10 Tips to Study Smart and Save Time

Author: Scott H Young

I recently got my marks back from University. My grade point average was a 4.2 out of a possible 4.5, resting between an A and a perfect A+. In itself, this isn’t an incredible achievement. But I managed to do this while spending only a fraction of the time studying than many of the people I knew.

Is it just natural talent? Perhaps. I’ve always had a knack for understanding concepts and learning new ideas. But I also believe the way I learned the information played a role. Instead of cramming last minute or memorizing details, I try to organize information in a way that makes it easier to recall.

This strategy of organization I label holistic learning. Holistic learning is simply the process of organizing information into webs, that interconnect ideas. Instead of forcing ideas into your skull, you focus on the relationships between information. Linking ideas together to see the whole, instead of just the parts.Building an Understanding

Learning is a process similar to building a house. You aren’t fed the complete picture. Limitations on communication prevent the instantaneous transmission of knowledge. Instead you listen to lectures, read textbooks and take painstaking notes to try and comprehend a subject.

You are fed building supplies, bricks, mortar and glass. It is up to you to assemble the building. Unfortunately, most learning strategies fall into two basic types:

Memorization - Instead of building anything you simply stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position.

Formulas - This is the equivalent to being blind, fumbling around a new house. You can’t see the building itself but you learn to come up with simple rules to avoid walking into walls.

There is nothing particularly wrong with either of these strategies, assuming they aren’t your entire strategy. The human brain isn’t a computer so it can’t memorize infinite sums of knowledge without some form of structure. And formulas no longer work if the questions they are designed to solve change scope.

Learning Holistically
The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture. Here are some ideas to get started:

Metaphor - Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer.

Use All Your Senses - Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting.

Teach It - Find someone who doesn’t understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect.

Leave No Islands - When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you won’t be able to reach them during a test.
Test Your Mobility - A good way to know you haven’t linked enough is that you can’t move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you can’t jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you won’t be able to think through the connections during a test.

Find Patterns - Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to “if” statements in programming languages.

Build a Large Foundation - Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.

Don’t Force - I don’t spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning.

Build Models - Models are simple concepts that aren’t true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand. When I was trying to tackle the concept of subspaces, I visualized a blue background with a red plane going through it. This isn’t an entirely accurate representation of what a subspace is, but it created a workable image for future ideas.

Learning is in Your Head - Having beautiful notes and a perfectly highlighted textbook doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Don’t be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.

Leadership: Control vs. Influence

By Micheal S.Hyatt

Leadership is about influence not control. I am not the first person to make this observation, but it is worth repeating.

I often hear leaders, particularly younger ones, complaining about their lack of control in various situations. “If only the sales department reported to me, I could consistently hit my budget,” they lament. Or, “If the production department reported to me, I would not have run out of inventory!”

What they are really saying is, “If I could control these people, I could guarantee the results.” The truth is that control is an illusion. You can’t control anyone, even the people that report to you.

However, while you can’t control anyone (except perhaps yourself), you can influence nearly everyone. This is the essence of true leadership. By this definition, Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King were great leaders. They had control of virtually no one, yet their influence changed the course of history.

Aspiring leaders would do well to stop focusing on control and figure out how to expand their influence. Here are four ways you can become a person of influence, no matter where you are in the organization:

Focus on yourself. As Gandhi famously said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Or as Saint Seraphim of Sarov said, “Save yourself, and you will save a thousand.” Modeling is the most powerful form of teaching known to man. If you aren’t “walking your talk,” you dramatically lessen your influence. People have a hard time following leaders who say one thing and do another.
Take the initiative. Whiners are passive. They sit back and complain. They focus on what others should have done rather than what they themselves could have done. Real leaders don’t have time to play the blame-game. Instead, they look for opportunities to take initiative and take action. There is always something you could be doing to influence the outcome.

Cast the vision. Oftentimes people don’t do what we want, because we have not invested the time to paint the vision. In my experience, people want a challenge. They want to do something significant. They are eager to help. But no one has given them a compelling vision of a new reality. If you consider yourself a leader, this is your job.

Appreciate the effort. At the end of the day, everyone is a volunteer. Yes, even the people who report to you. They have more options than you think. If you don’t appreciate them, someone else will. People want to give their best effort to those who notice. Time and time again, I have witnessed the power of a simple “thank you.” If this is true for those who report to you, it is even more true of those who don’t.

Yes, it would be nice if the whole world stood ready to do our bidding. But for most of us, tyranny is not an option. If we are going to make a difference, we are going to have to sharpen our leadership skills and get better at wielding our influence. Everyday is an opportunity to get better at this important skill.

Speech to catch up in Business

The quickest way to damage a budding customer relationship is to use trite phrases that make you sound like a B2B sales rep. Don’t get me wrong… there’s nothing wrong with being a sales rep, but if you sound like one, it lessens your ability to achieve rapport and then make the sale. Here are three of the worst offenders, along with suggestions for a more effective approach, courtesy of Jerry Acuff, author of The Relationship Edge in Business.

Trite: “Would you agree that…?” The problem with this phrase is that it always introduces a leading question that is usually impossible to answer in the negative. The idea is to get the prospect to say a little “yes” and then use that momentum to land the big “yes.” Nice theory. Doesn’t work, though, because prospects are more sophisticated than they were in the middle ages, which is probably when this selling technique originated.
Better: “Does it make sense that…?” This question opens a discussion. If the customer agrees, it provides a platform for telling the prospect more. If the customer gives you a “Yes, but…” it surfaces the prospect’s main objection, which you can then handle. If the customer says “No,” you can ask “Why?” and learn more about the customer’s real situation.

Trite: “Today I’d like to share with you…” The concept behind the word “share” is that your pitch is something special, like an ice cream sundae, that you’re “sharing” with the prospect. The problem is that specific language is right out of 1970’s self-help literature and has been overused to the point of nausea. And your pitch may be good information, but it ain’t no ice-cream sundae, and the customer knows that your attempt to “share” is just a lead-in to the rest of your patter.
Better: “Here’s an agenda of what I’d like to discuss…” Seriously. Hand the prospect a brief agenda, typed on your letterhead, with the customer’s name and the date and time at the top. Keep it short — five to seven bulleted questions, and use it to structure the discussion. Unlike your attempt to be touchy-feeling with the word “share,” the agenda tells prospects that you respect their time and are focused on doing business, not running an encounter group.

Trite: “If I could save you 15 percent, would you be interested…” Ow! Ow! Ow! This phrase It also communicates quite clearly that you haven’t bothered to find out anything specific about the customer’s real problem. It’s the kind of line that you’d expect some TV satire of a sales rep to use. It makes me wince even thinking about it, yet I heard a sales rep try to use it just last week. It’s apparently eternal, like the common cold.
Better: “What are some areas where reducing costs would be of particular value?” This is a question that gets to the heart of the reason why you’re there. Unless you’re calling on a Member of Congress, your prospect will be interested in saving money. The point is to start a discussion so that you better understand the customer’s problem and can better craft a solution.

In short, any phrase that screams “I’m trying to sell you something” is going to damage rapport and probably scuttle the entire sale, even if the rest of your presentation is perfect for rapport-building. While you need to move the sale forward, just make sure you don’t suddenly get “salesy” when you do it.

I personally think that, the same principle goes to a management meeting.We have to pay attention to our speech in the meeting ,as , it will anticipate a different end result.

Conduct a Survey

by Jay Ehret

There are so many positives that come from surveying your customers. Every business should do it at least once per year. It may be the most inexpensive marketing tool for small businesses.

The Benefits
First, it creates a dialog with your customers. Your customers have a chance to say something to you other than "fine" when you ask them how things are going.
Second, surveys give you great feedback and let's you know how you are doing (yes, you really want to know).
Third, it creates word of mouth because customers talk and they will ask others.
Fourth, it tells customers you care.
Fifth, you will get some great ideas!

What Should I ask?
Sometimes businesses struggle with the right questions to ask. There is no need to get clever or creative, simply ask these questions in this manner:

1. What is the most positive aspect of your experience with our business?
2. What is the most negative aspect of your experience with our business?
3. What would you improve about your experience with us?
4. Please share any thoughts you have about how we can improve our services to you?
5. Is their a product or service you would like to see us add?
6. Would you like for us to contact you to follow up?

That's it.

You will be pleasantly surprised with your responses. Most of your feedback will be positive. You will receive compliments in areas that you didn't expect. These compliments will provide ammunition for future marketing programs.

One of your intelligent customers will make a money making suggestion to you. When they do, use it! Then reward them with a gift and let everyone know you are making a change/addition because of a customer suggestion.

How to Implement
Don't just put a stack of surveys on a table and a suggestion box next to them. Use your customer data base and mail the survey with a return envelope. If you have a large customer base, mail one-fourth of your customers each quarter.

Bursa Pursuit

The Bursa Malaysia or Malaysia Exchange, MYX previously known as Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE, Bursa Saham Kuala Lumpur in Malay) is the premier security in Malaysia where the purpose of the Bursa Malaysia is to provide an internationally competitive marketplace for various investments and fund raising activities.

Official website: http://www.klse.com.my/website/bm/

Did you learn how to invest? If you have learned before, did you practise what you've learned?
Now, here is a chance to let you learn how to invest or practise what you have learned:
http://www.bursapursuit.com/



An investment Challenge Game that mimics Bursa Malaysia. Pit your skills against other virtual investors to win over RM500,000 worth of prizes*! The Challenge begins on 1 October, 2007. Register now to be alerted before the game starts.

Giving you RM250,000 virtual money to invest in the real market, see how good you are!~~
And I like their slogan:
You Have Ifs. We Have Answers.

There are some investing basic knowledge and the golden rules to invest. Even if you don't think you can win the money, just give a try to learn it, no harm.

Barry Schwartz on Why Too Much Choice is Bad for Us

by Jay Ehret

Thanks to Olenka who pointed me to this great talk by Barry Schwartz on why too much choice is bad for us. Too many choices cause:

1. Paralysis rather than liberation - people prefer to make no decision rather than make a complicated choice.
2. Less satisfaction with decisions as people have greater reason to regret the decisions they have made.
3. Unrealistic expectations.
4. Self-blame - when experiences are not perfect, people blame themselves.

Schwartz also argues that in modern affluent societies, too much choice may be a significant contributor to depression. He is the author of 'The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less'.



Click here to view the full video.

How to Improve Your Social Skills

Want better results? Take more action.

The most important part of improving your social skills is just to take more chances, show up at more social functions and to interact more with people. So a good place to start might be with these three articles:

• 7 Ways to Break Out of Your Comfort Zone and Live a More Exciting Life
  ”If you want to improve your life you’ll sooner or later need to step out of that zone. Because it’s there you’ll find all those new and exciting experiences. Where you’ll find freedom from boredom.”
• Top 24 Tips for Making Your Self-Confidence Soar
  ”Although we may not want to admit it publicly I think a lot of us feel like we could use an improvement in self confidence. Fortunately there are better advice out there than the often exclaimed “Just be more confident, man!” or “Have another beer!”.”
• 5 Life-Changing Keys to Overcoming Your Fear
  ”What is stopping you from getting what you want in life? Your friends? Your family? A sense that failure – or success – might change your life and that feeling uncomfortable? A sense that the people around you might disapprove of you aiming for what you want, of you succeeding or failing.”
  

Body language is a BIG part.

I think it’s pretty important to note early on that what you say is only 7 percent of communication. Body language is 55 percent and voice tonality 38 percent.

So if you are not getting the results you’d like, if something in general feels off about your people skills then it might have little to do with what words you are using. So, say that you’d like to improve your body language since it´s such a huge part of communication. Where do you go?

• 6 Reasons to Improve Your Body Language
  ”When we’re in school or at work, we’re taught to improve our words. We learn to improve our language and words to impress. We learn to construct clever chains of words to gain an upper hand and to communicate more clearly. But when we grow up we learn very little beyond improving our words.”
• 18 Ways to Improve Your Body Language
  ”Here is just a few of many pointers on how to improve your body language. Improving your body language can make a big difference in your people skills, attractiveness and general mood.”

Talk, talk, talk.

Now, on to conversations. Here are six articles with both broad pointers and smaller, specific tips:

• How to Make a Great Impression
  ”First impressions can be quite important. Everyone stereotypes everyone on first impression, even if we are reluctant to do it. We all get a first impression of a new person that creates a mental image of his or her personality in our minds. That image of you often lasts and can affect the relationship that follows.”
• Five Awesome and Five Awful Conversation Topics
  ”“So, what should I talk about?” When it comes to conversations I think this is one question we have asked both others and ourselves many, many times. Often in our heads, when already in a conversation, with an awkward silence looming and while trying to scramble for something to say.”
• Do You Make These 10 Mistakes in a Conversation?
  ”Can you improve your conversation skills? Certainly. It might take a while to change the conversation habits that’s been ingrained throughout your life, but it is very possible. To not make this article longer than necessary let’s just skip right to some common mistakes many of us have made in conversations. And a couple of solutions.”
• 5 Conversational Mistakes that Can Make You Look Dumb
  “The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
  - Dorothy Nevill”
• One Easy Way to Remember Someone’s Name
  ”I have a pretty good memory for faces. I can remember them for years after just meeting them once or twice. Names are a whole different thing though. I just can’t remember them. When I hear them they just seem flow into one ear and flap away to freedom from the other one.”
• Focus Outward to Win Friends and Improve your People Skills
  ”One common mistake in conversations of any kind is to turn your focus the wrong way. You (and I) may often focus too much on ourselves while at a party, at work, at school, online or in just about any setting instead of shifting your focus outward, toward the person we are talking with. Why do we do that?”

On Criticism.

Criticism is often a sore spot in communication that creates a lot of misunderstandings and can become hurtful (even if it was not intended to be). I’ve written two articles on this topic. One about giving criticism and one about receiving it.

• One Easy Way to Give More Effective Criticism
  ”It was back at the university that I first came across this technique for improving the way you criticise. Whenever we had done an exercise in writing, editing or something like that we used this method.”
• How to Handle Criticism and get Something Good Out of It
  ”Receiving criticism isn’t always fun. However there are ways to handle it in a less hurtful way and – sometimes - get something good out of it. Here are a few pointers I have found useful when dealing with criticism.”

What all those other people said about communication and relationships.

Finally, there are quite a few small collections with quotes from various wise and clever people in the archives of this blog. At least six of these collections are relevant - in some way or another - when you want to improve your social skills and relationships.

• 22 Inspirational Quotes on Fear
  ”When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.
  - Ralph Waldo Emerson”
• 10 Inspirational Quotes on Forgiveness
  ”When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.
  - Catherine Ponder”
• 17 Inspirational Quotes on People Skills
  ”You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Which is just another way of saying that the way to make a friend is to be one.
  - Dale Carnegie”
• 10 Inspirational Quotes on Relationships
  ”Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something: they’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take.
  - Anthony Robbins”
• 25 Great Quotes on Leadership
  ”To lead people, walk beside them … As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate … When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!
  - Lao-Tsu”
• 9 Great Quotes on Criticism
  ”Criticism is an indirect form of self-boasting.
  - Emmet Fox”

How Are the Best Decisions Made?

note: Watch it until after the routine analysis . After that is kind of boring unless you want to know football betting.

When you need to make an important decision, a dispassionate consideration of the likelihood of various outcomes and their probable costs and benefits is the best way to go.

If this method is really the optimum way to make decisions, then we’d expect it would be the decision making model of choice for successful (i.e. profitable) business people. But a fascinating, new study reveals that’s not the case at all. The study of decision making by 101 stock investors in the August/ September issue of the Academy of Management Journal showed that:

Adding emotions to the decision-making process can enhance creativity, engagement and decision efficiency… The greater the average intensity of an individual’s feelings, the higher their investment returns.

How can that be? First off, it has to be noted that making decisions on pure emotions is certainly a bad idea. The question is not whether to replace data with gut feelings and sweaty palms but to supplement facts with emotions. And, of course, the first flash of anger or fear is not the time to make any decision. However, psychologists have theorized that emotions do play a key role in quality decision making. Their theory is called the somatic markers hypothesis, and it was originally developed by neurologist Antonio R. Damasio in his book, “Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain.”

The book examines the case of Phinneas Gage. An accident left Gage brain damaged in a specific way that disabled his ability to feel emotions though his intellect remained intact. After his accident, Gage was also unable to make decisions. Damasio hypothesized that when we are faced with complex decisions with many alternatives (as we often are in business), our rational thought process often becomes overloaded. We stumble around in a blizzard of data. Meanwhile, our emotions encode the wisdom of experience. Another experiment involving gambling illustrates how our emotions can communicate the lessons of our accumulated experience, even if our conscious brain doesn’t realize we’re wise.

The gambling task asked subjects to pick from four decks of cards (A,B,C,D). Each draw resulted in profit or loss. Naturally enough, participants were asked to maximize profit over the long term (a familiar goal). Decks A and B had high short term rewards but a higher overall rate of loss. The second two decks (C and D) had smaller short term rewards but less loss overall. Therefore, in the long-term it was better to choose from decks C and D.

Two groups participated. The first was a group of people with brain damage such as Gage’s that limited their ability to integrate emotion and decision making. The second felt emotions normally. Who learned the trick and started drawing from decks C and D first? The emotional test subjects. They started drawing from the more profitable decks even before they were consciously aware of why they were doing so. Emotions rather than lead the participants astray, were guides to the still fumbling rational mind.

Of course these are complicated theories and they are just that, theories. Still, before you start beating yourself up for never being able to live up to the model of the cool-headed, rational decision maker (or when you’ve pored over all that perfectly good data for days and still feel like you’re no closer to a decision) it might be helpful to consider whether your emotions are telling you something you ought to listen to.

Why Is It So Hard To Say 'Well Done'?

Businesses small and large have always had difficulty retaining talent. Employees enter and exit companies on the same basic premise, maximizing the latest opportunity with the best pay.

Supervisors, managers and anyone else in charge of hiring, in their complacency, accept this turnover as the norm even when it could be a clear indicator that maybe people aren't satisfied and would have stayed with the company for something as simple as the occasional pat on the back. According to some studies and one author, that's worth its weight in gold.

In his new book, Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation (Jossey-Bass, $19.95), author and leadership motivational speaker Mike Robbins talks about the value and importance of acknowledging a job well done.

Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) knows what's up. Yahoo! (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ) already has the gist of the message too. Those are a couple of Robbins' favorites when it comes to employee appreciation. However, they could still benefit from some motivational words too.

Forbes.com: What led you from professional baseball to a dot-com to motivational speaking?

Mike Robbins: I blew out my pitching arm when I was 23 playing in the minor leagues for Kansas City (Robbins was drafted by the Royals in 1995).

I get hurt. Career's over. The dot-com thing was just sort of happenstance. I moved back to the San Francisco area where I grew up and it was the late '90s and the dot-com boom was going on. I did that for a couple years. Laid off in 2000.

I'm glad I had those couple years of business experience because it helps me do what I do now. I had a little money saved and with all of my experience in sports and a couple years in business, this whole notion of teamwork of appreciation of really creating positive environments seemed to be what success was really about. And I thought I had a few things I could share even though I was pretty young at the time.

How do you go from talking to Chevron to executives at AT&T to a group that you're talking to right now to students? How do you meet all of them on common ground?

If I'm talking to an AT&T (nyse: T - news - people ) or a Chevron (nyse: CVX - news - people ) or a Wells Fargo (nyse: WFC - news - people ), it's going to vary even within that organization depending on the group I'm talking to. But what I find is that people are people and appreciation is one of those things that fundamentally connects people to one another. So when people appreciate one another, they create better relationships in whatever kind of business they're doing. In most businesses, people are in the people business and then on a personal level so many of us are so hard on ourselves and critical of ourselves. I think that when we can appreciate ourselves we ultimately produce better results.

At the same time I know that a lot of the stuff is common, human stuff.

What company already has a handle on the things you preach?

Wells Fargo [employers] do an incredible job. They bring me in a lot. Over the last four-five years I've probably done over 100 programs there. They've had me speak at big events. They've had me come in and do small seminars. They've had me train people. They do a fantastic job. Their people feel really appreciated.

Another one that's easy to use as an example, although its not my client, although I did have a meeting down there, is Google. I had a meeting at Google and the moment I walked on the campus I immediately thought there was a party going on or something. I called the guy who I was meeting with and asked him whether there was some event. He said this is how it is here. It felt like a cross between Stanford and Disneyland.

Google requires its employees to take 20% of their work day to do something else other than their job. The place is open 24-7. The company feeds its people incredible food. The campus is beautiful. There's all these things that make people feel appreciated. Now you could say it's making all this money and it's at the top of the heap, so to speak, but I don't think it's an accident.

One of the pieces of feedback I got was Google is doing so well and its people are so happy that it might not necessarily need my services. But what I said in response was, look, a lot of companies I go to, I talk to them about the cynicism and the negativity and how to overcome that. In your case, people seem pretty happy and you're successful, so we would discuss how to take that to the next level.

Whose job is it exactly to express this appreciation? Does it always have to be the boss? Aren't the executives too high up to have anyone remark on their performance?

One of the challenges for the C-level execs is they don't get a lot of appreciation themselves. So very few people walk into their offices in any genuine way and let them know what they're doing well.

The perception is that whenever that happens, people are kissing up or it's some kind of phony thing. They're under so much pressure to produce the results for the organization. I think the higher up you go, the harder it becomes for people to stop and genuinely appreciate what's happening because there is so much pressure.

That being said, I think there are some organizations that do a lot better than others, but by and large, it's lacking in most organizations. And the companies that I work with that have the best results and the best ultimate morale or environment are always the ones where not only the C-level executives, but all the way down people feel a genuine sense of appreciation. The other thing that I really teach is that recognition has to come from above. But appreciation can come from anyone to anyone. So I really try to empower people whether I'm talking to the senior level executives all the way down the organization.

Appreciation I talk about as almost a culture thing, whereas recognition is almost a top-down kind to reward results and I think both are important.

What's a greater form of appreciation in the business world? Would you say verbal or monetary or through promotion?

I think it's both, to be honest with you. The reality with a check or a promotion is that could only happen once or twice a year if you're doing phenomenally well. I tell people in the audience, think about a time you felt appreciated, recognized or acknowledged in your career. Then I have them turn to the person next to them and have them share that experience and then I have a few volunteers raise their hands and (share). And every now and then it's a big promotion or some big thing, but even when it's that it's usually something really simple. It's something very personal. Very specific. Very mundane in some ways.

Going back to that point about why people leave their jobs because they don't feel appreciated. Remember, it's not money. It's about they don't feel valued.

At the end of the day, of course who wouldn't want more money or a nicer title but I think that there's been a lot of cases where people stayed places where this person--specifically their boss--really valued them and felt like what they could say and what they did had an impact on the organization.

You might expect that adults would already know how to treat each other. Why aren't we getting it already and what business does Mike Robbins have going around telling us how to appreciate our colleagues?

Well, I actually think we're getting it more. I started speaking about this full time seven years ago. And when I did I had people say, What is that--who cares. And now, I don't get that anymore. People go, Yeah this is really important.

I wrote this book specifically to be very practical and tangible so people could take this stuff and use it in their lives, use it in their businesses because even though we know it ... like the final chapter in my book is, It's not what we know it's what we do that matters.

We've got to start putting little things, simple things, into practice every day so they become habits.

References and Referrals are Different

by Geoffrey James

Referral selling is the art of getting your existing customers to do some of the heavy lifting when it comes to developing a new opportunity. That’s a really good thing because, in B2B sales situations, the hardest part is breaking the barriers of indifference and resistance that separate you from decision-makers at the beginning of the sales cycle. A customer referral neatly catapults you over those barriers, allowing you to sell more quickly and more effectively.

Before going any further, though, I must clarify a key point. A “customer referral” is not a “reference account”.

A customer referral is when an existing customer recommends you to a new prospect. The activity takes place before the beginning of a new engagement… at your behest. A reference account is a customer agrees to be interviewed by a prospect to confirm that you can deliver as promised. The activity (the prospect calling the customer) takes place towards the end of the engagement… at the prospect’s insistence.

It turns out that, in most cases, prospects don’t actually call reference accounts. (Often it’s just enough to cheerfully give the prospect the contacts.) But if the prospect actually does call the reference account, there’s plenty that can go wrong because:

• You can’t control what the reference accounts says. If the reference account says something negative or inaccurate, you’re suddenly thrown into damage control mode and the entire sale could fall apart.
• You’re risking the entire deal late in the game. Because the prospect generally contacts the reference account towards the end of the sales cycle, if the prospects hears something distasteful, it can scuttle the deal, which means that you just wasted all the time and effort that you put into developing the opportunity.
• The reference account can accidentally sour the prospect. Even if the reference account says generally “nice” things about you, it’s pretty easy for “nice” comments to have the effect of damning with faint praise. If the reference account isn’t wildly enthusiastic, the prospect may be turned off.
• The reference account might share too much. If the reference account loves your firm because you gave them big discounts (in order to keep them happy and a good reference account), there’s a good chance they’ll share the details of their deal with the prospect. Say goodbye to your profit margin!

This is not to say that a reference accounts can’t be helpful, but consider this: if you enter an engagement with a reference from an existing customer, you probably won’t need a reference accounts, because you’ve already been “pre-qualified.” And because a referral takes place at the beginning of a new opportunity, if the referral doesn’t pan out, you’ve only wasted a few minutes of your valuable time.

Five Rules for Great Referrals

by Geoffrey James

This is the post you’ve been waiting for. Here are the five rules for getting referrals that generate sales:

Rule #1: Earn trust first. Before asking for a referral, you must establish in the referrer’s mind, that you can be fully trusted. To earn that trust you should ideally have all three of the following attributes (although even one is sometimes enough):

1. Prior success with a customer. If you’ve already delivered successfully for the potential referrer (or somebody whom the referrer knows well), you’ve earned the right to ask for a referral.
2. Superlative sales skills and industry knowledge. If it’s obvious that a company would normal pay to have you as a consultant, the potential referrer will be more willing to refer.
3. Being referred by somebody else. The fact that a previous referrer has already “endorsed” you creates “social proof” that you can be trusted. Referrals have a snowball effect and thus get easier over time.

Rule #2: Ask when it’s natural to ask. When you’re asking for a referral, you’re performing a “social” function rather than a purely business one. Because you’re leveraging a social connection, you need to ask in the context of the inevitable social behavior that’s part of every sales call. The time to ask is when the “feeling” of the business meeting has the flavor of a meeting between friends (or potential friends) rather than a formal interaction between the sales rep and a customer. Needless to say, you’re not likely to get a referral if you ask during a “you have ten minutes why are you here?” type of meeting. But if you’re “clicking” with the potential referrer, you should be able to sense the right time to ask.

Rule #3: Be specific about what you want. Rather than asking the potential referrer to do your marketing, briefly define the type of person, and company, that’s most likely to need what you have to offer. If your most likely prospects are people with the same job title, and the same industry as the potential referrer, this is easy. But if the referrer is an atypical customer (orsomebody who’s not a customer), you’ll need to explain what you’re looking for.

Step #4: Ask for an action, not a contact. A referral is only useful for developing new business when the referrer takes some action to bring you together with a prospect. Rather than asking for a contact name, ask the referrer to call or e-mail the prospect, and then get back to you to confirm that the action has been taken. Hint: without this confirmation, you won’t know whether the referral has actually taken place, or whether it will be useful if it has.

Step #5: Follow up three times. First, contact the potential referrer within one day of your request and express gratitude for the referral. This is not only polite, but gracefully reminds the potential referrer of the commitment. Second, after you have contacted the prospect, send a thank-you e-mail to the referrer and give a brief status report. (E.g. “You were right; Fred is a smart guy.”) Third, if the referral generates a sale, send another thank-you.

Why do I know these rules work? Primarily because I got them from conversations with the brilliant Joanne Black, author of No More Cold Calling, who’s become the world’s expert on referral selling and has helped dozens of companies build sales without resorting to high-priced marketing and demand creation. But I’ve also used these rules to develop my own business, so I know firsthand that they really work.

By the way, you’ll note that the rules don’t assume that referrals only come from existing customers. While existing customers do make for good referrals, they’re not the only source, and sometimes not even the best source. Tomorrow, I’ll explain why the traditional way of getting referrals doesn’t work.

Five Things You Might Not (Want To) Know About Self Improvement

Published August 28th, 2007 in Personal Development.

Self improvement is often described in a rosy manner.

It’s all upsides and money in droves, speedboats, a 500% increase in productivity, great relationships and instant weight loss. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit.

But there are, of course, potential downsides and challenges to be aware of.

Below I’ve listed a few of them. They aren’t that serious really, most of them are just things that easily slip your mind. Getting stuck in the self-help junkie mode of spending thousands of dollars on books/cds/dvds and seminars or getting lost in some kind of destructive cult is a lot worse.

But since these five things are easy to forget about – or miss, especially when you first start learning about self improvement – I thought I’d write them down. That’s always a good way to, well, remind you of the important things and not let them get lost in everyday worries and life.

1. Things will take time. Maybe a longer time than you at first hope.

Why? Well for one, we are often pretty bad at estimating how long time something will take. Things often take a whole lot longer than we at first thought.

Partially, this is probably because we often have at least some addiction to instant satisfaction. Something that advertising reinforces by promising us “you´ll lose 20 pounds in a month!” or “you´ll become a millionaire online in 30 days!”.

It gets easier to improve yourself when you get your mind used to this thought. When you know it will take time to improve a part of your life and have realistic expectations everything runs smoother and you don´t get so impatient and give up before all your hard work really starts to pay off.

One good way to figure out how long time something will actually take is to ask/read something from someone who seems honest and realistic and has already arrived at the place where you want to go.

2. It will take effort.

There are very few quick ways to achieve anything worth really doing. But there are some short-cuts in the field of the self improvement, I believe. On the other hand, personal development doesn’t have to be an enormous effort filled with tons of blood, sweat and tears. You don’t have to work 20 hours a day to get somewhere.

But even if you work smart – like, for instance, Tim Ferriss recommends in The 4 Hour Workweek - you still have to put in effort. You have to fail and get up, dust yourself off and try again. You have to do things over and over again.

Things are seldom really easy outside of an advertisement.

3. Many things work, but maybe not all of them for you.

It’s easy to fall into the beginner’s trap of thinking that getting one book will solve all your problems. And then a week later angrily curse the book and author for disappointing you and fixing nothing much at all.

A book will not change you. You change yourself (although sometimes a book can be so powerful that it seemingly changes you). But an answer to this problem - besides having patience - may be that it’s not the right book for you.

I think you have to find your own style and information, methods, ideas and people that resonate with who you are right now. I don’t think all books or ideas are equally suited for all people.

So explore different resources and be prepared to try more than one tip, method or author before you start getting some really good results. Stay curious. Keep building your own personal development library. And if you don´t have the money for that right now, use your local library instead.

4. If you keep at it you will change.

The thing is, if you are patient, if you keep at, you will change.

This can be scary. As your identity changes it can become confusing. You might experience discomfort as things are not as familiar and comfortable as they used to be. People may become jealous or negative in some way because you are changing your life. Change can be scary both for the one changing and for the people watching it.

And - as you change - you may not be able to go back to your old life even if you wanted to. Because as Oliver Wendell Holmes said:

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”

So be prepared for both the upsides and more uncertain or negative aspects of change.

5. A lot of it is counter-intuitive – so just give it a try.

As you expose yourself to much of the self improvement material you realise that this is perhaps not what you have heard for most of your life.

It´s often almost the opposite of what media, movies, TV and people have advised you. So you become wary. You think “This can´t be right. This isn´t what I´ve heard for years and years. If it was true then someone would have told me before”.

Maybe someone did. But maybe it got lost in the noise of all that other advice. Or maybe you just heard that kind of advice more often so it stuck, while some great thing your uncle once said got lost in your memory.

My advice is to just jump in and try something. Of course, you should think before you act. And be careful with advice from someone who seems overly eager to sell you something or appeals to your sense of instant satisfaction.

But a lot of advice may not make much sense in relation to what you have previously learned about the how the world works. You just have to try it and make up your own mind if it works or not.

How To Persuade Americans, Germans, Spaniards, and Chinese

When asked to do something, Americans ask what's in it for them. Germans ask if the request complies with rules and regulations. Spaniards consider whether or not the person asking the favor is a friend. And Chinese consider the status and connections of the requester.

Perhaps there is something to our cultural stereotypes after all!

Morris and colleagues surveyed Citibank branches within four different countries-the United States, Germany, Spain, and China (Hong Kong)-and measured employees' willingness to comply voluntarily with a request from a co-worker for help with a task. Although the survey respondents were influenced by many of the same factors, some factors were more influential than others.
Employees in the United States, for instance, were most likely to take an approach based on direct reciprocation. They asked the question, "What has this person done for me?" and felt obligated to volunteer if they owed the requester a favor.

German employees, on the other hand, were most likely to be influenced by whether or not the request stayed within the rules of the organization. They decided whether to comply by asking, "According to official regulations and categories, am I supposed to assist this requester?"

Spanish Citibank personnel based the decision mostly on friendship norms that encourage faithfulness to one's friends, regardless of position or status. They asked, "Is this requester connected to my friends?"

And finally, Chinese employees responded primarily to authority in the form of loyalties to those of high status within their small group. They asked, "Is this requester connected to someone in my unit, especially someone who is high-ranking?

What am I busy for? A guide to motivation

Most people complaining that “work sucks” do so because they picked the wrong career. Instead of following their dreams, they followed a reliable (or convenient) market path.

When we reach adulthood, popular opinion encourages us to discard the fantasies of youth and pick one of the prefabricated career paths available at the local university or trade school.

But popular opinion is wrong. Following your dreams is the surest way to happiness, and I’m going to spend the rest of this article telling you why.

Maslow and Herzberg

In the middle part of the 1900’s, two psychologists published theories that greatly influenced the way I think about career satisfaction: Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg. In my opinion, their most important discovery is that any sustainable and advancing career path will eventually lead to one ultimate question: Are you happy with your work in and of itself?

I want to direct your attention now to a diagram that will help you visualize the hopeless treadmill of any career not based on personal fulfillment. The left side of the picture below illustrates Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (published in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation), and the right side is an overlay of Herzberg’s Motivational Maintenance Model, which applied Maslow’s earlier theory toward the world of work.

The basic concept is that the needs at the top of the hierarchy only come into focus once the lower needs have been met.

On the left side of the pyramid, you can see that a starving man will be completely and utterly fixated on satisfying his physiological need for food. That’s all he’s worried about — not safety, not social status, not love, not anything except finding his next meal. Only once he has become comfortable with his ability to feed himself will he begin worrying about less immediate matters.

Now look at the right side of the pyramid, where Herzberg contends that salary and the quality of life outside work are the most basic job concerns. Job hunters chase after money the way a starving man chases after his next meal. In fact, many people are so preoccupied with salary when they choose their career that they neglect to consider whether the career will ever satisfy higher needs.

And what’s waiting at the top of the pyramid? That’s right — the work itself. So if you’re working in a career that will never inspire you, you might as well stop climbing the ladder of success, since whatever need you feel in your gut right now will simply be replaced by a new need as you advance. That’s the point: If your work does not inspire you, it will never satisfy you.

At the beginning of your miscast career, you might worry about your paycheck. Later, you might complain about your boss. But there will always be a new complaint right around the corner because you’re climbing in the wrong direction.

My Personal Journey to the Top

The Maslow and Herzberg models resonate with me because they mirror my own work experiences:

• Level 1 (Money):Money may not have been the only consideration that led me to major in computers, but it was the biggest. Throw in the fact that I wasn’t sure what to do with my life and had always been good with computers, and the big dollars of an information technology degree became even more appealing.
• Level 2 (Job Security):Once my first programming job satisfied my income needs, my biggest concern became proving my competence so I could keep the good thing I had. I wasn’t trying to be a rock star — I was just trying to prove I deserved to be there.
• Level 3 (Relationships):After a few months, earning the respect of peers and supervisors became critical. I worked feverishly to establish a sterling reputation with my boss and took on several high profile efforts to garner the respect of my teammates.
• Level 4 (Advancement/Recognition):For the next 5 years, my primary focus was advancement and recognition. I put all my energy into climbing up the company ladder, earning big raises (not because I needed the money, but because salary increases were evidence of progress), and gaining higher profile positions.
• Level 5 (Work Itself):And after 6 years with my company, I looked around and found myself balanced just below the summit of Maslow’s pyramid. I was making good money, had earned social status and respect, and had advanced as far as I cared to. And after all that work, it finally hit me: The work itself was not fulfilling.

Now I’m not saying that it had never occurred to me before, but I am saying that the poor fit between me and my job only became important once I had climbed to the top of the pyramid. It was then that I realized my lack of fulfillment was never going to go away.

I cannot tell you how frustrating it was to work so hard and climb so high only to realize I was on the wrong mountain.

Consider the Top of the Pyramid Before You Start Climbing

Doesn’t it make sense to know you’ll be happy at the top of the pyramid before you start climbing? Whether you’re a college freshman trying to pick a major, a mid-life professional planning his next move, or a guy looking for new challenges, you find yourself at a crossroads. You can follow your dreams — choose a job you truly believe in — or follow a proven market path through an unfulfilling career.

As you stand here at the crossroads, remember Maslow’s pyramid. Beyond a certain point, advancement will cease to provide meaning unless you love the work itself.

If you need help finding the right career, read 4 Steps to a Fulfilling Life Mission. If you don’t find inspiration there, look elsewhere — most importantly, look inside yourself. Do you have a dream? Is there any way to turn your dream into a business opportunity?

Take a good look at this fork in the road before you decide which way to turn. Your dreams lie to the right, a practical job to the left. Veer right, my friend. Following your dreams is the only way you’ll ever love what you do.

The Manager's Cheat Sheet: 101 Common-Sense Rules for Leaders

PLEASE click on this map to see how a project runs and feel the pain excitement of a Project Manager.


Inside CRM Editors

Management is all about connecting with the people on your team. So how do you effectively manage a team? With common knowledge, of course. These are a few back-to-basics rules that will help you develop management skills that really matter.
Body Language

Like it or not, your body speaks volumes, even when you are silent. Here's how to express an attitude that's appropriate for a leader.

1. Stand tall. Keeping your shoulders back and holding yourself up to your full height will give you an air of confidence.
2. Take your hands out of your pockets. Putting your hands in your pockets is often seen as a sign that you have something to hide.
3. Stand with your arms crossed behind your back. This will help you adjust your posture, and it leaves your hands in a position that is open and not intimidating.
4. Make eye contact. Always look directly into the eyes of the people you are speaking with. This shows you're interested and also gives you a sense of confidence.
5. Sit up straight. Even if you're at an 8 a.m.meeting and feeling tired, it's important to sit up straight in your chair. Slouching makes you look disinterested and can give off an unwanted air of laziness.
6. Face the person you're talking to. This shows you are interested and engaged in the conversation.
7. Shake hands firmly. For many, a handshake is a reflection of the person you're shaking hands with. You don't want to come across as unsure or overbearing, so make sure yours is professional and confident.
8. Always smile. Smiles are contagious and will make others feel positive when you're around.
9. Look your best. You don't have to be model perfect every day, but you should dress appropriately and neatly. Clothes can have a big impact on the way you're perceived.
10. Walk confidently. Keep your head up and take even strides.
Meeting Deadlines

No one will be happy if your team has to rush around at the last minute to complete a project. Follow these tips to make deadlines less stressful for everyone.

11. Only promise what you can realistically deliver. Don't create deadlines that you know you can't meet. By only promising what you know you can do, you'll be able to finish on time.
12. Set clear goals. Once you know what you need to accomplish, it helps to know how and when you want to do it. Put your goals down on paper and make sure everyone on your team gets a copy.
13. Organize a team. Many of your employees will have unique strengths and training that can make them great assets to certain projects. Pick a team that has the right skills to carry out the job.
14. Delegate tasks. Spread work among your employees in a way that doesn't leave anyone overburdened while also allowing the project work smoothly.
15. Create milestones. Creating milestones for you and your team will help you keep track of your progress and also give you a sense of accomplishment as you reach each milestone.
16. Keep communication open. Keeping everyone in touch with the status of the project is key to making sure it's completed on time.
17. Do it right the first time. Planning ahead will help prevent you from delivering a substandard product. Having to redo something for a client costs money, and, more than likely, future business opportunities.
18. Stay organized. Staying organized will help keep you from wasting time chasing down important documents and information.
19. Make sure expectations are clear. Be sure that each member of your team knows what their specific responsibilities are. This will save time and prevent tasks from being overlooked.
20. Create a plan. Compile your goals and milestones into a comprehensive plan for attacking any project you are given. This way, you can make sure you're staying on schedule and that all of your employees will be clear about how and when things should be done.
Getting Along with Employees

A happy office is a productive one. Everyone will be more cheerful if you follow these simple rules.

21. Don't make your employees come in on days they're normally not scheduled to work or call them while they're on vacation. A surefire way to make employees resent you is to invade their personal time for nonpressing work. Unless you have something that absolutely has to be done, let time away from work stay that way.
22. Don't play favorites. Playing favorites can bias your judgment and impair your leadership abilities. Treat your employees equally.
23. Give credit when it's due. Don't take credit for your employees' ideas or hog their limelight. This action not only fosters resentment but also makes you seem untrustworthy.
24. Don't micromanage. While it's fine to keep up with what your employees are working on, don't constantly look over their shoulders.
25. Never discuss employee matters with their co-workers. This kind of gossip always gets back to the person and will make you look unprofessional.
26. Don't interfere with employees' work. If your employees are getting work done, don't stress about how it gets done. Even if it's not being done they way you'd do it, it's best to let employees use their best judgment.
27. Don't push unreasonable deadlines. You don't want to spend all of your time at the office, and neither do your employees.
28. Keep your promises. Barring some catastrophic event, you should always keep promises you make to employees, especially about pay and benefits.
29. Keep work about work. Don't require employees to run your personal errands. Take care of your own personal business or hire an assistant.
30. Reward hard work. Make sure your employees feel valued for the work that they do. Employees will be more willing to put in extra effort if they know it's noted and appreciated.
31. Provide motivation. Sometimes employees need a morale boost. Provide them with encouragement to get a project rolling.
Manage Yourself

Being a good manager isn't just about what you can encourage other people to do, it's also about managing your own performance.

32. Be accessible. Don't hole up in your office all day — come out and visit with your employees. Let them know that they can always come to you with problems and concerns.
33. Be open to constructive criticism. It may not always be what you want to hear, but listening to constructive criticism gives you the chance to learn and grow from your mistakes.
34. Accept responsibility. Part of being the boss is accepting responsibility for the mistakes of all that you manage, not just your own.
35. Know there's always room for improvement. No matter how good you think you are, your job can always be done better. Always be willing to learn.
36. Improve your skills. Learning is a lifelong process. You're never too old to take a class or ask a co-worker to help you improve your knowledge.
37. Explain things simply. Don't use big words or technical jargon just to sound smart and impress others. Your employees will understand and perform better if you explain simply and clearly what you need.
38. Instruct rather than order. You may be the boss, but you don't have to be bossy. You'll have more success if your requests are more tactfully delivered.
39. Include your staff in your plans. Don't make your work top secret; let your employees know what's going on and how they are expected to contribute.
40. Know your subordinates' jobs. You don't want to be caught with inferior job knowledge.
41. Be flexible. It's fine to be firm in what you expect, but allow for flexibility in how it gets done.
42. Get regular feedback. Your employees and superiors can give you valuable feedback on how to improve your performance. Use this to your advantage.
43. Know your limitations. You can't be everywhere doing everything all at once. Know the limits of your time and abilities and say no to things you know you can't do.
Boosting Productivity

Getting the most out of your day can be difficult with a busy schedule, but you can use these tips to help you maximize your time in order to be better available to employees.

44. Get the most out of meetings. Be organized and prepared for meetings to increase effectiveness and time savings.
45. Focus your energy on things that matter. Don't let trivial tasks take time away from things that are really important.
46. Identify your time-stealers. Everyone has little things that detract their attention and make them lose focus. Figure out what these are and work to eliminate them, if only for a few hours a day.
47. Be punctual. Being on time is a big deal. Never keep people waiting for appointments or meetings if you can help it.
48. Respond to your correspondence within a reasonable amount of time. You don't have to be chained to your inbox, but make sure you respond to emails within a few hours whenever possible.
49. Do only what is necessary. There are times when going above and beyond works, but doing so on a daily basis can derail your progress on more important issues. Get the key things done first, then see if you have time for additional things.
50. Stick to schedules and routines. While they may not be the most exciting things, schedules and routines can help streamline and improve your productivity.
51. Organize and manage your schedule. Use any tools and utilities you have at your disposal to prioritize your day and keep track of what you need to get done.
52. Plan more than you think you can do. While this may sound stressful, it can actually be a great motivator. If you manage to get everything done, you'll enjoy a great sense of achievement.
53. Get to work early on occasion. Sometimes an uninterrupted half hour in an unoccupied office can help you get key things done or allow you to plan your day before there are any distractions to slow you down.
54. Know that sometimes stress is good. While too much of anything, especially stress, can be bad, sometimes a little stress can be the motivation to get you moving, allowing you to get more done.
55. Do your least favorite tasks first. Get your most tedious and least desirable tasks out of the way earlier in the day. After that, everything else will be a breeze.
Managing Finances and Resources

Whether you're a business owner or a manager, staying on top of tangible items is vital to success. These tips can help you keep track.

56. Set up a realistic budget. While it's good to be optimistic, don't plan for more spending than you know you can afford. Make sure you plan for emergencies and contingencies as well.
57. Save costs where they matter the most. Don't just pinch pennies for the present. Make sure your savings will pay off in the long run. Compromising on quality might cost you later on in repairs and replacements.
58. Spend only when it's necessary. Don't spend if you don't need to. Every bit you save goes toward your profit.
59. Find alternative sources of finance. Sometimes even successful businesses need a little help. Business loans and investors can help you through leaner times.
60. Stay true to your contracts. Not only will you gain the respect of your clients, you'll also avoid legal battles that can be a serious financial drain.
61. Make sure employees are well compensated. Employees deserve to be rewarded for hard work. Make sure yours are well compensated for their time and they'll be more productive and happier to come to work.
62. Learn to do more with less. Quality is much more important than quantity, so make what you have count.
63. Assign equipment wisely. While it might be nice for every employee to have a PDA, budgets often don't allow for such conveniences. Make sure the employees that need tools the most have access to them.
64. Invest in solid technology. This doesn't always mean the latest technology, but what your office needs to do work effectively.
65. Update when necessary. Using obsolete equipment and programs can really slow you down. Update when it makes sense so you won't get left behind by competitors.
66. Don't be wasteful. Every sheet of paper, paper clip and pen is a cost on your budget. Use materials wisely and don't waste them out of haste or carelessness.
Communicating with Clients

Whether you're a business owner or a manager carrying out a project, one thing is always the same: The client is dominant voice in decision-making. Learn to communicate with them effectively and you'll set a good example for the people you supervise.

67. Remember that the customer is the boss. At the end of the day, your job is to make the customer happy. Act accordingly.
68. Differentiate your products. Don't get lost in a sea of products and services like yours. Make sure you stand out from your competitors.
69. Retain customers as much as you recruit new ones. While you always want to bring in new business, it's very important to maintain relationships with loyal customers.
70. Provide effective channels of communication. Make sure your clients can contact you easily and quickly if they have a problem, concern or question. They can also provide a valuable source of feedback.
71. Maintain customer data. Use this data to make your customers feel special by remembering occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. It's also helpful for keeping track of purchasing preferences.
72. Segment your customers. Not all customers are alike. Divide your customers into groups that allow you to provide attention and services that meet each customer's unique needs.
73. Provide effective after-sales services. Don't let contact fall off after the work is complete. Make sure your client stays happy.
74. Listen attentively. Pay attention to exactly what clients are asking for to help you better meet their needs.
75. Don't be afraid to say you don't know. It's OK not to know the answer to every question. It's better to say you don't know and get back to a customer than to try to bluff your way through a conversation and have to backtrack later.
Keep Up with Change

There is no way to stop the world from changing, so follow these tips to keep up and ahead of the game.

76. Don't fight change. You can't stop markets, trends and technology from changing, so learn to go with the flow.
77. Adopt a predictive managerial style. Don't wait for things to happen to make a move. Anticipate problems and provide contingency plans.
78. Test your contingency plans. Waiting for disaster to strike is a dangerous way to find out if your emergency plans will hold. Test them out from time to time to fine-tune them and make sure they're still relevant.
79. Identify the positives. Even the most negative changes can have positive aspects to them. Being able to identify and maximize them can help make adapting less painful.
80. Be quick to adapt. Learn to adapt to changing situations quickly and be able to change plans on the spur of the moment if the situation requires it.
81. Stay tuned to external factors. Your business is affected in many ways by outside factors. Keep abreast of these so you can anticipate any sudden market changes that would affect how you need to manage.
82. Put in place a Research and Development plan. Encourage innovation and creativity to stay ahead of the demand for newer and better products and services.
83. Keep an eye on the competition. Don't let the competition get the best of you. Keep up-to-date with what they're doing and use it to your advantage in managing your business.
Resolving Problems

Whether problems are internal or external, they can make your management duties a nightmare if you don't handle them correctly. Here's how to stay on top of them.

84. Stand up for employees. If other departments or managers are bearing down hard on your employees, stand up for them.
85. Fix what's broken. Don't waste time placing blame. Take care of fixing the problem before dealing with any possible repercussions.
86. Manage and control your emotions. Don't let anger or frustration affect your problem resolution. If you are emotionally invested in a situation, cool down before discussing it or bring in an outside mediator.
87. Learn when to step in. Some problems might resolve themselves if you just let them be, but you need to be aware of times where you'll need to step in and take control of a situation.
88. Take the blame. If you've made a mistake, fess up. It'll give you more time to work on fixing the problem instead of talking your way out of taking the rap.
89. Get the facts first. Before you pass judgment on a situation, make sure you have the whole story. Listen to employees and refrain from questioning anyone's integrity without first ensuring that you've gathered all the data.
90. Rise above the crisis. Learn to separate yourself from the problem and rise above the fray. You'll be able to think more clearly and make a better decision on how to rectify the issue.
91. Don't ignore problems. A small problem can easily snowball and become something much more difficult to fix.
92. Try to depersonalize problems. Let employees know that the problem isn't with them but with their actions. Don't make it personal.
Go Above and Beyond

Managing people isn't just about getting the job done. To truly be a great leader, sometimes you need to go above and beyond what the job calls for.

93. Lead by example. You can talk until you're blue in the face, but the best way to get a point across is to be the model to emulate. Let employees follow your lead.
94. Get your hands dirty. Sometimes you need to show your employees that no one's above doing unattractive tasks.
95. Make a difference to your employees. Don't just be a generic manager — stand out as a leader and role model for your employees.
96. Gain your employees' trust and respect. You'll have a much easier time managing employees when they respect your rules and boundaries and trust your leadership.
97. Be empathetic to personal problems. Whether it should or not, what happens outside of work can have a big affect on the quality of work produced. Be sensitive if employees have personal issues that keep them from concentrating on work.
98. Be unique as a manager. Every position demands something different and you should be proud to be adept at your particular role rather than trying to emulate other managers.
99. Remember that ethics matter above all. Be honest and reliable in all of your business and personal relationships.
100. Be on the lookout for new ideas. You never know where your next great inspiration will come from.
101. Get to know your employees. Learn more than just their names. Get to know your employees' family backgrounds, likes and dislikes. Doing so will make you more personable.