbalance between the power relationship in your favour and in the company’s favour.

The coachee may be able to opt out of being coached by you, but may at the same time have an apprehension that this will go against her or him in some way.

Workarounds

I don’t believe anyone has yet come up with a “lock-in” solution to these challenges. Here are some suggestions for a “workaround”.

1.      Confidentiality

There should be agreements worked out in advance between management and staff about what must be kept confidential and what may be shared up the line.

Even when something is deemed to be in principle “shareable”, there must be an understanding that the staff member concerned will not be kept in the dark but will be fully aware that something is to be shared.

2.       Listening

Apart from having professional training to build listening skills, one thing that managers can do, which is common practice among professional coaches, is some form of “buddy coaching”. This is where two managers agree to coach one another and give one another feedback.

A very powerful version of “buddy coaching” is where three people work together, two coaching one another in turns. The third acts as an observer and reports to the others on their listening skills.

3.       Power Relationships

For coaching by managers to work, there needs to be a level of trust, that in these days of instant and often massive downsizing, cannot be taken for granted.

Trust can’t be demanded. It needs to be built in practice. Start with explicit agreements about how the coaching process is going to work and what expectations and limitations exist.

Hiring new people for your firm is both exciting and risky. On one hand, bringing new ideas, experience and enthusiasm into your business can reinvigorate your existing teams and drive your business forward. On the other, there’s always a risk that the person you hire doesn’t quite fit—or doesn’t really have the skills or experience you were expecting.

It is claimed that up to 40% of resumes contain lies or leave out past employment, qualifications or education. So if you are doing 5 interviews for a new role, there will be serious doubt over the on-paper claims of 2 of your candidates.

Often we rely on gut instinct to weed out the unsuitable candidates. But it can be notoriously difficult to detect someone who is lying or even just “bending the truth”. This is where social media can come to your rescue. With just a few simple searches you can pre-validate candidates’ resumes ... Continue reading]]> Hiring new people for your firm is both exciting and risky. On one hand, bringing new ideas, experience and enthusiasm into your business can reinvigorate your existing teams and drive your business forward. On the other, there’s always a risk that the person you hire doesn’t quite fit—or doesn’t really have the skills or experience you were expecting.

It is claimed that up to 40% of resumes contain lies or leave out past employment, qualifications or education. So if you are doing 5 interviews for a new role, there will be serious doubt over the on-paper claims of 2 of your candidates.

Often we rely on gut instinct to weed out the unsuitable candidates. But it can be notoriously difficult to detect someone who is lying or even just “bending the truth”. This is where social media can come to your rescue. With just a few simple searches you can pre-validate candidates’ resumes before you even choose to interview them.

Here are 5 tips to help you pre-screen new hires:

1. Don’t wait until after the interview

Time is money, right? Rather than validating the candidates after you have taken the time to interview them, put together a short list and then quickly do some fact checking before the interview. If you are aiming to interview five people, make sure you have six or seven on your shortlist as there’s bound to be one or two fall out.

2. Start with a Google vanity search 

It’s a tried and true way of digital snooping—simply enter the candidate’s name in Google’s search box. Use inverted commas and make sure you that you get the spelling right.

3. Refine the search results

 Refine the results of your vanity search by clicking the Search tools button and narrowing the results to your country or local area (eg Sydney, Australia). Get the most recent information by clicking the Any time button and selecting Past month or Past year. Be sure to also skim through the images shown through the Google image search.

4. Delve into Facebook and Twitter

Not all Facebook or Twitter profiles are private. Logging into social networks sites allows you to get a sense of the social life of your candidate. Now, of course, a candidate’s after hours activities do not determine someone’s capacity to achieve business results. But remember, if you can find this information, your customers can too.

5. Validate claims via LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be used to help validate claims on a resume. Cross-match project and work accomplishments on your candidate’s resume with their LinkedIn profile. Check the “People also viewed” section of the candidate’s profile, and it’s likely you’ll see the profiles of their work colleagues. Quickly scan some of these profiles and their accomplishments to understand the context in which your candidate worked, and determine the validity of any LinkedIn recommendations.

Finding the right person for the job can be time consuming. Make the best use of your valuable time by pre-screening candidates, and use the information you find to ask questions and really get to know someone before you offer them the job.

Butting heads

The old adage “agree to disagree” has been tossed around often enough during heated discussions. But if the dispute arises from your customers, contracts, employees or debtors, you need to move quickly to resolve it or face far-reaching consequences on your business.

In some cases, it may be impossible to avoid complications. However, there are some fundamental steps that a business owner should take to minimise the impact of a dispute.

Meet the problem head on

Many disputes can be resolved quickly and without issue by a rapid and personal response.

Collect the facts as soon as possible

There are always two sides to a story, and you must ensure that you know the facts ... Continue reading]]>

Butting heads

The old adage “agree to disagree” has been tossed around often enough during heated discussions. But if the dispute arises from your customers, contracts, employees or debtors, you need to move quickly to resolve it or face far-reaching consequences on your business.

In some cases, it may be impossible to avoid complications. However, there are some fundamental steps that a business owner should take to minimise the impact of a dispute.

Meet the problem head on

Many disputes can be resolved quickly and without issue by a rapid and personal response.

• Contact the other people involved and listen to the issues.
• Do not argue details; simply document the issues as dispassionately as you can.
• Assure them that the issue is being taken seriously.
• Ask to meet face-to-face to help resolve the problem.

Collect the facts as soon as possible

There are always two sides to a story, and you must ensure that you know the facts from your business’ point of view.

• Review the details of the dispute with your team.
• Document alternative versions, focusing on the facts from your business’ point of view.
• Create a timeline of dates, times and people, and cross check these against the facts that are in contention.

Prepare to meet

After you have established the facts of the dispute, you need to prepare to meet face-to-face. This can be confronting, but is also the most direct way to achieve a resolution quickly.

• Collate your evidence: All your notes and information need to be organised in a way that is easy to access. Make sure you have readily accessible copies of any terms and conditions, contracts, warranties and so on.
• Review and organise your data: Read through your information several times. Look for gaps, and clarify issues with the people involved. Make sure you feel comfortable with the information that you have on hand.

Focus on resolving issues

When you meet to discuss the problem, you must be prepared to negotiate.

• If you are in the wrong: If you have made a mistake or found your business to be in the wrong, admit this—make reparations and seek to move on as quickly as possible.
• If you are in the right: Every minute that a dispute continues costs you money and takes your focus away from your business. Negotiate to resolve the issue as quickly and cheaply as you can. (Trevor Young has some great tips on crisis management that apply in this situation.)

Stick to the facts

Disputes can become very emotional very quickly. Continuously refer to your notes and the timeline that you have established, and identify the gaps in your own facts as well as the other side’s.

Be aware that two sets of facts can co-exist. Be calm in all your discussions, and be respectful to all involved.

Move quickly when opportunity presents itself

To resolve a dispute you need to identify an acceptable outcome for your business. Consider:

• The minimum remedy that would be acceptable from your perspective—including an apology (personal or public), alteration of process, compensation, replacement or repair.
• What is important to the other party. Ask them to describe the outcome they are seeking.

When a compromise is offered, quickly weigh up the pros and cons and accept, renegotiate or refuse it. Remember that protracted disputes can severely impact your business, and most people are also keen to resolve disputes quickly. Find a way to get back to what you do best—focusing on your business.

In my coaching work, one of the most typical challenges business owners experience is pushback from team members because of changes the business is implementing. Similarly, when facilitating team advisory boards, I regularly hear this: ‘the biggest problem around this place is communication.’

Here are some examples that you might relate to:

With the exception of the third example above (golden rule of buy-in—you do NOT need buy-in from people who should not be on your bus!), the most likely reason you are facing these challenges is that you ... Continue reading]]>

In my coaching work, one of the most typical challenges business owners experience is pushback from team members because of changes the business is implementing. Similarly, when facilitating team advisory boards, I regularly hear this: ‘the biggest problem around this place is communication.’

Here are some examples that you might relate to:

• My team doesn’t like the new system we have put in place to manage inventory.
• A couple of customers have said they don’t understand why we want to change our pricing policy, and we’re feeling the brunt.
• Everyone is behind what we are doing in this business except for one person—he has been here for 25 years, stuck in the old way of doing things and won’t change.

With the exception of the third example above (golden rule of buy-in—you do NOT need buy-in from people who should not be on your bus!), the most likely reason you are facing these challenges is that you have not explained WHY you are doing something.

You see, there is a real difference between implementing a new inventory system, and explaining the reasons for such a strategy. Some firms I have worked with have used this simple script and found it to work well:

“Team, I’d like to introduce you to our theme for the quarter, Customer Delight. Our customers have consistently told us that when they order a particular item, they expect us to supply it quickly. So with that in mind, we are setting an internal performance standard to ensure we carry sufficient inventory to satisfy our customers’ demands, but without holding so much inventory that we run into cash flow problems. That way, our customers will be delighted, we will be more efficient and we’ll be hoping to get some great testimonials from our best customers that we can use in our marketing. This new inventory system is our scoreboard to ensure that we are on track to exceeding our customers’ expectations.”

See the difference? It’s clear as day. (Of course, if you say these words, you need to mean them.)

Another example: Let’s say you are a professional services business, and you decide to change your policy to offer a fixed price upfront on every job and you need to communicate that to the client before the work begins. Well, you need to make sure that you are explaining any change you make in a way that is of obvious benefit to the client. You need to articulate that in a confident manner—and coach your team on how to do the same so that they understand WHY you are doing it and how to explain that to a client. Consider this scenario:

“Most professional service firms price in arrears, meaning they wait to see how much time accumulates on a job and then calculate a bill based on charge out rates. Our clients have told us that they don’t like this methodology, as there is no certainty around the price. We have also come to the realisation that this is an unethical way of doing business—the slower we are, the more you pay. So, to address this issue, we will be giving you a fixed price on every job you ask us to do before we start the work. We’ll also be making it easier for you to pay our bills. There are now two options that you can take: you either pay your bill in two installments, 50% on acceptance of your fixed fee and 50% on completion, or, if you prefer, we offer a 5% discount as a professional courtesy should you choose to pay the whole amount upfront.”

With change, it is important to be constantly motivating your team members. Motivation should come from within. If someone does not want to be motivated, there’s nothing you can do to help them.

What motivational speakers do is create an environment where people will motivate themselves. But problems can arise with motivation— when a team member is not performing despite efforts to motivate him.

I would ask a simple question: Is it a skills issue or an attitude issue? You see, managers too often attempt to motivate people who don’t have the requisite skills to do the job. Similarly, they try to upskill people whose attitude stinks and where the only real option is to suggest they seek employment outside of your organization.

Key points to remember:

1. It is your business. Run it the way you wish to run it. Counter team objections by articulating why you are implementing changes or doing things a certain way. Couch it in terms of the benefit to the customer.
2. Motivation comes from within. Your job is to create an environment where the right people will turn up ready to give 100% every day.
3. Isolate individual team challenges by asking if the problem is skills or attitude issue, and address it accordingly.

Finally, look at yourself and ask yourself this confronting question: Would you like to be led by you? Make sure the answer is yes.

When should I hire a new employee?

This is a question that has plagued many small business owners as they plan for—and then experience—a growth phase. There is no easy answer, but in general, it’s better to be prepared than to scramble around looking for an extra hand when the workload increases.

Ideally, you would plan in advance and have a flexible, part-time employee from as early on as possible just to help with the administration. The idea is to train him or her to handle essential but non time-critical work.

The reduced workload should allow you to concentrate on building the business but should not break the bank. Consider offering flexible hours. We have found some great staff that can work a few days per week during school hours only.

Nowadays, you can often find very useful outsourcing services to perform some of the tasks until the workload builds to a ... Continue reading]]>

When should I hire a new employee?

This is a question that has plagued many small business owners as they plan for—and then experience—a growth phase. There is no easy answer, but in general, it’s better to be prepared than to scramble around looking for an extra hand when the workload increases.

Ideally, you would plan in advance and have a flexible, part-time employee from as early on as possible just to help with the administration. The idea is to train him or her to handle essential but non time-critical work.

The reduced workload should allow you to concentrate on building the business but should not break the bank. Consider offering flexible hours. We have found some great staff that can work a few days per week during school hours only.

Nowadays, you can often find very useful outsourcing services to perform some of the tasks until the workload builds to a point where you need someone in-house. Consider a virtual receptionist service that takes calls and messages when you are unavailable or a service to follow up on outstanding invoices, especially if you tend to leave the “dirty” jobs when faced with an overload.

One of the biggest mistakes—and I am guilty of this myself in the past—is leaving it too late and having to advertise, go over resumes, short-list, interview and then train a new member of staff when you are already in the middle of a business expansion phase.

You tend to panic and jump at the first candidate that seems right; often to find later that in your rush to fill the position, you did not do your homework and may regret the hasty decision. This is the period that can make or break your reputation. Taking your focus away from your clients or process at this stage can ruin all your hard work.

If you are really committed to building your business, then you need to treat this like insurance or a contingency plan for the business. Although it’s not totally necessary at this stage and may hurt your cash flow, it is often for the protection of your reputation.

If you do leave hiring to a time when you are very busy, then consider using the services of a recruitment agency to do the advertising and short listing of candidates. Did you know that Mission Australia Employment and similar agencies get government support to take your brief, search their database and short list candidates for you? These services are free to you.

They can often arrange additional training for the additional help to fill gaps in their skills. Their service is ideal for administration, hospitality and support staff, and we have found them excellent to deal with.

My point is this: the time to hire a new employee is BEFORE you really need him or her. It’s when the risk of not having a new employee is greater than the cost of bringing them on board.

As the final icing on our cake this year, we were recognized in the top 5 best places to work in New Zealand. We placed fifth in the 2012 Kenexa Best Workplace Awards, which is a first for us. It’s a big win, considering they had a record number of nearly 300 entries this year.

At MYOB, we have a simple rule. If you want your company to run better, make sure your team is happy. It’s even reflected in our slogan: Love your work.

It sounds cliché but it does work. 

When you’re focused on the day-to-day challenges of running and growing a business, cultivating the right workplace environment tends to fall off the priority cliff.  For many companies, the workplace culture tends to evolve in an ad hoc manner as the business grows.

However, we’ve found that taking the time to put some thought ... Continue reading]]>
A great cake to top off a great year

As the final icing on our cake this year, we were recognized in the top 5 best places to work in New Zealand. We placed fifth in the 2012 Kenexa Best Workplace Awards, which is a first for us. It’s a big win, considering they had a record number of nearly 300 entries this year.

At MYOB, we have a simple rule. If you want your company to run better, make sure your team is happy. It’s even reflected in our slogan: Love your work.

It sounds cliché but it does work. 

When you’re focused on the day-to-day challenges of running and growing a business, cultivating the right workplace environment tends to fall off the priority cliff.  For many companies, the workplace culture tends to evolve in an ad hoc manner as the business grows.

However, we’ve found that taking the time to put some thought into what sort of workplace you are creating, pays in the long run. For starters, happy people are productive people.

It all starts with a fun office environment. The central staff space at our Auckland office is themed to look like a holiday bach and our Christchurch office looks like an alpine ski resort. As well as being fun and quirky, this is a great visual reminder that we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

We hold regular events that let people show off their creativity and let their hair down a bit. For example, every year we hold “Reel Purple”, an MYOB film festival where teams of staff members are invited to write, produce and shoot their own short films.

We’ll rent out a movie theatre to screen the films and host our own little ‘Oscars’ ceremony. Events like this let our team come together, build stronger relationships, and have a bit of fun at the same time.

But it’s not all fun and games.  For me, the highlight this year has been launching GetOnline with the team to really help NZ businesses go online.  So far we’ve helped over 8600 businesses get a website.

That is a great feeling and the result of a huge team effort, specifically, a happy team.

When it comes to keeping employees motivated, research will tell you that it’s more than just financial rewards that encourage staff to stick with you.

Time and time again, I’ve heard people say that they want to feel valued by their bosses.

It’s a hot topic, and when I spoke to people about this recently, many said that no matter how much they were being paid, if they felt they weren’t being treated well, they were hitting job sites.

A key frustration included not having an understanding of management’s ‘big picture’ or vision.

If you are going to survey your staff to ascertain their engagement levels, you must be committed to acting on suggestions—or giving a good reason why you won’t. Not being listened to or a failure to have their ideas actioned had led several people to start looking elsewhere. It’s what led to me starting my own business.

While pay raises ... Continue reading]]>

When it comes to keeping employees motivated, research will tell you that it’s more than just financial rewards that encourage staff to stick with you.

Time and time again, I’ve heard people say that they want to feel valued by their bosses.

It’s a hot topic, and when I spoke to people about this recently, many said that no matter how much they were being paid, if they felt they weren’t being treated well, they were hitting job sites.

A key frustration included not having an understanding of management’s ‘big picture’ or vision.

If you are going to survey your staff to ascertain their engagement levels, you must be committed to acting on suggestions—or giving a good reason why you won’t. Not being listened to or a failure to have their ideas actioned had led several people to start looking elsewhere. It’s what led to me starting my own business.

While pay raises can still be good incentives as a reward for good performance, making your workplace a fun environment also scores points, as do opportunities to work from home on occasion.

Mentoring and coaching opportunities get a big thumbs up, along with team building activities, particularly ones that give employees an opportunity to help people less fortunate or even solo pro-bono projects.

With evidence mounting that people have shorter attention spans thanks to increased access to social media and new technologies, combined with greater workloads, having variety in roles and tasks is also seen as a plus.

While people’s motivation will of course vary, and my survey is only of a microscopic percentage of the population, there are enough warnings and tips here to make every business owner start thinking about ways they can retain great staff in a market that has an increasing skills shortage.

Training new staff or having unfilled roles can have a drastic impact on any business, so if you haven’t already done so, start talking to your team today and commit to action.

Everyone will win.

Melina Schamroth | Social Entrepreneur – m.a.d.woman

A very sharp knife is in da house.

It’s a red-letter day at The Feisty Empire.

After a six-year absence, my smartest associate has returned to the fold.

Adam Finlay helped build my business.

Now he’s helping me grow it.

By describing this journey, I plan to collate hints to help your business too.

Past

At the peak of Empire in 2005, I had five writers in training.

Adam out-learned, out-worked and outlasted the others.

But when my biggest client unexpectedly hired in-house copywriters, my revenue plummeted by more than 80%.

There was barely enough work for me.

Adam toughed it out, working on my business instead of in it.

We created forms and systems to make daily life faster, easier and more accurate.

Finally, my investment money dried up and Adam had to move on.

In giving a glowing testimonial to his prospective employers at Deakin University, I felt like I was cutting off my right arm.

Present

Adam shone in his new senior ... Continue reading]]>

A very sharp knife is in da house.

It’s a red-letter day at The Feisty Empire.

After a six-year absence, my smartest associate has returned to the fold.

Adam Finlay helped build my business.

Now he’s helping me grow it.

By describing this journey, I plan to collate hints to help your business too.

Past

At the peak of Empire in 2005, I had five writers in training.

Adam out-learned, out-worked and outlasted the others.

But when my biggest client unexpectedly hired in-house copywriters, my revenue plummeted by more than 80%.

There was barely enough work for me.

Adam toughed it out, working on my business instead of in it.

We created forms and systems to make daily life faster, easier and more accurate.

Finally, my investment money dried up and Adam had to move on.

In giving a glowing testimonial to his prospective employers at Deakin University, I felt like I was cutting off my right arm.

Present

Adam shone in his new senior editorial role.

Soon he was editing me, improving my writing by 20%.

Then he nailed his masters with high distinction.

Then he gained national professional accreditation as an editor.

Meanwhile, I rebuilt my client base, studied social media and developed new income streams.

Today I’m on the cusp of having more work than I can handle.

So Adam’s return is most propitious.

He’s found that he prefers editing to managing, so is delighted to be back ‘on the tools’.

He’s not the only one!

Future

I’ve been putting the word out to clients.

Their response has been extraordinary.

Many remember working with Adam all those years ago (such is his technical prowess and superior bedside manner).

They’re telling their networks, and fresh work is already starting to flow.

When I took last weekend off, I threw Adam the Empire’s ‘keys’, knowing he could handle anything in my absence.

With my capacity doubled, I’m ramping up my business generation efforts and saying yes to more projects.

I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Your growth

I’m eager for your tales of love and loss, staff and colleagues, growth and decline and the lessons springing therefrom.

By sharing our stories, we’ll all evolve.

So when the next wave comes,

we’ll surf it!

Paul Hassing | Founder & Senior Writer – The Feisty Empire

I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve been asked by small business owners if they should block social media access to their staff.  My answer is always no.  Social media represents an enormous opportunity for small businesses to increase sales, better connect with customers and partners, and market themselves in a cost-efficient manner.  Besides, if you block social media platforms at your work, your staff will simply use their phones to access Facebook.

Below is a quick table of common misconceptions and the reality:

Given our two-speed economy, I figured I should fulfil my promise to table my killer job interview questions sooner rather than later.

You see, if you’re:

These queries are neither foolproof nor universally used.

But if you role play them to perfection with colleagues, family and friends, I promise you’ll be ahead of the game.

Question everything