Category: TABNCI

6 Tips to Get More Out of Your Next Business Meeting

Many people struggle with attending meetings at their business. You may feel that you are not needed or that your opinion doesn’t matter. Yet, you need to arrive with purpose. Here are seven tips on how to be smart when attending a business meeting.

1. Do Not Multitask, Stay Focused On The Meeting

It is so easy to get distracted and start thinking about other aspects of your day. Then you begin to try and listen to the meeting and focus on other things. It could be your next meeting, a phone call you need to make, a report you need to do, or a task unrelated to work.

It is important to stay focused in meetings. Try and put your entire focus on the person directing the meeting and block everything else out. That way, you can contribute fully and know what is going on.

2. Bring Pen And Paper For Note Taking

Note-taking is important and can help you remember the little details you may need later. However, it can be hard to retain a lot of information all at one time.

So do yourself a favor and take notes. You can take them by:

• Writing Them
• Typing Them
• Recording Them

3. Keep The Goal Of The Meeting In Mind

Everyone knows that when you are in a meeting, things can get off track. You have to complete many tasks in your workday and don’t want to spend longer than needed in the meeting. Intelligent individuals will politely direct the meeting back to the goal at hand.

4. Always Keep Eye Contact

Eye contact shows the person in charge of the meeting that you care about what is being discussed. It will also portray that you are serious about your job and what is discussed in the meeting. You can vibe off of what someone is feeling and thinking when you keep eye contact.

5. Only Use Phone For Informational Needs

It is so easy to get distracted by your phones in a meeting. You pick it up to check the time or a message that came in, and the next thing you know, you’ve been looking at it for 15 minutes. Try not to touch your phone during a meeting unless necessary to check for information.

6. Stay Courteous When Exiting and Be Where Your Needed

As an employee of a business, you may play several different roles. That means you may make your way from meeting to meeting. This can result in some meetings overlapping. Stay for the meeting as long as you can, and politely excuse yourself when needed. Before you leave, give any information you feel is necessary, then slip out.

Please share your comments with us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Better Your Company With Continuing and Advanced Learning

It is challenging to learn new skills within your job sometimes. Primarily, you are conditioned and trained to do things a certain way. To keep up with the ever-changing times, you need to be open to change. When you can learn new skills and tasks, you can go further in life.

The Pandemic Put Things On Hold

For many people, the pandemic put learning and jobs on hold. Others were able to take advantage of businesses being closed and brush up on their training. There were also several who took this time to learn new skills to further their education.

Precautions are starting to lift for many people regarding the pandemic, and things are getting back to full swing.

That means that this time that was spent on hold will accelerate forward. Are you ready?

Be Opened Minded and Eager To Learn

Companies will offer advanced learning opportunities to their employees at various times. Take advantage of these chances and further your education. Don’t be stuck in a rut of what you are used to; you never know what tomorrow will bring. This could be the opportunity that you needed to become a better person.

Experience is only good when it falls in line with what you are good at. With the way everything is changing and moving, you need to be versatile. Some of the many ways that companies will go about preparing their employees for the future are:

1. Allowing You Opportunities To Further Your Education
2. Chances For On-The-Job Training
3. Opportunities To Build Bonds With Other Employees
4. Encourage Learning and Communication With Coworkers
5. Opportunities For Change At All Levels
6. Allowing Expression Of New Ideas
7. Making Room For Failure and Encouraging To Keep Trying

Be Future Ready

As times change, businesses change. The way things operate changes and evolve. If you are stuck in your tracks and unwilling to make the needed changes, you won’t succeed. As a business, you need to be open to these changes and encourage an open-minded attitude to your employees.

When your employees are willing and eager to learn new skills and techniques, you will grow as a business. Advanced learning is an excellent opportunity to supply to your business employees. Shape your company to what you want it to be in the future.

It is always good to be prepared for the future, no matter what it may hold.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

How to Build Your Organization’s Identity

Companies are no stranger to change. Things will always need to change for a business to grow and thrive. Otherwise, if they don’t make the necessary changes, they’ll end up shutting their doors.

One thing that helps an organization to survive is to get a clear idea of what their identity is. The identity of a company is the driving force behind everything they do, from customer acquisition to how operations are handled from the day to day.

Here is a look at how organizations can build their identity:

1. Create a Purpose Statement

An effective purpose statement should be clear and concise. It should outline exactly what the company offers to their target audience. Not only should the employees understand the purpose of the company, but so should the potential customers.

Organizations can share their company’s purpose statement by:

• Branding their website with the statement in mind.
• Share the information on their social media accounts.
• Create ads and messaging around the purpose statement.
• Educating new hires on the purpose statement and reminding them periodically.
  2. Create Culture That is In Line With The Purpose Statement

  Having a clear purpose statement is the first step in establishing an organization’s culture. The leadership in the company has to set the tone for employees from the moment they walk in the door. To make sure that the culture is accepted, you must put processes in place that will keep everyone accountable on the way things should be done.

  Regularly training your team on the company culture is also important. The more they are exposed to it and encouraged to accept it, the stronger representatives they will be for the company. Having a team that is all on the same page helps an organization to solidify their identity.

  3. Work Individually With Your Employees

  Just as much as you would invest in your upper management, you will want to invest in your front-line employees. The education you put together should address how an individual of the company can set goals and reach them. This could come in the form of quarterly check-ins where you help each employee get a clear idea of what they want to accomplish personally and professionally in the next quarter. Then, provide them the tools and training needed to get there.

  To build your organization’s identity, it all comes down to making sure that every employee and customers understand the organization’s purpose. Also, that the employees adapt to the company culture and are given the one on one training they need to succeed.

Please share your comments with us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Which One Are You – Boss or Leader?

There are some major differences between a boss and a leader in the workplace. Just because you are a boss, it doesn’t make you a leader. The same goes for being a leader; it doesn’t make you a boss. Now that may leave you confused about what that really means. 

Are You A Boss?

Being a boss just means that you are in charge of a business or company. You are the one who the rules and regulations flow through. The one who keeps things moving and under control. Most of the time, you are the one who has to give permission and will oftentimes give the orders of what needs to be done.

Are You A Leader?

A leader isn’t always the person who is actually in charge. They are someone who wants to help improve and can usually see the bright side of things. The motivator in situations. Most of the time they are the encourager of the group and want to see people succeed in what they are doing.

You can be a boss and a leader at the same time, but that isn’t the way that it has to be. It would probably be the ideal way for things to happen, but it isn’t necessarily the case in most instances. If the boss was a leader, things could run pretty smoothly.

Attributes Of A Leader and A Boss

When you think about a leader you may automatically pair it with the word boss. There are many attributes that make them different though. Here is a simple list of some examples of the differences.

• Bosses give out a task and want it done; leaders encourage and help you through tasks.
• Bosses direct you because of their authority over you, leaders will direct and encourage.
• Leaders think about the long-term effects of a situation, bosses can sometimes be focused on the short-term.
• Leaders want you to flourish and give you credit for your accomplishments, bosses can sometimes steal the credit.

Being a boss doesn’t mean that you don’t have the right mindset and abilities to encourage others. You can be both a boss and a leader, but it can require a little bit more work. Sometimes, it is a good thing to have a leader and a boss be two different people. That way there is someone else who can be turned to.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Personal and Professional Challenges For Top Executives

Platitudes often fall flat in the business world. They are overused and lack meaning. It will help if you put purpose behind your words. A workplace that is driven by purpose and purposeful words will go a lot further than one that isn’t. Intentional stories will encourage your employees to work harder and more efficiently.

The Job Of A Top Executive

When you are named the top executive in your company, someone sees potential in you. It can fulfill an important job and take the company to a higher place. Your employees will be looking up to you and the decisions you make. They are listening to the words that you are saying to them.

As an executive, you need to find a way to lead and encourage your employees to be the best that they can be. It’s so easy to fall back on the platitudes that we are so familiar with. But, far too often those are meaningless words. Put forth the effort to mean what you are saying and make them have a purpose.

What Is A Platitude?

Compliments and encouragement are a way to encourage your employees. As a top executive at your company, you are the driving force that keeps things going. When talking to your employees, it’s easy to fall back on trite, overused, and meaningless platitudes. There are times there is a little bit of truth behind them, they are more of a cliché.

When complimenting and encouraging, put purpose behind your words. Don’t use the same old sayings that have lost their meaning. Show your employees what they mean to you and encourage them to pursue the purpose.

What Does It Mean To Have Purpose?

A business that is driven with purpose will improve much further. When executives rely solely on platitudes that sound nice to the ear, but lack concrete direction, the business will come short of its potential. Encouragement that is surrounded by concrete and precise direction will lead your company to higher levels than it has ever seen.

Platitudes are easy, they are already thought out but they are directed to a wide audience with a wide array of circumstances. Speak with purpose and your employees will rise to the occasion when clear direction is expressed. Leave the platitude to the greeting cards and speak with purpose.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Performance Management: The Next Shift

Do you have a performance management team at your business? It has been proven that teamwork is a beneficial part of businesses. So much more can be accomplished when people are working as a team to accomplish a goal. Some businesses design specific awards for teams that performed the best each month. That is to give motivation to the employees.

What Is Performance Management?

Performance management is what it sounds like. The management of performance that’s accomplished within the business. It is the process of teams working together to accomplish one main goal.

The type of business that you are running will determine the strategies that you take. Also, the ultimate goal will help to decide the steps you take to enhance your performance. When you have a performance management team, it can make a world of difference. Some of the steps that could be beneficial to take are listed below.

1. Planning

By making a plan, you are taking the first step to success. It is hard to achieve a big goal when you don’t have a good plan in place. Break it down to monthly or weekly goals to meet.

A good plan and realistic expectations will help to encourage the employees to stay on track. Make sure your ultimate goal is clearly stated. Everyone needs to understand what their jobs are.

2. Monitoring

The progress that is being made should be monitored and talked about often. To keep everyone on the same page and working at a good pace. Make a plan to review yearly goals with your employees. This should be done monthly.

You can even have short talks and check-in times to make sure everyone is staying on track. This will give you a chance to revamp different areas if needed.

3. Reviewing

It is important to have routine meetings to check on the status of your goals. If you do not keep these types of things fresh in people’s minds, they can be overlooked. This also gives the teams a chance to see where you are and how much further you need to go.

4. Rewarding

To motivate your employees to have the same drive as you do, there needs to be some incentives. It does not need to be anything huge, but enough to give them the motivation that they need to succeed. When they have a goal to meet, they will work harder to achieve it.

Please share your comments with us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Remote Work: 3 Important Questions

The pandemic changed a lot of things for many businesses. Many people began working from home, which was a new concept for a lot of them. This also showed many businesses how much they can accomplish while working from home. There are a large number that has realized they don’t need to have as many people working on location anymore.

Benefits Of Remote Working

Many of the people who began working have seen that it works well for them. You have to have a new mindset and level of focus to make it a doable task. There are boundaries and rules that you need to set for yourself to make sure you stay on track.

It opens a whole new level of freedom and flexibility when you work from home. There are a variety of businesses that are choosing to stay remote even when the pandemic resolves. They have realized that it works very well for them.

3 Important Questions:

Are you considering taking your business strictly remote? Or even leaving a percentage of it that way? There are some questions to ask yourself.

1. What Activities Should Be Remote?

In a remote and social distancing world, it has made many tasks difficult. Not every task that someone does for their job can be done from a remote location. That is why a clear understanding of what can be done remotely and what can’t will need to be outlined.

This is where companies will need to decide how to help this employee work from home. There could be a rotation of days that they report to the office to accomplish the jobs they can’t do remotely. That way they are not full time remote.

2. How Will This Work?

Decide what all employees need to make this job function as best as possible from home. When you make sure that they are equipped with everything they need, it will be able to work more efficiently. There may be some training that is needed to help the employees. It can feel alienating to work from home, so doing what you can to involve remote workers is important.

3. What Do Employees Need?

All jobs are different and may require different materials to be able to work from home. Some people may only need a computer and internet, while there may be more involved for other jobs. Employees will need to find a good place at their home where they can concentrate and stay focused.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

How To Hire For Skills And Less For Industry Experience

Hiring someone to work in your company is a big decision. You want to make sure that you are getting the right person for the job. Just because someone has previously done a job or has experience in certain areas, doesn’t mean that they are the right fit for that area of your business.

There are some things that you can look for and do to help make sure you are fitting the right person to the right area of your business. That way you are hiring someone for the skills that they are good at instead of just their experience in the industry. Let’s dive into some of the benefits of hiring in this manner.

Don’t Hire On Bias Standards

It is easy to believe that a man specifically or a woman specifically will fit a certain job best. While you should be hiring on the skills that the individual has and not by the sex that they are. When you hire an individual this way, you are going to get someone who can accomplish the job better.

Don’t Focus So Much On Degrees 

Hiring someone to fill a position that you have available is stressful at times. You are nervous to make the wrong choice in a person.

When you are advertising for a job position, but more of the focus on their abilities and training. Not so much on their degrees in college. Many people have the right qualifications and certifications, without a bachelor’s degree.

Look Beyond Job Titles

The job that people are hired for sometimes fits them well and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s because many people hire without thinking about their true skills and just based on their experiences. With recent experience with the pandemic, people are far more capable of more jobs.

You Will Benefit More

Focusing more on the skills that an individual has is going to benefit your business more in the long run. People are going to enjoy what they do on a whole new level as well. You will see that your business will flourish more and it is also going to save you money.

Many people lost their jobs over the past year during the pandemic of Covid-19, forcing businesses to expand their employees’ job titles. Having to move to smaller amounts of staff. This gave the paternity to expand people’s experience and skills.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Top Executive Challenges

There have been a number of difficult challenges that businesses all over have had to face through the pandemic of 2020. It has not been an easy process for people or business owners. They have had to make some very hard decisions and choices that made big impacts on people’s livelihoods. Now decisions have to be made as we move through this year on how to move forward with the many additional challenges.

Step into their shoes for just a moment, and think about all the big choices that they have had to make. No matter the need to do something, when it is something that is going to possibly hurt someone, it is hard to do. Many businesses had to make the very hard decision to lay a good portion of their employees off. Putting those people and their families in some hardships.

Making Hard Decisions

CEO’s have had to make some life-changing decisions over this past year. Laying off employees, furloughing, and possibly even closing the doors altogether. This has put them in some pretty tough situations and ones that don’t sit easily on the conscious.

Making decisions for a company is a lot of pressure and sometimes comes with a lot of stress. Even the ones outside of the pandemic. Many times you have to veto ideas and sometimes you can take the risk and take action. Making big decisions is a hard job either way it goes.

Taking The Heat

One reason that it can be so hard to make some of the difficult decisions that go along with being in charge of a business, is that you have to take the heat. If the idea fails or doesn’t flourish, it is you that is looked back on. That is a lot to carry.

Working Together

Running a company is not only the job of the CEO but also the employees who are working there as well. Yes, someone has to be in charge and make the final decisions, but it also can’t run properly without those who are working there alongside.

Teamwork is the best way to run a business and have it be successful. When people are not focused on the big picture and working together, things aren’t going to flourish as well. There are so many challenges that you can face as the top executive, but working as a whole company is the only way to see true success.

Please share your comments with us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.