The following advice, provides an effective "reality check" for all of us. If only we could pass this on to all newcomers in the business world.
The list has been incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates, but in fact, it came from a book authored by Carles J. Sykes in 1996.
Enjoy!
Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Micro Biz Week
Whew.... if you didn't make it to this morning's event you missed out :-).
We didn't have a huge number of guests, which was a shame. On the plus side those that attended were treated to a workshop atmosphere.
First up was Stefan Sojka of Cyrius Media, who spoke for half an hour on the rudiments of running a business from home. Stefan is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable presenter; speaking with nearly twenty years of experience in running a micro business from his home, he informed the group on how to attain a professional atmosphere. Everything from signage to fire alarms to work/life balance physically in your house and mentally in your thought space was covered. Yes, you can work in your trakkydaks should you wish; but make sure of your diary entries!
Vince Galletto from the City of Ryde covered what you need to tell Council about your home business - and what you don't. We recommend you visit the City of Ryde's website for expert information, but essentially you can run a micro business from home without undergoing development application approval if it's only family members involved and not outside employees.
Okay, so you've got a business, or you're starting one. What do you need? A business plan! Greg Jenkins of TinCan Learning started off his interactive workshop by telling guests about the plan he'd been encouraged to start several years ago. It ran to 60 pages. He completed it and never revisited it. Too much hard work? You betcha! Greg introduced an innovative one-page business plan that people will want to work with, and want to update. It's simple but covers everything you need for a micro business or SME. Or even a larger organisation! Remember a business plan is a living document; you need to WANT to revisit it to keep it alive.
I was last cab on the rank and called my presentation Getting Connected. My original thought was to cover only business associations and how being a member can grow your business. But Stefan told me he wasn't going to cover internet marketing so I added that to my presentation. I covered websites and the care and feeding of; blogs and social media; and of course being part of a business association. Not every RBF member is aware of what my own company Arion Productions actually does, nor that 60% of my current active client list comes from the RBF member base. 60%! Wow - who wouldn't want that!? Most of you know me only as the RBF person, and it's taken hard marketing among interested members to make you aware of my business communications arm. I hope I gave our guests an inspiring overview of how they can connect with others in their business community.
So what's next in the free workshops arena? Keep an eye out for our Small Business September workshops, when Sarah O'Reilly will teach you how to network successfully, Kathie Melocco and Vivienne Storey will present Social Media Boot Camp and Phil Lee will take your marketing plan and strategy to the next level.
Cheers, Sabrina
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
How to Create a Positive Work Culture in an Organisation
A positive, effective work culture in any organisation forms the foundation of its success. This is because when employees understand and enjoy the dynamics of the environment in which they work, they perform to their optimum level.
So how do we define the workplace culture? It provides a shared and common view of the environment among employees, answering questions like, “what is expected around here, what do we do and why do we do it”.
Here are a few suggestions for how a business can create their desired work culture, and embed it within all its employees.
1. Promote the mission and goals of the organisation and clarify how each employee’s role impacts on the achievement of those goals.
2. Ensure you offer clear, objective feedback to all employees through a structured and transparent performance management system. Your employees will learn more quickly and appreciate the feedback.
3. Ensure all employees are provided with positive reinforcement, delivered in a timely and sincere manner. A manager that notices when an employee has performed well, and recognises this performance is demonstrating effective leadership skills which enable the development of a positive workplace culture.
4. When people join the company, have a very deliberate process of induction and socialisation, where the new employees can learn about the culture. Having senior managers present to new staff in the early days sends a very powerful message.
5. Ensure that in your learning and development programs you are consistently promoting the culture.
Finally, remember that leaders who bring people together talk about 'us' more than 'I'. They re-tell stories of history and present stories that create a sense of togetherness. They create objectives for the organisation and structure the team to ensure that they work together effectively.
So if you want your culture to be positive, then it does not happen by wishing. You have to take deliberate action where the longer-term benefits will far outweigh any costs.
So how do we define the workplace culture? It provides a shared and common view of the environment among employees, answering questions like, “what is expected around here, what do we do and why do we do it”.
Here are a few suggestions for how a business can create their desired work culture, and embed it within all its employees.
1. Promote the mission and goals of the organisation and clarify how each employee’s role impacts on the achievement of those goals.
2. Ensure you offer clear, objective feedback to all employees through a structured and transparent performance management system. Your employees will learn more quickly and appreciate the feedback.
3. Ensure all employees are provided with positive reinforcement, delivered in a timely and sincere manner. A manager that notices when an employee has performed well, and recognises this performance is demonstrating effective leadership skills which enable the development of a positive workplace culture.
4. When people join the company, have a very deliberate process of induction and socialisation, where the new employees can learn about the culture. Having senior managers present to new staff in the early days sends a very powerful message.
5. Ensure that in your learning and development programs you are consistently promoting the culture.
Finally, remember that leaders who bring people together talk about 'us' more than 'I'. They re-tell stories of history and present stories that create a sense of togetherness. They create objectives for the organisation and structure the team to ensure that they work together effectively.
So if you want your culture to be positive, then it does not happen by wishing. You have to take deliberate action where the longer-term benefits will far outweigh any costs.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Boxoftreats
If you are looking for an alternative to the box of chocs or the bunch of flowers for a job well done...go to my new favourite company website.
www.boxoftreats.com.au offers the complete solution.
Its just brilliant.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Weasel Words and more
I’m currently reading Don Watson’s book Death Sentence. It’s not, as those of you who know me may think, one of the murder mysteries I delight in. It’s subtitled “The Decay of Public Language”, and if you’ve ever pondered over an incomprehensible sentence in a letter from a service provider or in a speech by a politician, then I recommend you pick up this book and indulge yourself.
There are lessons here for all of us who communicate for our businesses, no matter how big or small they are. Back in the dark ages when I was studying communications we were taught to write in an active voice, and use simple words to get our messages across. I find myself, in odd idle moments, taking a red pen to letters from my bank and other correspondence, which is why Don’s book (and his previous book “Watson’s Dictionary of Weasel Words”) is such a delight.
It’s easy to fill your customer communications with platitudes and phrases which are commonly bandied about - people seem to expect them. You might think convoluted sentences can make you or your company sound important - but is your customer or client scratching his or her head in bemusement?
I’d highly recommend Death Sentence (and Weasel Words) to all CEOs, Directors, marketing and communication professioals.
For more information on Don and his books visit http://www.weaselwords.com.au/
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Pre Easter property market heats up
With Easter falling on April 2nd this year - March 27th will be the last Saturday for Auctions prior to the break.
I have 3 fabulous listings going to Auction on March 27th.
One of them is this gorgeous home in Ray Rd Epping.
You can click here for full details.
The market remains very positive & premium stock is at an all time low...
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Bullying in the Workplace
Think you are being bullied at work?
• Do you feel intimidated, or dread to work near a particular co-worker, or you’re being yelled at, insulted, and put down?
• Does a co-worker talk over you at meetings, criticize you, or steal credit for your work?
If you answer yes to these questions, chances are that you’re one of the many employees who have been the subject of bullying in the workplace.
You know you’re working with a bully when he/she uses your mistakes and constantly brings them up. Or worse, the bully gossips about you, tells lies to your co-workers, and even sabotages your work.
Here are some actions to take that might help to defeat the bully.
Know You’re Not Alone: A Bully Lives in Many Workplaces
In research conducted in the USA (The Zogby study) , it was found that:
• Bosses comprise 72% of bullies.
• More men (60%) are bullies, but women bullies target other women (71%).
• 62% of employers ignore the problem; 40% of employees targeted by a bully never tell their employer.
• 45% of people targeted by a bully experience stress-related health problems including debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, and clinical depression (39%).
How to Deal With a Bully
You can deal with a bully and change the bully’s behaviour if you are willing to be strong and take action. You need to do something. The bully will not go away; if you make yourself an easy target, you will only encourage the bully.
Here’s how to deal with your office bully.
Set Limits on What You Will Tolerate From a Bully
Exercise your right to tell the bully to stop the behaviour that is causing you grief.
• Describe the behaviour you see the bully exhibiting
• Tell the bully exactly how his/her behaviour is impacting your work.
• Explain to the bully what behaviour you will not put up with in the future.
Confront the Bully With His Own Behaviour
Confronting a bully is scary and hard, but, as Littman and Hershon suggest in I Hate People, bullies are “only effective when they’re on solid ground. Ground that you can take away.”
Remember: You’re the adult dealing with a tantrum. No wise parent gives in to a child’s fit because it just leads to more fits.
You need to call out the bully on your terms.
Document the Bully’s Actions
Any time you are feeling bullied or experiencing bullying behaviour, document the date, time and details of the incident. Note if another employee witnessed the incident.
If you need help from HR or management, documentation is essential. If the bullying occurs in email or correspondence, maintain a hard copy of the trail of emails and file them in a folder in your computer.
Your Co-workers Are Targets of the Bully, Too
Note whether the bully is behaving the same way with your co-workers. Ask your co-workers to document the bully’s behaviour and any scenes they witness when the bully targets any co-worker.
Tell Management and HR About the Bully
You’ve tried to implement these recommendations, but they aren’t working to stop the bully. It's time to get help. Go to HR or your manager with your evidence, especially the evidence that demonstrates the impact of the bully on the business, and file a formal complaint.
Hope for the best resolution but be prepared to explore other options so you have less contact with the bully. You may never know what was done about the bully but you can assess the impact by how he/she is now behaving towards you.
• Do you feel intimidated, or dread to work near a particular co-worker, or you’re being yelled at, insulted, and put down?
• Does a co-worker talk over you at meetings, criticize you, or steal credit for your work?
If you answer yes to these questions, chances are that you’re one of the many employees who have been the subject of bullying in the workplace.
You know you’re working with a bully when he/she uses your mistakes and constantly brings them up. Or worse, the bully gossips about you, tells lies to your co-workers, and even sabotages your work.
Here are some actions to take that might help to defeat the bully.
Know You’re Not Alone: A Bully Lives in Many Workplaces
In research conducted in the USA (The Zogby study) , it was found that:
• Bosses comprise 72% of bullies.
• More men (60%) are bullies, but women bullies target other women (71%).
• 62% of employers ignore the problem; 40% of employees targeted by a bully never tell their employer.
• 45% of people targeted by a bully experience stress-related health problems including debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, and clinical depression (39%).
How to Deal With a Bully
You can deal with a bully and change the bully’s behaviour if you are willing to be strong and take action. You need to do something. The bully will not go away; if you make yourself an easy target, you will only encourage the bully.
Here’s how to deal with your office bully.
Set Limits on What You Will Tolerate From a Bully
Exercise your right to tell the bully to stop the behaviour that is causing you grief.
• Describe the behaviour you see the bully exhibiting
• Tell the bully exactly how his/her behaviour is impacting your work.
• Explain to the bully what behaviour you will not put up with in the future.
Confront the Bully With His Own Behaviour
Confronting a bully is scary and hard, but, as Littman and Hershon suggest in I Hate People, bullies are “only effective when they’re on solid ground. Ground that you can take away.”
Remember: You’re the adult dealing with a tantrum. No wise parent gives in to a child’s fit because it just leads to more fits.
You need to call out the bully on your terms.
Document the Bully’s Actions
Any time you are feeling bullied or experiencing bullying behaviour, document the date, time and details of the incident. Note if another employee witnessed the incident.
If you need help from HR or management, documentation is essential. If the bullying occurs in email or correspondence, maintain a hard copy of the trail of emails and file them in a folder in your computer.
Your Co-workers Are Targets of the Bully, Too
Note whether the bully is behaving the same way with your co-workers. Ask your co-workers to document the bully’s behaviour and any scenes they witness when the bully targets any co-worker.
Tell Management and HR About the Bully
You’ve tried to implement these recommendations, but they aren’t working to stop the bully. It's time to get help. Go to HR or your manager with your evidence, especially the evidence that demonstrates the impact of the bully on the business, and file a formal complaint.
Hope for the best resolution but be prepared to explore other options so you have less contact with the bully. You may never know what was done about the bully but you can assess the impact by how he/she is now behaving towards you.
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