How to Apply the 5 Fundamental Principles in Mastery of Detail

By Shirland Carrington

Mastery of Detail is an excellent leadership attribute to have in developing a successful business. There are 5 fundamental principles that are essential to mastering the nuances of the detail. We must become skilled practitioners of the system that we use in our everyday business to get to the next level and beyond. I will use going through the process of focusing on your core business clients as a way to demonstrate the processes of becoming a true mastery of details.

They are 5 guiding principles in mastering the details in your business as listed below:

1. Initial Impact

You normally have a core segment of our clients that like clockwork always orders our products or use your service on a consistent basis. We sometimes take these clients for granted and instead focus on "new" business. We have these clients in our hip pocket so we "ignore" them. When we ignore people sometimes our competitor come along and listens to this segment and you lose them as clients. If you had a system in place to counteract this minor detail, then loss of revenue would not have occurred.

We tend to spend our time on "new" business who tends to be people that are expensive to acquire whether they are asking numerous insignificant questions or taking up your time. They either order little or no business which makes acquiring new business a very risky investment. What kind of impact could we have if we changed our focus and invested in ways to pay attention to our core business?

2. Repetition

The key to running a marathon is the first step, so we must develop ways to keep our core clients happy. Once we institute these methods we must make a conscious effort to use them on a regular basis. You should continue to chase new business, but you should only indulge in win-win relationship. Repetition is the motherhood of learning so the more you repeat this practice the better chance it will become a standard practice in your business. When everyone in your organization is focuses on the simple detail of not ignoring your special clients.

3. Utilization

If you don't use new ideas or concepts, then they will just die on the vine. The old adage of use or lose is truly adaptable here. The benefits of focusing on your core business will lead to referrals and increased revenues. The main work is in the execution of the details but the benefits are unlimited.

4. Integration

We must repeat this process again and again and again until it is embedded in your business's system. When focusing actively on a certain detail, then it is integrating into the normal day to day operation of your business. Once true integration occurs then we just have to follow up to make sure that integration is here to stay.

5. Reinforcement,

The benefits of mastering this detail are in the follow up. When you master one detail you must always make sure that your people continue to focus on this detail on a daily basis. We inspect what we expect so if we don't continually apply attention, energy and focus to reinforce this detail then it will just become ineffective

I use this example of tapping into an ignore resources in our business to show that to truly master detail is a commitment that you must make on a conscious level. If you are able to identify the different areas of your business with this same focus there is no doubt that you will be successful in your business. You must give attention, energy and focus to all the little details in your life and business to make the necessary changes. Successful leader will use these 5 fundamental principles to become a true mastery of detail to take his or her business to the next level.

Shirland Carrington, BS, MBA

Shirland Carrington works from home with an outstanding personal development company that provides products that unsurpassed and are transformational. We help eliminate limiting beliefs and negative mindset holding you back from achieving success.

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How to Eliminate the "Dead Wood" in Your Staff

By Richard Moran

When you are running your own company, you will soon find that it is not all about sales and products, but it is also about good human resources and human resource management. If you want your company to do its best, you will need the best employees that you can come across. A company's employees are its most valuable asset and every business owner must have his or her employees working with them and with each other. It is important that you know how to get the best out of your staff if you are running your own business. The easiest way to get rid of the "dead wood" in your staff is by finding out which employees are doing the best for you and which ones are slacking on the job.

To find out which employees are doing the best work for you and which ones are not, you will have to get involved with them on a personal level. This will also help you to build a strong employee foundation. Employees respect a boss that shows interest for them on a personal level. When you start to know your employees on a personal level, you will be able to see which ones of them can envision themselves with your company in the future and which ones cannot. The ones that cannot see themselves staying with your company for a prolonged period of time may not necessarily be bad workers, but you may want to pay more mind to the employees that are interested in staying with your company. However, if an employee cannot see themselves staying with the company because they do not think they can grow there, you should evaluate them further. If they are a good employee, you should give them promotions and raises accordingly and they may decide to stay with your company. Keeping the best employees you have is a good step in getting rid of the "dead woods" on your staff. Also, giving promotions to the workers who are doing the best job for you may motivate the employees that are giving you second rate work. Of course, if you cannot motivate the employees who are giving you second rate work, you can continue to work on eliminating them from your staff.

Employee incentives are another good way to see who is doing what in your staff. If you can get a worker motivated with incentives, they will probably show some promise in the future. If you cannot get a particular worker motivated with incentive programs, they are going to be very hard to work with in the future. If an employee cannot be motivated with rewards, they may be one of the "dead woods" in your staff that you will not be sorry to lose. These are some of the simple things you can do to eliminate the "dead woods" in your staff. All of this starts with knowing your employees on a personal level. When you know these people that work for you on a personal level, it will be easier to see which employees are an asset to your company and which ones are just trying to get a paycheck from week to week.

Rich Moran is a consultant specializing in General Business, Print, Web, Hotel, and Marketing Consulting. He suggests you visit a consultant for your needs. With 20 years experience in marketing, internet and communications he now practices with http://www.Langohr-Foundation.de. You're invited to read more on the BLOG - http://langohrfoundation.wordpress.com/

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The Six C's of Leadership - Embodying the Characteristics of an Effective Leader

By Theo Gilbert-Jamison

There are six C's of leadership that anyone who has influence and accountability for team success should possess. Having the ability to master these six characteristics is the embodiment of a highly effective and successful leader.

1. Competence is more than knowing how to do something. It is also displayed in the level of confidence, finesse, and effectiveness with which it is done. For many leaders, once they attain a certain level in their career the eagerness to learn and grow diminishes. They feel they have arrived. However, in order to be a highly competent leader, you must be committed to life-long learning, and be effective at applying what you know.
2. Compassion is a balance of kindness and empathy. Too many leaders feel that the only way to drive productivity is to manage with an iron fist. Nothing could be farther from the truth. You must possess a combination of understanding and care for others. When dealing with employees, tough love is not the best policy.
3. Courage is doing what is right, even when it is unpopular. Never mistake bullying in business for courage; they are two very different things. Bullying is getting your way through intimidation of others. Being courageous is fighting for what is right for your team, even when it involves great risk.
4. Charisma is a positive energy and an enthusiasm that inspires others to change. When a leader possesses charisma, their warmth and joy is contagious. They don't waste time focusing on what cannot be done and why; they are excited, passionate and optimistic regardless of whatever challenges come their way. People eagerly follow charismatic leaders.
5. Commitment is best demonstrated in the level of dedication and allegiance you have toward your team. The commitment level of great leaders extends far beyond the number of hours they spend at work, but in their steadfastness in working toward the long-term success of their team.
6. Communication is the ability to share information in a clear and concise manner so that everyone understands. Effective leaders master the skill of communication by taking complicated information and making it simple.

Bottom-line, becoming a person of influence that others will want to follow begins with working on you. Exceptional leaders are competent, committed to the cause, courageous, great communicators, charismatic, and possess a great deal of compassion for others.

Theo Gilbert-Jamison is CEO of Performance Solutions by Design, a global performance consulting firm that caters to luxury and premium brands with an emphasis on transforming organizational culture. She is also the author of two books, The Six Principles of Service Excellence (2005), and The Leadership Book of Numbers, Volume I (2008). As the creative force behind Performance Solutions by Design, Theo is a highly sought after speaker and consultant to CEOs and senior executives in high profile organizations. Please visit Theo's website at http://www.psbydesign.com

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Efficiency Vs Effectiveness

By Tim Millett

The psychologist and author Abraham Maslow once wrote, "You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety." Organisations and the individuals who are participants at all levels are often defined by their ability to embrace the future in pursuit of established goals. It comes down to an organisation that is merely efficient and able to achieve results with precision, but not necessarily adaptability, or one that is effective and can embrace a changing future for the health of the organisation.

In its simplest terms, being efficient means having internal and external processes that lead to the desired end result. Efficiency refers to having the means to produce the desired effects. For example, a sales team may have a weekly sales goal and it is met 90% of the time. The team is considered to be efficient in that the desired amount of sales is produced with the least amount of waste or overtime.

An Adaptable Organisation

But is being able to meet a weekly sales goal an indication of an effective sales team? Could the goal or the sales figures be higher? Effectiveness in an organisation is doing the right things which leads to an adaptable environment capable of competing in the future. An effective sales team does not just meet sales goals without question. An effective sales team will manage relationships with people and organisations that can prove to be the foundation for new business in the future. The effective sales team can create a viable customer base that includes high rates of retention and customer satisfaction.

An efficient sales team meets its goals, but what if the goals change or are expanded? How easily can the sales persons adapt to the new environment? If new products are introduced, how quickly can the team use established customer relationships to jumpstart sales?

Instead of just focusing on making sales efficiently, the sales team should also be constantly evaluating each of its actions and procedures looking for ways the organisation can be more adaptable, cost efficient, productive, innovative and customer oriented.

Effectiveness and Quality

The concepts of efficiency and effectiveness are important for every organisation because they go right to the heart of output and quality. An organisation that is efficient is able to achieve its goals, but there is not necessarily a relationship to quality. You can sell 50 widgets in a week, but is the customer satisfied and willing to repurchase the widgets next week? Or is the method of salesmanship and the quality of the widget so low that it is a one-time sale?

Efficiency and effectiveness are applicable to all organisational functions including management or leadership, team building and employee performance, sales, production, innovation, and all internal processes including those in the business office. For example, an efficient accounts payable department pays company bills on time. An effective accounts payable department has a system in place which enables the company to take advantage of discounts for early payment and is able to integrate payment information with purchasing data in order to insure the least cost is incurred at all times. It is accounts payable that often becomes the information source for trending prices.

More Than What is Expected

There is another way to look at efficiency and effectiveness. An efficient organisation or process will perform as expected and operates in the short term. An effective organisation asks if the performance meets the mission of the organisation and contributes to long term success and sustainability. An efficient organisation spends the expected amount of money to produce results. An effective organisation measures whether the money spent improved its ability to meet future goals.

An efficient organisation can produce immediate results by relying on "safety" in the words of Maslow. The facts and figures supporting the efficient production of output are safe. The effective organisation looks beyond the facts and figures and builds a quality organisation that is prepared for future growth. An organisation should be both efficient and effective, but if there had to be a choice made between the two...effectiveness is more important.

In short efficiency is about doing things right, whereas effectiveness is about doing the right things!

Timothy Millett, head trainer at i perform, has extensive expertise in performance training, sales training and customer service training. Tim has helped participants from organisations such as SWIFT and UBS achieve peak levels of personal performance. For more information please visit Management Training.

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The Easiest Way to Improve Meetings

By Peg Kelley

Maybe the meetings you call, or the meetings you attend, are okay. The agenda is clear, people stick to the topic pretty much, and you end on time. Congratulations! You already run better meetings than many others do.

But do people look forward to your meetings? Do they feel that the meetings are enjoyable and effective? You can improve your meetings significantly by doing one easy thing. In fact, it's the easiest way to improve your meetings. Before the meeting, review the agenda. The agenda captures the content of your meeting.... what the meeting is about.

Most of the time, that is as far as the meeting planner or chairperson goes. "Set the agenda," he or she thinks. "Then hold the meeting."

Try this instead: review the agenda and then think about how you will run the meeting. That is, the process of the meeting. Will you introduce the agenda item(s) with handouts? Will you send that material before the meeting? What do you want as a result of the topic - new ideas? A decision? A thorough discussion followed by a sub-committee meeting? A recommendation to senior management?

Once you answer these questions, you can determine the best way to structure the meeting. If you want new ideas, then you might have some creative thinking exercises ready. If you want a decision, then consider the best way to come to that decision - is it a vote or a consensus? In each case, how will you get to that point in the meeting? If you want a full discussion, how will you make sure everyone has an opportunity to speak? What if someone dominates the conversation? If there will be a sub-committee, do you already know who should be on it? Or will you ask for volunteers? What should a recommendation to senior management include? And do you want to start the meeting with an ice-breaker? If so, what one?

This may seem complicated. It is actually very easy. Giving just 15 minutes of thought to how you will run the meeting before you start it, means you will be ready to handle whatever happens in the discussion. It also means you will reach the desired outcome efficiently and effectively. People will leave your meeting thinking, "Now THAT was a good meeting!"

Peg Kelley, MBA, has been a professional meeting facilitator for 25 years & is co-author of the booklet "39 Secrets for Effective and Enjoyable Meetings" available for $6.00 at her Facilitation Plus website at http://www.meetingtoolsandjewels.com. She publishes a blog at http://meetingsmaven.typepad.com.

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