Work911 Ezine - Updates for Women, additions to our knowledgebases, advertize on articles911, brainstorming help, more
Robert Bacal
Management, Strategic Planning and Customer Service, Advertize on
articles911.com, Brainstorming Help, and Hearing Bad News (for
managers).
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1) New Website Additions and Features
Over the last few weeks we've added a lot of useful information to some
of our websites.
First, for women, or those interested in the experiences of women in
the workplace, we've added a number of articles in the section called
"Women At Work" There's a piece called "Why Women Executives Must Be
Overachievers", and other information about being a woman in the
workplace. Direct link to this section is
http://www.articles911.com/Women_At_Work/
On to job and employment issues, we've added some really good
information about job loss - getting fired or downsized, how to deal
with it, and what it all means. You might be surprised to learn that
those in the younger age range of the workforce have a 90% of losing at
least one job in their career, according to some reported statistics.
We've also beefed up our hints and tips on doing well in job
interviews, and added some help with writing letters of recommendation
(including how to ask, and how to write them if asked).
Use the following to access the newest material in these categories.
http://www.articles911.com/New/11-Sep-2006.html
http://www.articles911.com/New/12-Sep-2006.html
2) Updates on our Frequently Asked Questions Areas
We've been busy adding new questions and answers to three knowledgebase
sections on the topics of performance management and appraisal,
strategic and business planning, and customer service.
The customer service area includes both basic and advanced questions
and answers about customer service, including a growing section of
tips, techniques, and advice for dealing with rude, aggressive,
difficult and angry customers. It's at
http://customerservicezone.com/faq
We've also added more Q&A on strategic, business and human resource
planning at http://www.work911.com/planningmaster/faq/ in addition to
longer articles at the Planning Resource Center at
http://www.work911.com/planningmaster .
Finally, the largest area is on performance management, appraisal and
employee reviews, where there are questions and answers on the topic
for regular employees, supervisors and even HR professionals.
http://performance-appraisals.org/faq
We are working to develop these areas and new material is added often,
so check back.
3) You Can Advertise On Articles911.com - For Webmasters
If you have a website that you'd like to advertise, you might consider
a low cost text ad on on our articles911.com site which receives
thousands of page views every day. It's nice exposure to a professional
audience and it only costs a few dollars a day. You can set things up
on your own, write your ad(s), choose to stop or continue, etc and it
only takes a few minutes to setup, and you're being seen almost
immediately. If interested:
http://www.adbrite.com/mb/commerce/purchase_form.php?opid=153938&afsid=1
3) Brainstorming or Brain-Lock - Feature Article
Most people have heard of brainstorming, and understand that it can be
a great, simple tool for generating good creative ideas, whether it's
in a group, or even on one's own. Oddly enough, though, a lot of
brainstorming efforts are set up so that they don't work well, because
while most people know the word, they aren't clear about HOW to do it.
Here's an article that explains the process.
How To Create Successful Ideas Through Brainstorming
By Joe Love
The most successful companies are the ones that are constantly coming
up with new and innovative ways of doing business. They are always
searching for the one great idea that will launch a successful product
line or cut costs in difficult times.
Progressive and savvy companies know that great ideas aren't
developed in a vacuum and that ideas can come from anyone in the
organization. Taking a cue from their colleagues in advertising, they
implement brainstorming sessions to encourage employees to express
their ideas.
Brainstorming spurs employees to develop solutions for a problem in a
freewheeling and exciting group atmosphere. The result of a successful
brainstorming session could be a list of several hundred ideas, not
just one or two. From this wide-ranging list, there may be the one idea
that changes the course of the company.
Before you can implement brainstorming in your company it's important
to understand what brainstorming is and is not. Brainstorming is not a
solution to a problem but, rather, a way to identify a number of
possible solutions.
There are three stages of problem solving that you need to be aware of
for brainstorming sessions to be effective. They are: problem
definition, idea generation and evaluation. In fact brainstorming
itself facilitates the second stage by defining a set of possible
solutions, because ideas are generated when individuals are relaxed and
free to develop creative solutions.
While brainstorming is meant to be a freewheeling, open discussion,
there are four important rules that need to be followed.
1. The participants should never criticize any ideas. Brainstorming
should encourage a wide range of ideas. Criticism inhibits the
participants, and a great idea may be lost because of it. The leader
should do whatever is necessary to ensure that criticism or evaluation
is not permitted during the session.
2. The participants should let go and have fun. Once it's been
established that criticism is not permitted, each participant should
feel free to say whatever comes to his or her mind. No idea is too
off-the-wall or bizarre. Successful sessions encourage creative, even
impractical solutions. In the most successful sessions, fun and
laughter are key elements. Bizarre ideas encourage that type of
atmosphere.
3. Encourage a quantity of ideas and not quality. The goal of a
brainstorming session is to produce a large number of ideas. The more
ideas a session yields, the greater the chance that one truly great
idea will come out of it.
4. Expand on previous ideas. All the participants should be encouraged
to expand on each other's suggestions. For example, someone may
suggest that a toy company develop a mechanized stuffed animal. Another
participant may suggest a mechanized stuffed animal that talks.
Specifically state that developing other people's suggestions is a
goal, so participants won't feel embarrassed about "stealing"
someone else's idea.
Once you have decided to implement brainstorming techniques in your
company, you need to set up your first session by deciding who will
participate. You should include anyone with an interest in the problem.
It is always a good idea to involve someone from outside the department
as well. For example, if your goal is to develop a new marketing
campaign invite someone from the manufacturing department or one of the
wholesalers. Someone from the outside can bring a new perspective to a
problem.
The optimal size of a group for brainstorming is approximately 12
people. In a larger group, there is less pressure on individuals to
participate. In a smaller group there are fewer people to suggest and
develop ideas. Everyone present in the room needs to be a participant,
if people are just observing and not participating, it will only
inhibit the process.
The choice of a leader is very important to the success of the session.
The leader needs to be someone who has the ability to control the group
and keep the meeting on target without intimidating the participants.
The leader must be able to encourage participation and keep the mood
light. The person who leads should also be well-versed in the rules of
brainstorming.
Holding a brainstorming session in a neutral surrounding makes it much
more effective. When you hold the brainstorming session away from your
company it allows people to be more relaxed. They will be a lot more
free in expressing their ideas knowing that their boss is not standing
outside the door listening. In addition, you should make sure that the
room has comfortable chairs and no tables or desks. If possible,
disconnect the telephone in the room and make sure every participant
has his or her cell phone turned off.
A few days before the session is to be held, the leader should send out
a memo to all the participants stating the location of the meeting and
the problem to be discussed. This will give all the participants time
to develop ideas on their own. It also helps to outline the
brainstorming rules in the memo. Don't set a time limit on the
session. A session should end when the ideas do.
A brainstorming session should always begin with a warm-up exercise to
encourage creative thinking. It could be something very simple such as
asking, "How many uses are there for a paperclip?" A warm-up
exercise encourages creativity and sets up an atmosphere of levity for
the meeting.
Once the meeting starts post all the ideas on the wall. Use large
sheets of paper, and number your ideas with a bright marker. Posting
the ideas encourages the participants to build on previous suggestions
and gives them a point of reference. Referring to previous ideas is
also a good icebreaker when one of those inevitable silent periods
arises.
It is important that you only write down the idea, never who suggested
it. If you write down the person's name it will discourage the
participants because they will fear that their boss may see it.
Finally, after the session is over, evaluate the ideas. Designate
someone to enter all the ideas into a computer and give a printed copy
to all the participants. It is important that whatever the eventual
decision on any of the ideas, that the participants in the session be
kept up to date on the results. This will encourage others to become
involved in the process and make it easier to recruit people for your
next session.
Brainstorming is a proven and highly effective technique for coming up
with a truly great idea. When you learn the basic rules, and conduct
brainstorming sessions on a regular basis you will watch your
organization reap the benefits and reach the highest levels of success.
Copyright(c)2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights
reserved worldwide.
Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals
and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve
total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a
consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and
business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love
addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the
executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the
subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business
planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting
Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla
Marketing Workbook.
Reach Joe at: j...@jlmandassociates.com
Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com
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On The Management Side - Bad News?
It's always amazed me that managers don't realize that the bad news is
where the really important information lies, so it's essential to
encourage staff to be open about things that go wrong, or even their
own errors. Here's more on the subject.
Can You Handle Bad News?
By Tim Connor
Do you want the good news or bad news first?
One of the common errors poor managers make today is to shoot the
messenger who brings them bad news. These managers typically want
nothing but good news. They often see the bearer of bad news as
negative, not a team player or a troublemaker. Their attitude is often:
·You are always negative.
·You are always complaining.
·You are never happy.
·You are a pain in the _ _ _
I will agree that some employees fit one or all of the above
characterizations - from time to time however when you have an
employee bring you bad news, do you typically :
·thank them
·criticize them
·ignore them
·berate them
·listen to them
·encourage them to tell you more
·listen to them
·other_______________________
The point is, the closer you are to reality (either with a situation
inside the organization or outside with customers or suppliers) - the
better decisions you can make. And that will tend to ensure your
success and organization performance. Shooting the messenger is a great
way to ensure you are totally out of touch with the conditions,
perceptions, attitudes, problems and challenges that are present in
your department or organization as a whole.
Here are a few ideas to consider the next time one of your employees
brings you bad news or you perceive them as being disagreeable or
disloyal. (Let me repeat - if all you ever hear is good news and
never the bad news - you are contributing to your ultimate failure as
a manager and possibly an organization).
-Create and foster a culture that encourages or even rewards bad news.
-Don't just listen to the people who believe what you believe or know
what you know. Step outside your inner circle of supporters from time
to time.
-Don't berate or criticize employees who bring you less than ideal
news.
-Listen to them and ask for additional information on the messages they
bring to you.
-Do something with what you learned and let the person know what you
did.
-Empower people to be on the lookout for bad news.
-Put a system in place that permits all news - good and bad - to
get to the top.
-Tell your employees you want it all: the good, the bad and the ugly
- all the time.
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, relationship,
management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author.
Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a
variety of sales, management and relationship topics. He is the best
selling author of over 60 books including; He can be reached at
t...@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at
http://www.timconnor.com.
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That's it for now.
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contains other work related resources, and updates about our sites, and
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