Business

Look here for tips from my blog for individuals who are starting their own business, have a part time business they want to take full time or business owners wanting to take their business to the next level.

Do I have to?

I read a statistic the other day – 57% of men have negotiated their salary – contrast that with 7% of women.  Some of my clients find the art of negotiation a very confusing subject.  They don’t know where to begin.  Following are some tips to the negotiation process.  See what might work for you.

1. The Mars/Venus relationship needs to be top of mind in business negotiations.  Communication styles between men and women are different and as a result, negotiations can be complex. Keep your communication style direct by sharing plans, not concepts. Think collaboration not confrontation.

2. Use… Continue reading

Assertive vs. Aggressive

There are many definitions for assertive and aggressive behavior in the workplace.  The definition that works for me is:

To be assertive, you are confident and direct in putting forward your views.  To be aggressive, you are trying to control someone else.  Aggression is a form of intimidation.

I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review that points out leaders need to work on being assertive.  “More harm is done when people aren’t assertive enough than by being too assertive.”  Keeping your opinions and ideas hidden doesn’t get you anywhere.

Couple your leadership skills with assertiveness and you’ll… Continue reading

Who’s in charge?

I was just working with a client who was having trouble moving projects along, meeting deadlines, last minute changes, you know the drill.  Working with their team it became clear that there was some finger pointing going on.

They missed the first step in project management, no one had been assigned as the project leader.  There were leaders in many aspects of the project, but no one assigned to own the whole process.

Here are a tip and responsibilities for project leaders to ensure your success.

Tip:  Formal authority.  When you’re assigned to head up a project everyone… Continue reading

Action!

At the beginning of the year I make all sorts of plans and set all sorts of goals.  When the plans are made I’m enthusiastic about the months ahead.  However, I don’t always take action and it made me wonder why.

People at the top of every profession share one quality – they get things done.  This quality can catapult success and advancement faster than anything else.  This is such a simple idea, however not many people have taken it to heart.  There is an endless number of reasons – something else came up, I’m too busy, I’m putting out… Continue reading

Develop Your Peeps!

The beginning of the year is a great time to think about what’s next for you, your career and your staff.  The number one reason employees look for another job is prompted by their bad manager.  Employees stay – where and when they feel valued.  One of the easiest ways to value an employee is to encourage and support their development.  Here are some tips for you to use to develop your employees (or yourself):

Tip 1:  It’s about them, not you.  You may enjoy taking classes, looking for new responsibilities, having new experiences or heading up projects.  You… Continue reading