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Four Steps to Influence Your Boss’s Decisions
What should you do if you boss is your biggest roadblock?
Do you work for someone that does not like change, they don’t want to improve things, or they prefer the status quo to avoid putting themselves at risk of making mistakes? What if you have ideas to improve your business but you can’t get them past your boss? What if your boss’s practices are preventing growth and inadvertently hurting the company…do you say something to them? Do you go above them to be heard? This is a common dilemma that many of us will...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Communication Skills on June 20, 2012
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Five Steps to Match Business Reports with Financials
Business Reports & Month-End Figures..Can’t they just get along?
Sales, Marketing, Operations, Quality, IT, Human Resources…it does not matter what part of the world you are in, or your ranking in the corporate hierarchy. We all do it…create reports that tell our story…a different story than is shown in Accounting’s month end data. Why does this happen? Who is to blame..and who is right?
This dilemma has haunted me in every company and at every level I have worked. It was not until I started leading companies that I...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Accounting & Finance on May 16, 2012
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Three Steps to Stop Your Boss From Micromanaging You.
Can’t get your boss off your back?
How annoying is it when your boss constantly tells you how to do your job, or even worse, when he tries to tell your employees how to do theirs, bypassing you altogether. It is very hard to stay motivated or focused when you have someone standing over your shoulder. And it is difficult to manage others when they are think someone higher up is looking at them. So how can you get your boss off your back AND get them to listen to what you have to say?
Step One: Get your act...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Professional Development on May 11, 2012
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14 Steps to Using Surveys As Powerful Communication Tools
Are you asking the right questions before making decisions?
There are several great online survey templates you can use for standard measurements such as employee reviews, customer satisfaction surveys, product ratings and many others. My message to you, however, is to go outside of those templates and understand that a survey, in its simplest form, is a communication tool that serves three important purposes:
It allows you to ask consistent questions in order to see a trend of answers.
It provides data points you can use to make informed decisions.
It...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Communication Skills on June 13, 2012
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Six Success Tips For Operations Professionals
Is your Operations Group aligned with your company’s vision?
As market dynamics change, so should your operations group. Make sure you are being proactive, able to adapt and stay competitive. Here are six success tips all operations professionals should incorporate into their routine.
Focus on Communication input and output.
Often times operations becomes a microcosm of its own and loses touch unintentionally, sometimes deliberately, with the rest of the organization. Don’t let this happen. Be open to market demands and listen to your...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Operations on October 31, 2012
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6 Success Tips to Make Quality & Safety Part of Your Company’s DNA
What are you doing to set standards for exceptional quality and safety in your company?
There are two common organizational flaws that come to mind when I think of quality and safety programs. The first is the company that goes out of its way to preach the importance of quality and safety, but does not back it up with an infrastructure that establishes metrics and systems to continuously improve. Second is the company that has an internal group of individuals trying to make a difference but does not have the management commitment to measure qualified metrics as a means of judging...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Operations on January 28, 2013
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Interview tactics for the InterviewER
How do you prepare for interviews to ensure hiring the candidate that best fits your team?
Most of us have read articles on how to interview, researched questions that might be asked of us, and tried to get ourselves prepared for what to expect on the big interview day. All of this preparation is for our time as an interviewee, but what if you are the InterviewER? Do you know what to do to make the interview process more productive for you? Here are nine steps to ensure hiring the candidate that best fits your team.
1) Work with your human resources...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Human Resources on July 2, 2012
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Management Tactics to Improve Pro-Activity
How do you inspire your employees to do more?
You want your employees to move faster, do more, follow-up on opportunities and complete action items, but how can you inspire them to do it on their own? If you are tired of getting month end reports without any substance and want your employees to generate results on a daily basis, here is an essential management tactic you can use to improve your employee’s pro-activity.
Get ready for it….it is shockingly simple…your commitment to it is the only thing necessary to...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Management on June 26, 2012
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Bridge The Gap Between Employee Needs & Employer Expectations
Do You Lack The Tools & Resources To Do Your Job Effectively?
From time to time we survey business professionals regarding challenges they face. One of the most common responses is that they lack the tools & resources to do their jobs effectively. This struggle spans all job levels and departmental functions, and most definitely impacts your own organization, possibly starting with you. So what can you do to personally overcome this obstacle, and what can you as a manager or business leader do to proactively use this challenge as an opportunity...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Professional Development on April 29, 2013
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Understand The Role You Play In Leadership
Do you always know which decision is the right decision?
A True Leader Knows There Is No Right Answer….and finds strength in that.
There are many traits that define leadership, but one that stands out is the ability to know there is no right way of doing something. When at a crossroads with a choice of going straight, left, right, staying put or turning around…how do you make that decision? Do you see all of your options? Do you get overwhelmed? Is one choice better than the other? Is one right and are the others...Continue reading
By Lisa WoodsPosted in Leadership & Teambuilding on June 21, 2012
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