My mother always used to say to me “What goes around comes around”. As a young boy she would say that to me every time I felt used by a friend or taken advantage of by someone. The older I got the more I witnessed how true this was and we truly do reap what we sow, sometimes immediately and sometimes it takes years.In business and personal relations a negative action can create a chain of reactions that center around a negative thread. We enter into personal relationships never expecting things will go wrong. However sometimes they do and the “wrongs” become defined through our personal filters of what the “rights” should be. What usually ensues is arguments over who is right and who is wrong with neither party seeking to understand before they can be understood.

Rarely do such arguments end in a win win solution but when they do it is evidence of both parties ability to set aside differences while agreeing to both respect those differences and focus on the common values of the relationship.

Is This True in Business Relationships?

Business conflicts usually arise out of broken promises and expectations not being met. The fuel that drives conflict is centric to economic gain or loss by either party. However, the essence of conflicts start and end with the dynamics of the relationships.

When we form business relations it follows the model of either a supplier, employee or a customer of the business. Businesses need suppliers and employees in order to serve the end product, service or message to their customers. When things go “wrong” anywhere in the supply chain or the delivery chain, whether it be with the product or service, relationship conflicts arise and much time and money is spent trying to resolve the “wrongs”.

When a wrong carries significance, either economically, emotionally, physically or mentally the magnitude of loss determines the degree of pursuit to be made “right”. In business the larger the perceived wrong the more likely that a legal process will be used as the means for conflict resolution. As soon as any conflict gets to the legal stage the cost of resolution goes up and damage to the “relationships”, or in a larger sense markets, becomes extremely difficult to repair or even salvage.

Then there are business conflicts which never end up in legal disputes but the cost of these conflicts can sometimes be larger than those pursued through the legal system. Historically these kind of conflicts were buried in the hearts and minds of those who have loss something as a result of the “wrongs”. Everyone simply walked away and the offenders hoped the issues would never arise again and that “word of the conflict” would not spread too far. Some businesses, not all, tend to take advantage of both there size and economic muscle, power, in resolving conflicts by leveraging the offending parties inability to fuel the cost of a legal dispute. Many consider these tactics a win and will leverage these dynamics any day of the week.

Will Conflicts Now Trickle Down or Up?

The social web creates transparency to both the wrongs and the rights of suppliers, employees and customers. The transparency of collective conversations are open to discovery by anyone, anywhere about anything and everything. Today’s media is quick to report “news” formed by either major business announcements or collective conversations facilitated through the social web. A wrong or right can trickle down to the masses very quickly.

The term “trickle-down” comes from an analogy with a phenomenon in marketing, the trickle-down effect. Some economist support “trickle-down economics” and “trickle-down theory,” and propose that it works best for a collective society. Conversational rivers flow through the social web and trickle down to the point of influence over people, businesses and markets.

Given these dynamics business owners, shareholders and entire markets may need to rethink how they deal with conflict resolution in the future. Focusing on the value of good relations may mean the past tactics of conflict resolution need to be reconstructed around enhancing good will with people rather than leveraging power against them for the wrong purpose.

The alternative is that the conversational rivers of the people become a negative influence over your business, your markets, your suppliers, your customers and certainly not least, your employees. In the old days conversations and the subsequent objectives trickled down. Today the conversations may trickle up.

What goes around comes around.

What say you?

Featured post by Jay Deragon from LinkToYourWorld.com

“You’ll have ten minutes to explain the virtual world of social networks.” That was the instructions from a global corporation who asked us to dial into the proverbial Monday morning executive meeting and discuss social networks.So how does one educate business executives about the value of conversational relationships with a ten minute limit set on the conversation? You can’t!In another example, a Fortune 500 company had engaged us to research their specific niche market as it relates to what the market was doing with social networks and what opportunities could they pursue to create market differential as well as improve customer and employee satisfaction.

Upon finishing the research we began to write the report and send drafts to the appointed project manager within the company. Our first draft was ten pages long. The appointed project managers first response was “we have a rule around here and that is our executives will not read anything longer than two pages.” The essence of the message was “we don’t need to know why and how to do something rather simply tell us what to do and do so quickly.”

Does the “how and why” impact what the final results will be?

Many, if not all, employees of any corporation will relate to the two examples above. Pressed by deadlines and an abundance of task businesses thirst for the “one minute answers” and then when the answers are implemented but do not produce the expected results the blame game begins. Subsequently “pointing fingers at who is to blame” becomes a cultural norm when the “what” answers contained in the two page summaries or ten minute presentations do not produce expected results.

Dr. Charles (Kalev) Ehin, Professor of Management Emeritus and the former Dean of the Gore School of Business at Westminster College writes: ” Have you ever wondered how things actually get accomplished in most organizations despite all the obstacles continuously encountered by the people who perform the day-to-day activities? I’m sure you have unless, of course, you are one of those rare individuals who is independently wealthy and has never worked for someone else. Not surprisingly, all of us have our own individual theories about why businesses survive in spite of the seemingly unworkable systems and processes they frequently employ. Just in case you may have, for a moment, forgotten what those obstacles are let me list just a few of the most common:”

• Unclear goals and objectives
• Ambiguous or unexplained policies and procedures
• Unrealistic deadlines and budgets
• Pressure to do more with less
• Lack of cooperation and teamwork
• Poor and uninspiring leadership
• Lack of open communications and trust

“Can you imagine what gains in wealth, creativity, and social responsibility could be realized if enterprises discovered how to leverage the hidden but powerful attributes that allow firms to make a profit in spite of these barriers? The possibilities are boundless. And think as well about how much more successful mergers and change initiatives in general would be if they could tap into these attributes. Essentially, my focus will be on the nature of the emergent systems or informal networks present in all social entities and what leaders must do to “allow” the tremendous energy and creativity inherent in these systems to support the overall organizational vision and objectives.”

Successful Social Networks are more about the How and Why

The innate power of relationships is the learning element that we adults seem to have forgotten. Part of the element of learning is conversational and without taking time to have a conversation learning is being limited. Half of a conversational process is listening and maybe it is the most important part. If business leaders don’t have time to listen or engage in conversations how will they learn the inherent power of social networks?

I have a five year old son whose constant response to any conversation is “why” which is indicative of human natures desire to learn. Even when you respond to his first “why” he’ll naturally follow up with another “why” until he thinks he’s gained an understanding of the subject matter being discussed. Ironically when he thinks he truly understands something he’ll be the first to correct his father in future conversations relative to whatever he thinks he now understands. Sound familiar?

Business thinking and subsequent institutional behavior has created deficits in learning capacities and capabilities. Finding quick answers to market movements, short term profit pressures and institutional maladies is a repetitive process that robs peoples ability to learn the how and why. Do business leaders really think they have learned enough to simply ask for what without understanding why and how? If we truly found time to have conversations with employees, suppliers and customers what would we learn?

A ten minute presentation or a two page summary may not be enough to understand the power behind a major social movement. Are we so connected to business that our relationships have become disconnected?

What say you?

A portal is a central place for making all types of information accessible to an audience of varying range.

Teams come in all shapes and sizes and range in experience from the intern to the CEO of a company. An intranet portal for a company is a place where all of these different levels of employees can come together and share ideas, thoughts, projects, and other work related material to create a better work environment to either decrease costs or drive revenue for the company.

There is a lot of research on how teams function together and the dynamics that they can bring to your business to produce more, work faster, and reduce costs or bring in higher profits. The easier it is for these teams to share and collaborate, the better the execution will be on their projects.

One of the most beneficial features of an intranet portal is that everyone involved can stay up to date and informed on the projects they are working on. The thing that slows down team work the most is when the people involved don’t know what the status is on the work or who needs to complete their work before the next step can be taken. Portals solve that dilemma by allowing everyone who can access the portal the status of the projects, who’s responsible for what, and when those responsibilities will be completed.

Portals also allow members of a team to access information, documents, and other critical data while away from the office. So whether they’re at home, away on business, or just working remotely, they can still be an active participate on projects and complete their responsibilities on time.

You can also set up your portal to allow outside contractors and consultants to complete work on your projects. The security settings can be set up to allow a consultant to work on one particular project or multiple projects at the same time. This allows you to control what they can access and how much information they will be able to see.

My company has its own intranet portal because of the reasons stated above. We all have our satellite offices, but the use of a portal allows us to complete our projects and come up with better processes to work more efficiently. You can set up your own intranet portal with the help of Sharepoint Portal Consultancy who offer their services to companies looking to set up their own portals and improve the way your team works together.

If your company wants to be more efficient, having a portal is the most cost effective solution. You will see your team collaborate more on their projects while completing the required tasks more quickly. The end result will be bringing products and services to market faster, or resolving internal processes quicker to meet your business needs.

All forms of business need some sort of credit card processing so they can accept debit cards, credit cards, and checks for payment of products or services. Most large companies can outsource these services to companies that can deliver customized solutions just for them. Many of my small business clients say that they can’t find a solution fit for them. Just because you have a small business doesn’t mean you can’t have something tailored to your needs.

There are a number of companies that offer credit card processing that can meet and exceed your business needs. The trick is to find a solution that best fits your business desires and goals. It’s important to communicate clearly to the sales rep so they understand your business and how it accepts money. This can be done by making some telephone calls to the different providers.

If your small business is more complex, you may have to look around a little bit more to find exactly what you need. Many small businesses not only do business with people in person at their retail shop, but they also take orders online via their website. You could find a solution that will meet both of these needs individually, but it would probably be more cost effective if you bundled it into one service provider.

Also, small businesses can also outsource phone order or mail order so they can process orders directly over the phone with their customers. A solution like this will give the impression that you have a much larger company and customers will feel more confident when they buy from you. It may be hard to higher a single employee and delegate enough responsibility to have them on salary, but when you outsource it to another group you can manage your phone order or mail order business much more cost effectively.

One of the newest methods is taking orders wirelessly. If you have a wireless solution, you can meet with your customers onsite and process their transaction directly through your phone or other mobile device. These types of transactions are unique in that you can seal a deal right in front of your customer and there is no need to go back to the office and process paperwork and transaction details. This benefits your outside sales team most because they will be able to reduce their time doing the backend work and spending more time on sales.

There is a company that I’ve recommended to others before called First Data Independent Sales that can meet many of your needs. They offer many different types of accounts including e-commerce, retail, phone/mail order, wireless, restaurant, and TeleCheck. They work with business large and small to deliver a cost effective solution for your business. They give away free software and other free services to win your business and offer first quality service to retain it. They’ve been in business since 1988 and are very knowledgeable in the industry and have brought great products, services, and technology to the industry.

Through their innovative products, services, and technology they have been able to stay one step in front of their competition and remain a forerunner in the market. You can rest assured that when you call them they will be able to work with your unique business plan and deliver solutions to keep you one step ahead of your competition.

Whatever you choose, make sure you’ve done your homework and you truly understand the process and details of the service. You want to make sure any solution is going to benefit you and your provider demonstrates the value that they will bring to your business. It could save you literally hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in the long run and that adds up at the end of the year. Just like anything else you outsource, you want to make sure that company or person you bring on fits well on your team. Businesses that have great teams put together can produce more than their competition.

A large part of what makes a meeting successful occurs in
the preparation phase. Although it may vary by committee,
department or unit, there are seven key responsibilities
expected of chairs or team leaders before a meeting takes
place. Each is explained in detail below.

1. Clarify purpose and aims. A clearly stated purpose or
aim describes the key decisions that must be made or
actions that must occur at the meeting. The purpose of a
meeting should be stated at the top of the meeting agenda.
Some example purpose statements might look something like:
• Share best practices in graduate recruitment and identify
opportunities to recruit collaboratively
• Identify priority goals for next year
• Examine and update admission criteria
• Decide how to get feedback from faculty, staff and
students
Everything else on the agenda including topics, times, and
presenters are the activities that, taken together, will
accomplish the aims. A weekly or monthly staff meeting may
not require meeting aims beyond the agenda items.

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Copyright (c) 2006 Mr Sital Ruparelia

Many businesses struggle to deal with under performing or
‘problem’ staff members. By “problem,” I mean anything from
persistent absence and lateness, right the way through to a
bad attitude or not achieving the job requirements to the
correct standards. When I examine these situations it is
often a self inflicted problem which the business leaders
and owners have created themselves. Either…
a) they hired the wrong people,
b) maybe they didn’t train them correctly, or else
c) they simply did not manage them when the problems first
arose.

This last point, failing to deal with a problem when it
first begins really is often the core reason and the
purpose of this article. Your failure to set boundaries and
have an ‘awkward’ conversation about deteriorating work
standards, attitude or time keeping as soon as they first
arise - will lead to problems down the line - I can
guarantee that 100%. So no matter how uncomfortable it
feels, you owe it to yourself, the business and the
individual to sit them down and “nip it in the bud” (as we
say in the UK) informally before it becomes a major problem
that grinds away at you and your business. So how exactly
do you do this..? Here is a 5 step model that you can use
when you first realize you have a problem with a team
member:

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Copyright (c) 2006 A Marketing Connection

Before redoing or beginning any new marketing piece it’s
important you take the time to think about what role it’s
going to play in your sales process.

Always remember every marketing piece, from your business
card to a simple flyer you hand out at events, should move
a prospect forward in your sales cycle.

Let’s look at a few ways you may be “moving a prospect
forward” and some marketing tools that may help you do
that…

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Copyright (c) 2006 UpLevel Strategies

Mark Twain once said, “Keep away from people who try to
belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but
the really great make you feel that you, too, can become
great.’

It’s true. Have you ever noticed that people who are
successful have friends and work with others who are
successful?

Take Chicken Soup for the Soul author Mark Victor Hansen.

As the story goes, Mark Victor Hansen was lamenting to Tony
Robbins about his less than desirable level of success. “I
don’t understand it,” said Hansen. “I just can’t seem to
get from where I am to where I want to be.”

“Well, who are the people around you?” asked Robbins.

“The thing is,” replied Hansen. “I’m hanging out with
millionaires.”

“That’s the problem,” declared Robbins. “You need to start
hanging out with billionaires.”

Mark Victor Hansen took Tony Robbins’ advice, and the rest
is history.

Surround yourself with the best and your efforts will more
naturally – and more surely – lead toward excellence. By
doing so, you will begin to achieve success faster, easier
and with greater predictability than you could by yourself.

What can you do to begin surrounding yourself with success?

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“Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz

There are a number of reasons why teams fail, and why there is a lack of productivity or accountability within various teams in the workplace. In conducting leadership and team building programs worldwide over the last ten years, I hear almost day in and day out the main reasons why teams aren’t more productive. Team leaders often report to me, “There’s no accountability.” Or, “Our team members handle communication and conflict resolution differently, and don’t always get along.”

Communication and effective interpersonal skills are essential tools for a team’s survival. Often, a team simply needs a good “airing” of the issues during team building meetings. Here are 10 of the most common reasons I hear that keep teams, and team leaders, from achieving maximum performance:

1. Backstabbing. If you are the team leader and backstabbing is an issue, suggest that the team come up with a rule. Example: if there is any backstabbing among team members and they can’t resolve it on their own, it goes before the team leader.

2. Interrupting. This is a common challenge in meetings. Have the team come up with a rule such as, “No one is allowed to speak until the other person finishes and you raise your hand.” Remember, it starts with the team leader.

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Copyright © 2006 Red Ladder, Inc.

You’re at work. You’ve been assigned an exciting, highly visible project. You can’t wait to get started. You arrive at your first team meeting ready to rock and roll. You take one look around and you immediately hone in on several scowling faces.  Almost immediately, you are confronted and a conflict ensues.  Your excitement quickly diminishes as you realize you have your work cut out for you.

Sound familiar? Maybe not exactly this scenario but I guarantee almost anyone you talk to in the workplace has encountered one form of conflict or another.  You may experience this conflict one-on-one or in a team setting.  Not to worry.  Conflict in the workplace is not uncommon, and in fact, in some instances it is even worthwhile.  That’s right.  It can be worthwhile particularly if you can shift the conflict to make it work to your advantage.

Why does conflict occur?  Typically, conflicts arise when expectations are not met in some form, when one party perceives a threat to themselves in some way, or through simple miscommunication.

So, what can you do to manage conflict when it arises? Follow these simple steps.

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