Talent Agency 411

Whether you are working for a corporate organization or you are manager of a small business - in that case you are closer to being an entrepreneur - we all deal with the topic of short term versus long term focus.

Sales activities are known to be short term focused, for the simple reason that you cannot sell something that doesn’t exist. There are a few exceptions, for example, the new Airbus is sold when there was only a prototype and in the construction area, apartments these are first sold, before the complete building is finished.

Yet in most cases, there is a clear line between the two. Product development or new business development are activities that require a long term focus. You need to think in trends and any business case in such an area is always speculative up to a certain point.

Information technology is also an area that favors future possibilities rather than current quick wins. Maintenance activities also have a more short term focus. You may prevent future incidents, but most of the budget is spend on day-to-day issues.

But someone in your organization should take the decision to build this new system. A team should agree to start this new business development. Another team should agree to design a new product. And once these new products are available for testing and selling, your business should shift some of its attention to this new product. Now you have at least two things to offer. What will you sell and to whom?
How do you solve this ever lasting topic of focusing not only on core business but also on current core business and tomorrows’ business?

It Seems more difficult than it really is. Even if you would think otherwise not in the last place because of ever lasting discussions about priorities.

To solve this, you need to know what you have always done. That is always the best starting point for any next step in business. How have we done so far and were we successful? Most of the time - you may not agree with what you see when you look in the mirror, but it never lies. Just accept it and follow that course.

© 2006 Hans Bool

Hans Bool is the founder of Astor White a traditional management consulting company that offers online management advice. Astor Online solves issues in hours what normally would take days.
You can apply for a free demo account.

Being optimistic is a wonderful thing, but being overly optimistic — in the face of unrealistic odds — can sabotage a project’s success. Over-optimism abounds when people view every project as a “must-win” effort while failing to flag potential problems. In Part 2 of this series, we identified 10 types of risks related to choosing, estimating, and staffing your projects.

After identifying the potential risks, the next phase entails assessing to what extent the risks can negatively affect your project in areas such as cost, schedule, quality, or features. This article (Part 3 of the series) explains how you can quickly evaluate any risks you’ve identified to see whether they’re likely to overwhelm your project.

Risks You May Have Flagged

Using the ideas in Part 2 of this article series, you and your team may have identified one or more concerns related to a project you’re weighing. Ten considerations appear below; you might think of many others. If your answer to any question is “yes” — or even “maybe” — in relation to your project, it means that you’ve flagged a risk:

1) Is the project non-compelling or a bad fit for the project team?

2) Will the project scope entail operating in unfamiliar territory?

3) Are project requirements, such as product features, complex?

4) Are the requirements pitted against an aggressive schedule?

5) Are too few personnel and resources available for the project?

6) Will coordination with many different collaborators be needed?

7) Are the primary collaborators unfamiliar to the project team?

Are project team members discouraged from raising concerns?

9) Are there insufficient review and test cycles in the schedule?

10) Are there no standard protocols for managing scope changes?

Assessing the Risks You’ve Identified — How Worrisome Are They?

Once you have a list of risks, you can next assess them to find out whether they will be mildly annoying or could wreak havoc on your project. This is a quick and simple process for evaluating them:

1a. Start by giving each risk a name or label.

Example: Imagine that your family has approached you about redecorating your kitchen because your relatives are coming for a family reunion the week after next. Your family believes that several changes are needed, as follows:

Project requirements:

* New faux paint treatment on the walls

* Resurfacing all of the kitchen cabinetry

* Laying new tile on top of the vinyl flooring

* Installing crown molding around the ceiling

Time available: Two weekends (four days) within the next 10-day period. But you don’t believe that’s nearly enough time to complete the job!

So, of all of the risks you’ve identified, you might label one of them “Too Many Features/Too Little Time.” This means that the project requirements are too numerous, too complex, or both, given the time available.

1b. Next, describe the kinds of problems this risk could cause.

Also ask how likely it is to occur. For instance, if you’re concerned that you won’t have enough time in the schedule to incorporate everything requested, what problems might it cause whoever will be using the product, system, or solution? Are those chances fairly high? Describing these concerns can help everyone on your team agree on just how serious that potential risk is.

Example: Your relatives might arrive while the work is still in progress, and the kitchen will be unusable. Also, if you bow to the pressure to hurry, the quality of the work may be low. Both of these problems are likely if your family members try doing the work themselves, since they’re not skilled in home improvements.

2. Give each identified risk a “potential impact” score or rating.

You can give each risk a High Impact, Medium Impact, Low Impact, or No Impact score, based on simple numbers you can derive easily. One way is to assign relative values to the negative impact a risk may have on the project cost, schedule, quality, and features — with a different value possible for each of these four areas. For example, a high negative impact might be a 9, a medium impact a 5, a low impact a 1, and no impact a zero.

Example: Your kitchen redecorating project might earn scores like those below.

* Cost - You estimate that by doing the work yourselves, you’ll possibly save money (if you don’t botch the job). So your “Too Many Features/Too Little Time” risk might have a medium negative impact on cost, for a score of 5.

* Schedule - Since you feel backed into an almost unworkable time frame, you expect a high negative impact on schedule, for a score of 9.

* Quality - Because you expect to rush through the project, you anticipate a high negative impact on quality, for a score of 9.

* Features - Some features probably can’t be completed, regardless of how fast you go. You foresee a high negative impact on features, for a score of 9.

The total score for all four areas in this example is 32, very close to the maximum. When you complete the process for any other risks you identified, you can compare this score with the others to see which risks are of greatest concern. You can then determine the priority order in which to mitigate them.

When you are finished with this phase, you’ll have a set of named and assessed risks. Following this, Part 4 in the series will explain how to brainstorm ways to avoid, eliminate, work around, or otherwise mitigate each risk.

Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers

Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is the creator of the award-winning “Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance” success program. To learn more about her tools and resources and sign up for other free tips like these, visit her site at http://LearnShareProsper.com

Making money doesn’t make your reputation… your reputation makes you money. Gala Gorman

Whether your business is product or service-oriented, the loyalty and dedication of your customers is greatly dependent on your reputation. Your most effective sales force is your existing customer base. Word-of-mouth or the personal recommendation, serves to create an expectation that you must only live up to - rather than one that you must create from scratch. The assets of your business have traditionally included property, plant, equipment, and your customer base. Progressive organizations understand that the concept of business assets should be expanded to include their good reputation. By being responsive to change, having the ability to conduct a constructive dialogue with stakeholders, and taking advantage of networked resources, the organization further extends their tangible and in-tangible non-traditional assets.

Companies are increasingly adopting socially responsible business practices based on sustainable development to ensure efficiency, stimulate innovation, and create top-line growth. This new approach to business requires leadership to re-think priorities with a focus on a longer-term agenda. The socially responsible leader understands that decisions made by management must focus not only on profit-making but also on reputation- building. Fortunately the latter feeds the former.

These are the Top 10 priorities that will ensure a sustainable future for your business or organization. After thoughtful consideration, priorities must be established (re-established) and communicated to stakeholders. With every area of the organization working in alignment with the vision, mission and values, goals and objectives are more easily reached. To begin the discovery process, use this list to honestly evaluate your organization’s priorities.

1. Define and demonstrate your values.

   1. What products or services do you provide and how do they serve to demonstrate your values? You must first define your values and create your mission with a clear understanding of the values you wish to demonstrate. If your products and services can’t be reconciled with your values, trust is eroded.

   2. How will your products or services impact stakeholders? Your stakeholders include stockholders, but the group also extends to staff, associates, vendors and the community that is directly or indirectly impacted by what you produce. Stakeholders become a far-extending community of concerned parties.

   3. What filter is in place for decision-making? Your filter is created from having a clear understanding of your values and mission. Decisions are run through this filter before being communicated or implemented.

2. Create a recognizable image.

   1. What is your desired image? Once you have defined your values and mission, you have an easier job of creating your image. You know how you want to be perceived and recognized and, consequently, you can take action that will create the desired result.

   2. Are your logo and promotional materials consistent and memorable? Your logo is a powerful trigger that creates recognition for your organization. Careful thought and consideration should be given to your logo and how it communicates the message desired.

   3. Does your marketing support and extend the desired image? Your marketing plan and program should serve to create and extend your brand recognition. All activities, whether they are marketing related or otherwise, should serve to create and support your brand environment.

3. Know your market and customer.

   1. Who is your perfectly-aligned customer? You should be able to readily communicate the profile of your perfect customer. By creating this profile, you set the universal law of attraction into motion so that you can focus your energy on customers whose values and beliefs are in alignment with the organization’s.

   2. What does your perfectly-aligned customer expect from your services? If you are focused on serving a customer that is perfectly-aligned with your values, by understanding how they expect to benefit from your services you create a powerful business model. You walk a mile in the customer’s shoes.

   3. How might you extend your services to exceed expectations? Once you understand customer expectations, you can begin to discover ways to exceed them. It is important to maintain focus and know what you can realistically do without diluting your energy.

4. Strive for perfection.

   1. Is perfection expected? Perfection isn’t conditional. It must be the primary goal regardless of circumstances. Every level of the organization should understand what it means to perfect its product or service.

   2. How are mistakes or errors turned into learning opportunities? Mistakes and errors can be transformed into tremendous opportunities if they are given appropriate consideration. The root cause can be mined for its eye-opening insight into breakdowns in an organization’s systems and infrastructure.

   3. Who decides if it’s perfect enough? There must be one clear standard that is demonstrated at every level of an organization. This standard applies regardless of time pressures or circumstances.

5. Treat your stakeholders like family.

   1. Do you understand who your stakeholders are? Stakeholders is a fairly new term that extends far beyond an organization’s stockholders or owners. Even the organization’s customers are stakeholders - they have a vested interest in the organization’s continued existence and success.

   2. Is community encouraged? For example, staff spends more of their waking hours with fellow workers than they do with their own family. By encouraging community through fostering relationships between stakeholders, the organization creates loyalty, dedication, and commitment.

   3. Are wealth creation and benefits shared fairly? Careful consideration should be given to the distribution of wealth amongst those that are most instrumental in creating it - intrinsically and consequentially. All members of an organization’s family can expect to benefit from the success created by sharing and progressing the agenda.

6. Contribute to your local community.

   1. Is your local community defined and understood? For some, local may be limited to a 10-mile radius. For others, local will encompass the globe. In order to contribute effectively to your local community, you must understand its make-up.

   2. Is community participation encouraged and rewarded? The organization should create a win/win relationship with its community. The community provides it with its means for creating success and it gives back to the community appropriately by allocating and sharing its resources.

   3. Do you understand how your local community extends globally? While many organizations may limit their focus to a community that is in their neighborhood, all organizations impact the global community in some way, shape, or form. It is instrumental in progressing the social responsibility agenda to initiate the dialog and take global considerations into account.

7. Make decisions considering intrinsic and consequential costs/benefits.

   1. How are costs determined in decision-making? In the evaluation of any project or initiative, there are clearly identifiable associated costs. There are also consequential costs that can easily be overlooked if the decision-making process isn’t designed to incorporate a full-spectrum of cost considerations.

   2. Are decisions made with a long-term focused perspective? Short-term motivations are generally limited to a strictly profit-oriented agenda. In order to effectively incorporate progressive and socially responsible initiatives, longer-term results must be considered and prioritized.

   3. Does the organization tell the truth? There are lies and..there are lies. The truth should provide the recipient with the information needed to make an informed decision. If a decision is made based on inaccurate or incomplete information, it is based on lack of the truth.

8. Manage the organization with integrity.

   1. Are financial records maintained to ensure accurate and meaningful reporting? Accurate financial reporting is critical to effective decision-making. Financial policies should be employed to create records that provide the most genuine and meaningful results of operations.

   2. Does management emphasize being socially progressive? Most organizations delay the implementation of a socially responsible agenda until the pain associated with the delay is intolerable. By taking a pro-active approach, social responsibility becomes the competitive edge.

   3. Do the company’s products and services promote quality of life? If the organization’s success is dependent on the degradation of society’s health and welfare, integrity will be beyond the organization’s reach. Products and services should be designed to contribute to human welfare.

9. Encourage innovation and continuous improvement.

   1. How does the company capitalize on technological advancement? Technology is a powerful tool that can bring an organization’s stakeholders into closer proximity. In order to foster community, technology can be a great ally.

   2. Are employees encouraged to increase competencies? Continuous improvement requires a commitment to education and personal/professional development. The organization’s compensation program should reward those that increase their skills that can be developed and applied to meet customer’s needs.

   3. Are resources allocated to research and development? It is tempting to focus on today. In the competitive environment we operate in, a today-oriented focus is critically shortsighted. Innovation and improvement must be supported with a commitment of resources.

   10. Tread lightly on the planet.

   1. Is the workplace environmentally friendly? As was pointed out above, we spend more time in the workplace than we do in our home-place. The environment should be thoughtfully created to promote creativity, health, and productivity - with an emphasis on the environmental implications.

   2. Have products and packaging been developed considering life cycle? The organization should have a clear understanding of where their products or services will end up 10 (or 100) years from now. When life cycle is taken into consideration, a product’s cost incorporates an entirely new perspective.

   3. Does the organization understand its environmental impact? There is a trickle-down effect associated with just about anything we say or do. This trickle-down effect could also be referred to as a trickle-out effect. The environment is effected in seen and un-seen ways.

Your reputation is one of the most valuable assets of your business. By incorporating a new set of values and priorities into what has proven to be a successful formula on many levels, I believe that business will be the platform for a new agenda - the Social Responsibility Agenda. That agenda will solidify your reputation as an organization that is worthy of its stakeholders’ dedication and loyalty.

Regardless of the size of your business, you make a contribution to the global marketplace that impacts humanity with a rippling effect. As an organization’s leader, you choose whether that ripple will be felt positively or negatively. Even a small movement or change in a socially responsible direction can have a dramatic effect. Every day produces a new opportunity to mold the way your organization is perceived and to enhance your reputation!

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The Top 10 Priorities That Guard Your Five-Star Reputation have been developed from the Social Responsibility Assessment TM (SRA TM) which is at the center of Wholistic Business’ executive development and consulting programs designed for small to medium-sized businesses. Your FREE Report - 40 Questions for Socially Responsible Leaders - is available at http://www.WholisticBusiness.com. At Wholistic Business, we believe that business literally makes the world go around. It will be business owners and managers that will ultimately change the world for the better.

Wholistic Business www.WholisticBusiness.com, a division of MetaComm International, LLC, is committed to assisting small to medium-sized organizations in developing socially responsible business practices with a keen eye on productivity and profitability. Gala Gorman, MetaComm’s CEO, holds a Master’s Degree in Human Development, is a certified public accountant, certified financial planner, published author, executive development coach and business consultant with over 25 years of experience.

The Social Responsibility Assessment TM (SRA TM) is a great way to establish a baseline for your organization ensuring that future decisions and practices move you in your intended direction. The SRATM includes a closing report, prepared after a thorough review of the organization’s policies and practices, which discusses practices currently in place within your organization and suggestions for improvements or recommendations for new implementations.

Call today for your FREE initial consultation to discuss how your organization will benefit from a Social Responsibility Assessment TM conducted by Wholistic Business and from implementing socially responsible initiatives.

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For more information, contact Gala Gorman between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time at:

METACOMM MEDIA

A division of MetaComm International, LLC

(888) 886-4111 or (702) 286-4111

Post Office Box 1016

Boulder, CO 80306

E-mail: gala@metacommintl.com

About The Author
Gala Gorman, MetaComm’s CEO, holds a Master’s Degree in Human Development, is a certified public accountant, certified financial planner, published author, executive development coach and business consultant with over 25 years of experience; gala@metacommintl.com

According to the research firm Frost & Sullivan, the estimated size of the North American used test and measurement equipment market was $446.4 million in 2004 and is estimated to grow to $654.5 million by 2011. For over 50 years, companies and governments have procured used test and measurement instruments in order to realize a number of benefits including the need to:

- reduce equipment acquisition costs,
- replace discontinued testing instruments,
- circumvent lengthy new product delivery times, and
- conform to legacy standards and specifications.

Although there are many considerations when purchasing used test and measurement instruments, the quality of the instrument and reliability of the vendor should be at the top of the list. Used test equipment vendors deploy a number of bywords that represent the equipment they sell, including “refurbished”, “remarketed”, “reconditioned”, “rebuilt” and, the obvious, “used”. These marketing adjectives typically imply various quality processes and buyers of used test equipment should execute their due diligence prior to purchasing.

“Used” or “Remarketed” equipment often describes products sold with an “as-is” supposition. You might purchase used equipment from an end-user organization or auction company that is selling surplus assets. Products sold as “used” should be priced at the lower scale of the market spectrum and it is not uncommon for quality issues to arise with “used” equipment. It is likely that the instruments have not been tested and have an uncertain history. It is only prudent to purchase “Used” equipment if you have the in-house repair and calibration facilities/expertise and are able to procure the item at a cost low enough that the added expense of repair and calibration remains to be a positive, economical outcome.

“Refurbished and Reconditioned” are akin and are the most common presentment of used equipment from equipment dealers. Refurbished equipment is fully tested and calibrated to NIST standards to assure that they meet the original manufacturers’ specifications. Refurbished equipment should come with all standard accessories and operating manuals. Malfunctioning internal components will have been replaced or repaired and the product will have been cosmetically cared for including painting and the replacing of face plates, button and knobs. Refurbished equipment is typically sold with a 30-90 day parts/labor warranty and is priced in the middle to high-end of the market spectrum.

Finally, some vendors advertised “Rebuilt” test equipment. Many instrument options are field-installable and can be built-to-order according to the customer’s requirements. Some products can even be converted from one generation or version to the next by adding various components. There is absolutely nothing wrong with purchasing rebuilt equipment and, in fact, if you can not find the exact product configuration you are sourcing, you should ask qualified vendors about the possibility adding those options. As with used and refurbished equipment, always exercise caution in choosing a vendor. Assure that the vendor is qualified or uses a qualified electronics laboratory to repair, calibrate and rebuild the products you seek.

Purchasing used, refurbished or rebuilt electronic test equipment is a great way for organizations to save 30-70% on their asset acquisition costs. Warranties and guarantees from used test equipment vendors are formidable. In select product groups, the original equipment manufacturers offer extended warranties in partnership with the vendors that are the selling those products.

Exercise caution and perform due diligence on your vendors. It is most effective to first identify a qualified used equipment vendor and begin a supplier relationship, as opposed to sourcing each instrument you need individually. If your qualified vendor does not have what you are looking for in inventory, it is likely that they will be able to locate it within 24 hours. By first identifying and working with a select few vendors, you will assure consistent quality and economical pricing with every used test equipment purchase.

Robert Preville is the President and CEO of Global Test Supply, LLC, a distributor of new and refurbished test and measurement equipment from manufacturers such as HP, Agilent, Tektronix, BK Precision, Instek, Promax and Rohde & Schwarz

Where there is people there is politics! Bullying is now a major workplace issue that has invaded our not for profit organisations. Take the following example.

Cheryl was the General Manager of a Not for Profit organisation in a major Australian City providing specialist supervision for young adults. She had recently received complaints of intimidation and harassment against a supervisor by an employee.

Imagine her surprise when within a week she received 3 more complaints from 3 other employees. All complaints appeared to hinge around the same behaviours.

The common thread appeared to be that the supervisor had publicly humiliated staff in front of other staff, scolded them for not doing expected work when they were not told about it, lectured them on nit picking incidences and often disappeared from the workplace for long periods of time leaving the other employees to carry the load.

This had been occurring for several years but had now come to a head.

What is Workplace Harassment?

In Queensland, Australia, the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 employers have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of all workers by managing risks at the workplace.

1. A person is subjected to “workplace harassment” if the person is subjected to repeated behaviour, by a person, including the person’s employer or a co-worker or group of co-workers of the person that- is unwelcome and unsolicited; and
the person considers to be offensive, intimidating, humiliating or threatening; and
a reasonable person would consider to be offensive, humiliating, intimidating or threatening.

Abusing the person/s loudly, usually when others are present;

Repeated threats of dismissal or other severe punishment for no reason;

Constant ridicule and being put down;

Leaving offensive messages on email or the telephone;

Sabotaging the person’s work for example by deliberately withholding or supplying incorrect information; hiding documents or equipment;

not passing on messages; and in other ways, getting the worker into trouble;

Maliciously excluding and isolating the person/s from workplace activities;

Persistent and unjustified criticisms, usually of the nit-picking variety;

Humiliating the person/s through sarcasm, criticism and insults, often in front of customers, management or other workers;

Spreading gossip or false, malicious rumours about the person/s with an intent to cause them harm;

Singling out and treating person/s differently from others, without good reason

Effects of Workplace Harassment on the Employees and the Business

Workplace harassment has detrimental effects on workers and the workplace.

Workers who are harassed can become:

distressed, anxious, withdrawn and depressed
physically ill, sleep deprived
aggressive, vengeful
less self-confident and develop low self-esteem.

Workplace harassment may result in:

loss of trained and talented workers;
loss of profits;
reduced productivity and morale;
an unsafe working environment; and
legal costs for a workplace.

Taking the ‘Bully’ by the Horns

Cheryl was in the middle of an important change management rollout when she received these complaints and recently the board had requested an updated strategic plan. Life was hectic for this Manager, Wife and Mother.

However, Cheryl was concerned about Bobs’ behaviours and consulted her organisation’s policy and procedures to see what she should do.

There was nothing specific on workplace harassment but there was a grievance policy, which Cheryl put into action immediately.

She personally interviewed all complainants and took notes followed up by external advice.

She spoke with Bob about her concerns and the complaints she had received and after several hours discussion had obtained agreement to contract a professional mediator to facilitate the grievances and hopefully reach a positive outcome for all parties.

The day of the mediation’s arrived. Seven hours later the 3 mediation’s were completed. Bob refused to acknowledge that his behaviours were inappropriate although he did concede that he was beginning to see his behaviours might have had some effect on his staff.

The following day Cheryl requested that Bob meet with her and discuss his behaviours privately. She had discovered that two of the employees had visited their Doctors the day before and were recommended taking anti-depressants and stress leave.

Bob arrived at his meeting. Cheryl placed before him incident after incident that had come to light explaining that there was a pattern in all these behaviours.

Bob refuted each incident believing that he had done nothing wrong.

After 7 hours of interactive discussion Cheryl asked Bob to leave the room and return in an hour when she would let Bob know her decision.

Bob returned and Cheryl informed him that she considered his behaviour serious and that his employment was to be forthwith terminated for workplace harassment.

Time Passed

Within 2 weeks of Bob’s departure the workplace settled down, the 2 employees did not take stress leave or anti-depressants. Some months have now passed and the workplace continues to be a place people enjoy coming to every day without fear of harassment or intimidation.

The organisation has not had to replace the previous supervisor as the workload has easily been absorbed by the current employees now they are empowered and not harassed.

Cost

Cheryl spent 5 days solid time investigating and dealing with the harassment complaints.

The direct cost’s to the organisation was $12,000 in employee entitlements and the Mediators fees. Indirect costs amounted to the same and what about the loss in productivity, absenteeism and workplace counselling that followed?

Several staff had been traumatised which effected productivity and put at risk government funding that was an important component of the organisations’ revenue.

As this harassment had gone unreported for 2 years the personal cost to several staff had been high and this explained the high staff turnover in that period.

Summary

Do not ignore workplace harassment and think it will go away - it rarely does.
Deal with it immediately or the cost to your organisation and employees will be high both in personal, productivity and possible legal penalties and claims.

You can effectively manage workplace harassment by adopting some of the following procedures

Introduce a workplace specific harassment policy

Arrange for an in-house seminar on workplace harassment and have employees sign to say they will comply with the policy

Include in your employees employment contracts (new starts) a clause about the company’s workplace standard policy and procedures.

Appoint a workplace harassment officer.

Deal with all complaints immediately, confidentially and thoroughly.

Remember you may be vicariously liable for the actions of your employees.

Do not ignore workplace harassment and think it will go away. Silence may give the impression of tolerance and tacit acceptance.

For more information visit http://www.biz-momentum.com

Philip Lye is Director of Biz Momentum Pty Ltd providing professional services in

• Strategic human resource management
• Employee Relations Advice
• Workplace Health Safety Compliance Strategies
• Management Skills Training

Philip holds qualifications in Accounting, Leadership, Human Resource Management & Industrial Relations and is a qualified accountant. For more information see http://www.biz-momentum.com

In your face marketing and selling, visual communication dynamics, overwhelmingly influence our thinking and behavior. We are dynamically visual beings by nature. The eye is the most powerful information conduit to the brain — continually feeding us images that create our perception of the world and shapes how we think, behave and respond.

We think and dream in picture and images and the words we hear are processed and transformed into mental pictures. Images and sounds dominate human communication and as consumers we have come to expect media rich, entertaining dynamic visuals in advertising and marketing materials. What was once a trip to a shopping mall to purchase goods and services has turned into a visual entertainment event.

Technology, computers, and media arts have influence several generations who have come to expect every newspaper, magazine, video, post card and direct mail letter to bloom into full living color and MTV action.

It’s no longer adequate to think that when making sales & marketing presentations, or presenting seminars, that we can communicate simply by painting word pictures and giving third party testimonials or stories of our products and services. Our customers want and expect quick conveyance of information and have a clear preference for pictures that show facts, features and benefits. Using the right visuals communicate faster, clearer, better and advantages the presenter in one-on-one presentations or group presentations.

The technology driving visual communication is only going to become more explosive for improved graphics and images that are far more effective than words or numbers for communicating concepts and ideas. Global business communication is enhanced with symbols and images and will expand the sphere of business contacts and potential business.

In this escalating, robust, explosion of visual communication, we find that, for those of us, in the presentation business - sales, marketing, customer service, negotiations, training and speaking requires new skill sets to be competitive. We must let the artist within come out and step outside the traditional box of word communications only.

Therefore, we must rewire our thinking - that is our visual thinking.

When making presentations of any kind. We have to remember that every presentation we make is not simply a matter of sharing information - it’s about communicating effectively to persuade, influence, initiate change, sell a product, motivate, and create involvement.

Here are ways to assist you in moving outside the traditional box of word communications for creating more effective visual communication dynamics.

1. Study the trends of high impact TV commercials and magazine ads. Observe the orientation and dynamics of color, design, sound, images and speed.

2. Take an existing power point presentation and redesign it using symbols and images only to covey your message. Experiment with color schemes and layouts.

3. Use 3-D graphics and java to dramatize numbers. So that they jump out at the viewer.

4. Construct the same presentation several times. Using a combination of symbols, pictures, video, java, layout, color schemes and words.

5. For international business presentations, design you presentation using the color most associated with the country you’re presenting to. Example: Mexico’s dominant colors are green and red.

Visual presentations dynamics will only become more important as technology expands global business. Media rich presentation will be a primary differentiation for those companies that adopt visual thinking.

Don L. Price: Coaching Minds To Succeed — Author, Sales/Marketing & Positive Change Solution Provider, International Speaker & Mental Fitness Coach http://www.donlprice.com

Invite Don to speak at your next Convention, Meeting or Retreat. Optimize your Power to Succeed with Strategic Performance Marketing/Sales and Success Coaching, for Reaching Higher Performance in Your Personal and Business Life.

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Too often, when people think of Six Sigma and black belts they see them as having an elitist connotation. The opinion that Six Sigma is elitist or that black belts are elitist, however, are false. In its purest form Six Sigma is a “way of life” for an organization serious about process improvement. It just happens to have certain characteristics that people like to throw stones at. That some people have come to believe this false notion is because they have misinterpreted the nature of Six Sigma and not seen the complete picture.

There is an air of mysteriousness that surrounds what Six Sigma black belts do. People experience projects where black belts are left alone to crunch numbers and work on long projects in isolated offices far from the factory floor. They wonder what exactly happens behind the scenes and not knowing, become apprehensive. This is especially true when they know the outcomes will affect them. If employees have not received any training in Six Sigma, their ignorance about the processes will lead them to mistrust and even fear the Six Sigma project and the experts guiding the project.

Other people have developed resentment toward Six Sigma consultants themselves. Certainly, there are some individual consultants who are arrogant, uncooperative, and insensitive to others. That, though, reflects on that individual and does not represent Six Sigma. There are people in all fields and professions who are not nice or have an inflated opinion of themselves. Six Sigma is not about self-aggrandizement. It is not about lording over people. Unfortunately, some people are more concerned with obtaining a Six Sigma certification than with appreciating what the newly acquired skills will allow them to deliver to their organization. The priority of Six Sigma training should be to deliver value to one’s business and to the customers of one’s business. Training to become a Six Sigma team leader gives one skills and tools, but doesn’t give one a right to be elitist.

Six Sigma is about getting everyone involved. A Six Sigma project forms a team of people who work together to identify problems and develop solutions. Such teams are not elitist teams rearranging the world for everyone else to live in. These teams are serving the organization by employing the skills and tools they have learned to increase quality and reduce defects. The Six Sigma black belts who are leading these teams are likewise seeking only to lend their skills learned through training.

There are plenty of ways to fail and it is always convenient to blame the tool. If you look hard enough though, the failure is the fault of a lack of planning and training. If an organization does not plan properly and train properly, there is no doubt about the outcome of that program. If management truly has their eye on the goals and is intent on providing quality products and services, then Six Sigma can keep everyone focused and part of the team. The reality is that Six Sigma isn’t glamorous and it isn’t sexy. It is just plain hard work.

Countering the false idea that Six Sigma is elitist is part of ensuring the success of your Six Sigma initiatives. The best way to do that is training all members of your organization in basic Six Sigma concepts can go a long way toward taking away the mysteriousness of Six Sigma and the elitist misconception some people have. Give people the knowledge and tools they need to do the job and they will thrive. Help all the members of your organization understand what Six Sigma does and how it does it. Not everyone needs to go through all of the Six Sigma training required to reach black belt qualification, but there are simple programs you can put in place to help people learn Six Sigma basics. If you look only to the number crunching part of Six Sigma and ignore the organizational and human side, ignorance, and the resentment that comes from it, are inevitable. Including everyone affected by the Six Sigma project and giving them information they need to understand what is going on and how they can contribute will yield dividends.

About the Author:

Peter Peterka is the Principal Consultant in practice areas of DMAIC and DFSS. Peter has eleven years of experience performing as a Master Black Belt, and has over 15 years experience in industry as an improvement specialist and engineer working with numerous companies, including 3M, Dell, Dow, GE, HP, Intel, Motorola, Seagate, Xerox, and even the US Men’s Olympic Team.

Peter Peterka is also President of Six Sigma us. For additional information on Six Sigma DMAIC or other Six Sigma Black Belt Certification project programs contact Peter Peterka.

What is a life of service and how does it benefit anyone? That is the question that I have always asked. The answers that I received were that it gives you an opportunity to meet new people. It gives you a chance to expand your ideas about the world. It helps you grow as you gain new insights through new conversations and experiences.

Karmic Yoga connects you with the Divine through the works that you do with other human beings. This connection results in a cleansing of the soul and spirit, allowing you to move closer to a clarity that only comes through such work. It helps remove the karma of the society in which you find yourself, and makes you free by expanding your thinking capacities. This is all well and good. In theory it sounds great, but the truth is, it can do the opposite.

When you work with a lot of people you often don’t see the face of God, you see some very obnoxious, ignorant, arrogant, angry people. Sometimes these people are so scared for their lives and their ability to survive that they are dangerous. Sometimes they lie, cheat, steal, and justify it with the fact that they are poor. They need that color television of that camcorder. Their poverty can become an excuse for despicable behavior like spousal abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, and more and more despicable things. You can often even find them abusing each other. What do you do when your confronted with this?

When you meet a person who has done things so terrible, and continues to do things so terrible that they deserve to be put to death, what do you do? Where does the touchy feely idea of Karmic Yoga and charity go then, out the window? Do you pack up your bags and give up on social justice work and service, realizing that what all your rich friends or middle class friends said are right? What do you do? The truth is that Karmic Yoga, like any type of Yoga or spirituality, is not easy. At times it gets downright ugly.

During the worse of times when you meet that horrible person that is unlovable, or when that thief steals your camcorder, or when you find out that people have been coming to your food pantry, getting food and then selling it to buy drugs to sell to other people, that is when you are engaged in Karmic Yoga. That is when you are face to face with your self and all of the social mores and norms about what you should do and what this person deserves. The struggle between the normal reaction of lashing out, and the action that comes from the greater insight that this person has been conditioned to do this by his or her life circumstances and the outcome are Karmic Yoga.

It is not done in a place of comfort. It is not done with a smile on your face all of the time. You are not rested all the time when you do it. You don’t even feel like doing it sometimes. This is Karmic Yoga.

Like everything else, however, there is another side to it. There are people who are very thankful, loving and kind who you meet along the way. You touch their lives deeply. Some of them can pull themselves up out of hunger, poverty and crime, just because you have been working with them. It is as if you, like the hand of God, are supplying their needs and helping them to grow and become stronger. If you do Karmic Yoga this will happen to you along with the rest, along with the rotten stuff. The progress will come as you learn to let go of the negative.

When you come to accept the negative as well as the positive and to realize that all of these actions, the negative and the positive, are working to polish your soul like a mirror, so that it may be a perfect reflection of God, you will have arrived. This is the lesson of Karmic Yoga. This is the outcome. You can’t get to the enlightenment, however, you can’t get to the large tomatoes, without spreading the manure. When you, or if you, decide to take on a life of service and to become a Karmic Yogi, remember what you must face. Remember that the good will come with the bad and remember that one day you will realize that the good and the bad all come from the same source and can have the same purpose in your life, the purpose of awakening the divine in your heart. Hold onto these beliefs throughout the glories, tumultuous ride and you will reach a place of total peace and joy in the midst of the fire.

Dr. J. W. Gilmore is a Writer, Spiritual Director, Anti-oppression Consultant and Wellness Consultant. He is a Certified Massage Therapist and Reflexologist, a Reiki Master Teacher, a Martial Arts Instructor and a Spiritual Coach living in Costa Rica. For more article like this or similar information visit: http://www.dswellness.com

Text Book

A Return to Being Human Religiously, Dr. J. W. Gilmore

What would you say to me if I told you that you don’t have to be at work by 8 am, but rather that you have to be at work tomorrow?

What if I told you that your alarm clock is going to be reconfigured to only display days, and not specific times?

Would you sleep better?

Or what if your clock card was to have days, not digits, on its’ face? Would your concept of time be altered?
If your meetings schedules were week specific, how would you feel?

Would you abandon the man-made minute, if you could?

You probably would, and with little reluctance and regret.

The remaining seasons and their finite hours would still supply the exact same amount of time, but any approach to it would change.

Minute to minute hysteria would disappear.

Imagine the calendar with fewer pages, the digital watch that couldn’t work, having no digits.

The extraordinary clock views that offered a time/reference point, and the time saved by not having to view them.

Placing a freshly kneaded loaf into the oven, and taking it out, whenever, or in summer due to the uncomfortable, elevated kitchen temperature.
Or, the absence of queues and gridlock, where there would be no hurry to go nowhere.

The time would be the same but the speed and urgency would attenuate to nothing.

The microwave bell, synchronized to the moon phase, even.

Wouldn’t that be a pleasant concept, whatever about a compromised “baked Alaska”?

The pre-Christmas sales rush, replaced by a more even-tempered and annual-wide, nut gathering experience.

The 7/11 re-worded to “Open during the day, all season”.

Primitive and modern “egg-timers” would need re-engineering, with more glass and more sand. Hydraulic assistance may be needed to set it, though!

The time we made has left us short and the only constant is its absence.

A “second” compounds the issue and makes a minute, sixty times more offensive. Give me a second when you have a minute, and similar language is a common or timely response. Sports are sometimes measured in microseconds, which exaggerate everything by approximately sixty thousand, and the human eye still has a finite response time. A second, perhaps, has nothing to do with a second chance, and is unsympathetic and unrecoverable.

Presumably, it is too fast to recover, by something so slow.

If a minute was badly made, then a second and its divisions were made with over-zealous and ambitious incompetence.

If I could live for just one more second, how many I had, would have little significance.

If I could live for just one more minute, then it would be less significant by a factor of sixty; such is the perceived importance of a second.

If I could possibly live for just one more microsecond, then……..sorry…..out of time….and its implied irrelevance.

Such timely attributes and elements are of ultimate importance, when one has to dodge a well-directed bullet with an unpleasant payload. Of course, this time pressure is exacerbated when one has to tend to the microwave contents and its ill-timed bell, while such a bullet is in flight!

Having said that; and if you are still reading, then you made time where it was anyway. You simply prioritised it a little differently.

Having said all of that, I have minus eight days and 0.0000279 seconds, to attend my dental appointment.

“We made the minute; can we make the time for it?”

Seamus Dolly is at http://www.CountControl.com

We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect
competing priorities. We all have three different lives or
worlds that compete for our attention, energy and activity.
These are our personal lives, our work related lives and our
family lives. Our personal lives consist of our health, our
inner private likes and dislikes, our inner beliefs, and our
spiritual feelings. Our work related lives consist of what we
do to earn an income to provide resources to live and
prosper. Our family lives consist of our relatives and friends
and our relationships with each person.

As you can imagine, each of these worlds will attract our
interests and can create various demands on our time,
resources, and energy. When these worlds create demands
that compete with the other, such that we must choose one
world at the expense of the other, on a continuous basis, we
get out of balance.

How do you know when you have achieved life balance?
People achieve balance in their lives when they are able to
consciously and subconsciously align their thoughts and
activities with whom they are and what they want to do,
without conflict or guilt. People who are in balance,
experience “being in the zone” of life. Life is good!

What are the steps to attaining life balance?

Discover who you really are.
You will want to first discover who you really are, what you
stand for, and what your beliefs and values are. There are
two levels to research. The easiest and most accessible is
your conscious or rational self, where you logically dissect
then evaluate things. But the real you is where your true
inner values, beliefs and spirituality are within your
subconscious or intuition level. People can learn to
rationalize almost anything, but they cannot hide or escape
from their inner core values. Conflicts and personal stress
occur when the rational self accepts and conducts actions
that are contrary to the inner values that have been
suppressed. Take the time and energy to discover your
inner values and beliefs and allow your intuition to take
center stage in your thoughts and action processes. When
you follow your instincts in an environment that embraces
you, you enter the “zone.”

Discover what you really want to do.
We have all been told from childbirth what to do and what
not to do. We follow many rules because it is best for living
harmoniously with others and ourselves. But, along the way
we are also told by parents, teachers, advisors, and bosses
what we “should” and “should not” do to suit THEIR
personal agendas and perspectives. These are the
“shoulds” that we carry with us and try to follow with very
confusing and mixed results.

Most people have inner passions that really excite and
motivate them. These passions develop early in life and
change with time. Yet, you suppress them. These passions
are almost always good in nature and very positive. The
executive may have a passion to create a rose garden. The
housewife may have a passion to play the drums. But they
don’t, because they do not recognize and accept their inner
passions and if they did, their conscious mind would
rationalize that they “shouldn’t” after responding to all of the
previously implanted “shoulds” by others. Yet, both the
executive and the housewife feel something is missing and
can’t put a finger on it.

Everybody also has desires that are extremely important.
These desires begin with the basics of life like staying
healthy, being secure, attaining food and shelter, being
socially accepted, and having a loving support group. These
basic desires are rather easy to determine. Once you
recognize that they exist you will see that they are almost
required for a normal existence. Once these desires are
accomplished, you will develop other desires, like living in a
warm climate, working outdoors, raising a happy and
healthy family, and being acknowledged as special. These
are more personal in nature and are also less obvious. This
is where the “shoulds” begin to enter the picture and you
find yourself following the desires you allow others to
impose on you. For example, you might go to law school to
become a lawyer because your parents strongly felt you
“should” become a lawyer. Or you might become a full time
mom and raise a family early on in life because that is what
everyone did where you grew up.

Recognize and manage your conflicts.
Life is a bowl of conflicts and stress occurs when
competing forces interfere with your ability to decide what to
do. Additional stress occurs when you feel bad about doing
some things, because you feel you “should” be doing
something else. So you end up not enjoying or even fully
completing what you decide to do because you continue to
think you “should” be doing something else.

The executive will certainly have conflicts between leading
her company and creating the rose garden. The housewife
will experience numerous conflicts between being a mother,
a wife and an individual person when she thinks about
learning to play the drums and even more when she thinks
about playing the drums with a band.

Once you are able to be honest with yourself and discover
what your true passions and desires are, you will be in the
position to determine what priorities you place on each. It
will be much easier and clearer to evaluate and establish
these priorities, since you will now know what the choices
are and more importantly you will be the only person
involved in making the decision. You will be free from having
to consider the conflicting forces of the “shoulds” which are
based upon what others want you to do. This will be a great
relief, because you will not have to live through the agendas
or desires of others, which can be a very tricky thing, even if
you tried. Now it is only you deciding, and the choices
become much easier.

The executive can decide that continuing in her position is a
high priority, but that carving out four hours a week to work
on the rose garden will provide her the relaxation and
personal enjoyment she wants and needs to function better
as an executive. She will be motivated to focus more on her
executive duties as she is doing them, knowing that doing
so will lead her to being able to exercise her passion of
raising her own roses. Now she will enjoy doing both and
will be better at participating in both functions with very little,
if any, conflict.

Eliminate guilt imposed upon you by others.
People allow guilt to enter their world when they dwell on the
fact that they are at fault or to blame for things they did or did
not do. People take on the burden of being wrong and
responsible for not meeting the expectations of others. Even
some religions appear to impose guilt because followers
are not perfect. Yet, the fact is no one is perfect. When you
set expectations or allow others to impose expectations that
you must be perfect and you inevitability fail to meet the
pureness of perfection, you feel guilty. Then you try harder to
be perfect and feel even guiltier because you don’t reach
perfection again. The cycle continues.

Most people have an innate philosophy of life or spirituality
that they need and want to follow. The key is to discover your
spirituality and follow it. When you follow your own
spirituality, you greatly reduce or eliminate the artificial guilt
you feel by letting others impose their philosophy on you.

Eliminate guilt you impose upon yourself.
Another key to removing guilt is to recognize that you cannot
always make the best decisions all of the time. One great
philosopher, Claude Lunsford, said that you want to make
decisions based upon your true inner beliefs, purposes and
the information you gather at the time. You evaluate the
options available and make the best decision, based upon
the truth. Then you want to accept the decision as being the
best you could have made at the time.

You do not want to impose guilt upon yourself for a less
than perfect outcome. You might not have been able to know
about other factors that would have affected your decision,
or things might have changed that you could not have
foreseen that changed the results of your decision. You do
not want to look back and second-guess yourself. Instead,
you want to accept your past decisions and learn from the
new knowledge you gained to adjust your decision making
process for the most important issue at hand, which is to
make better decisions in the future.

Follow the path YOU choose to achieve your future goals.
Develop life goals for yourself and start the process to
achieve them. Now that you know all about yourself, and
how to make decisions without guilt, you are poised to use
this information to visualize your desirable life and develop a
number of life goals that will take you to where you want to
go. People reach life balance when they know where they
want to go, set the goals to get there, and initiate the
necessary steps to achieve their goals.

Life is a journey and you now have everything you need to
create the most desirable, most enjoyable and most
fulfilling journey for yourself. Once you set your goals, you
want take steps each day to reach your life goals and you
will not only be amazed at how well you will achieve them,
but at how enjoyable and stress free the journey will be.

Your desires, priorities, passions, and even sometimes
your beliefs will change. That is very normal. Once you
discover what your new ones are you will want to create new
goals accordingly, using the same process, and continue
your life journey in the new directions that you choose for
yourself.

Enjoy the trip!

Provided as an educational service by Bill Dueease of The
Coach Connection, where “connecting great people with
great coaches” is their goal. You may receive a free copy of
the article “The Ten Paths to Human Improvement” by
contacting The Coach Connection at 800-887-7214 or
239-415-1777 or coaches@findyourcoach.com, or
http://www.findyourcoach.com/0o-career-coach.htm