Q:  What is your fundamental mindset?  Are you a beginner, a novice, an expert?

A:  The frustration in finding any answer is that it often demonstrates the death of the question.  If you believe that you are the utmost master within the sales or management arenas, please forget it as this mindset can lead to your ultimate demise.

Don’t allow your routine to become a routine.  Don’t accept that its business as usual.  Don’t become predictable to a fault.  If you do fall into this trap, your competitors, your peers, your customers and your employees will know what you will do or say to any given situation.  And in most cases, that is not a good scenario.

Now with that said, please don’t misinterpret my meaning.  It is imperative that you remain defined and disciplined and that you must keep your “tools” sharp and polished but not to the point of becoming a slave to these things.

Whether you are in a sales, administrative or management career, it’s continues to be all about people and people issues.  And with all people comes one constant and that is change.  You cannot react to change if you don’t keep an open mind.  You must think like a beginner and act or react like an expert.  To stay on top of your game, you must maintain a high level of alertness that will allow your mind to receive new and more effective techniques to incorporate into your bag of tools.  And this, is what I define as a beginners mind.

Picture this…. We are sitting at the kitchen table and I put a cup of coffee in front of you that is almost full. I start pouring coffee slowly into your cup and soon it reaches the brim and starts to overflow with hot coffee splashing on you, the kitchen table and onto the floor.  When will you jump up and tell me to stop?

In this analogy, the cup of coffee represents your mindset. You came to the table with an almost full cup and little room for anything new.  You may think you know it all but the mind of a consummate professional is never full.  In fact it’s really always empty and ready to receive something new without warning.  My example uses the coffee in the coffee pot to represent knowledge, ideas, techniques and a new prospective.  A proven prospective that you can put into motion within your life with little effort.

As a final thought, remember this, “If you open your hand, you can take hold of anything.  If you close your hand, nothing can grasp it.”

2011 is in my rear view mirror and 2012 is happily glaring into my windshield. I am determined that this year is MINE for the taking.  Is your mind open enough for 2012 to be YOURS’ as well?  If not, I promise to offer my hand to you as I go by and hopefully we can proceed down Highway 2012 together.  You do make a difference and I do care.  Call or write if you have a need and I will respond immediately!

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC
President
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

What Are The Differences Between New Employee Orientation and Just Doing The Paperwork!

I’ve said in past newsletters that employee retention begins during the recruiting process and it is true.  But the next high level impingement, is the actual new employee orientation.  I’m not speaking about getting the W-4’s, job applications, benefits and other items needed to get him/her into the payroll system.  I’m talking about actually doing an orientation that has substance and a defining meaning.  Letting the new person know the ropes from the corporate cultural seat is paramount to all parties concerned reaching a successful relationship.

There is a huge difference between the inauguration of a new employee into the current organization and really defining the path.  Unless you are hiring mind readers or prophets, these points in time are the beginning of the make or break relationship of any given new employee and/or your overall system and absolutely have a direct affect on your bottom line.

This is the instant in the new hires life where you both agree on the goals, aspirations, initial paths to be taken and provide YOUR expectations of him/her.  On the reverse side of this, it is your opportunity to listen instead of talk and learn about the new hires expectations so that you can both play nice in the sand box.

If I am correct and based on years of experience I know that I am, (how’s that for ego?), why would you want to risk hiring an employee that is not going to stay because of initial misunderstandings, or not knowing the proper processes when conflicts arise, or having a person(s) to discuss issues without retribution?  Why would you want to waste time and money?

If you begin with a Profile Management Assessment, you have the most accommodating tool to begin to understand just who this person is you hired.  You can evaluate this person by using and understanding this Human Resource tool to see where the career path pot holes might lay and address them before day one comes to an end.

So if you do this as I am suggesting, what is the intrinsic benefit to you, your team and/or your company?  How does camaraderie, cohesiveness, quality, high level of production, employees that want to be there, higher levels of bottom line profit and a system that is not broken sound to you?

 We Can Help!

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC

President

Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Grinnell, IA 50112

Does Your Organization Have A Maverick Culture?

Poorly communicated set of corporate cultural values tends to emotionally charge employees with feelings of uneasiness or non-responsiveness.  In addition it tends to enhance the nit-picking - fault finding – hypercritical symptoms, thus causing toxic levels of distrust, lack of loyalty and out and out disruptive behavior within the organization.  Employees, ALL employees, thrive on and deserve recognition not continual carping criticism.

The danger of this type of culture not only includes discord within the organization but has a high level of seeping into the overall business world and local communities.  Once this happens, the word spreads like an out of control wild fire about the Maverick culture within the company. 

Your organization becomes known as a not so nice place to work.  The locals talk about their neighbors quitting or getting terminated.  And usually they all believe terminated for the wrong reasons.  Recruiters have difficulty convincing prospective new employees to hire on, because the word is on the street that their tenure might be short lived.

Maverick over achievers don’t stay long.  They reach their perceived personal piqué of value and start looking for a new hunting ground to feed their quest for notoriety, or the next short hop to the top and usually for more compensation.  Maverick over achievers want to be the continual star of the show and in most cases they do not care where the bodies lie behind them. 

All companies must have revenue streams that support the company.  But if you don’t have a definition, a set of values, a set of goals, the proper hiring mindset, “FAIR” motivational factors that include all levels of employees, then your company is NOT running on all cylinders.  Your revenue stream is being attacked every day and many times the “C” level folks don’t realize it until it reaches an epidemic intensity.

BOTTOM LINE…..Your System Is Broken!  Employee Retention Will Be Off The Charts…..Cost Of Replacement Of Employees Will Silently Affect The Profit Of Your Organizations Bottom Line….Employees Will Quit Their Bosses Because They Know Their Bosses Are Trying To Enforce A Broken System….And Worst Of All, Employees Will Go Into The Business World Believing That Top Management And Owners Just Do Not Care.  And they will tell their side of the story.

We can help.

George F. Mancuso, CPC

President

Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Grinnell, IA

ClientGrowthConsultants.com

Does Ethical Behavior in Business Bring A Financial Return?

Understanding that business ethics IS an intricate part and perhaps even an extremely critical tool for companies to realize the full impact of its’ value, within their business model.  It is my personal opinion that having a defined ethical behavior strategy will to help to enable more revenue, higher profits and in general a more successful company.

 

Realizing that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “ethics” as:  “the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group” [i.e. business ethics, professional ethics, work ethics] here are some additional pointers or thoughts for you to ponder:

A.     Be open for new ideas because if you are involved with improvement and change you are standing still.

B.     Continually ask for opinions and feedback; this should include your customers, vendors as well as your employees.

C.    Truthfulness in Business; According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of trust is:  “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.

D.    Become involved with customers, vendors, employees and community because familiarity in a key component to being trusted.

E.     Be respectful of other, regardless of differences, status in the company or community, age or other comparable distinctions.

F.     Achieving your promised obligations is paramount to gaining trust with current customers; and amazingly it will help you regain past customers once they realize your commitment to meeting your promises and/or obligations is valid and in practice.

So the two big questions for you: “do you measure up?”  “Does your company measure up”

Have a tremendous week and if I can be of any assistance, please call or write and I will respond immediately!  Remember, your comments or suggestions are always welcome.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC

President

Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

ClientGrowthConsultants.com

Leaders Can Show The Way - George F. Mancuso

Leaders Can Show The Way - George F. Mancuso