Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Micromanaging-or-managing-minutely.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Micromanaging-or-managing-minutely.html I’m involved in a lot of change management just now, particularly as the economic climate is forcing managers to look closely at getting the very best out of their people. Change often prompts fear for many; fear of the unknown, fear of losing their job. But if you, as the manager, have communicated clearly with your staff, then there will be no room for misunderstanding and doubt. One of the Prime Minister’s buzz words is transparency – making sure his communication strategies are clear and fair. Can you say the same for your own work practice? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Winding-down-to-quality-time.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Winding-down-to-quality-time.html When you look back on this year what do you see? I think we all agree that it has been tough economically. Politically, there has been a huge change in the USA, with the election of the first black President. Celebrities have waxed and waned – we’ve seen Madonna’s come back tour and her divorce from Guy Ritchie. What about in your life? I hope you can see progress and success in your business and personal life. But how do we measure success? Are we valuing what is really important? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Who-comes-first-in-your-business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Who-comes-first-in-your-business.html It’s important to provide feed back to your staff, and not just in formal appraisals. Remember that the appraisal system should never be used as a disciplinary process, but more as a way to develop the individual and to provide some coaching http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/More-tips-from-the-Emotional-Intelligence-Tool-Box.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/More-tips-from-the-Emotional-Intelligence-Tool-Box.html Thinking and planning is an important part of your life, and your business, if you are to be successful. I was musing over the issue of Emotional Intelligence, and have pulled out from the tool kit the very useful instrument of MOTIVATION. Are you a motivated person? Can you motivate others? http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Is-perception-a-device-you-can-readily-use.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Is-perception-a-device-you-can-readily-use.html Perception is a tool we all require if we want our business to be successful. It’s not only so we can assess how our employees are doing, but also we need to know how our company is perceived by our clients. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Who-needs-a-coach.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Who-needs-a-coach.html The benefits of coaching… It’s very difficult to work or to live in isolation. When you run your own business it is not always obvious that you are doing a good job. You don’t have that constant feedback and contact from someone higher up the ‘chain of command’. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Permission-to-Speak.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Permission-to-Speak.html There are many ways to communicate. Do you know how you communicate best? We express ourselves explicitly by speaking in a direct fashion. Yet many of us say one thing and mean another. We illustrate a lot of what we say by hand gestures, and other body language. This is implicit communication, and relies on us being able to observe the speaker at all times. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Are-you-a-good-match-maker.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Are-you-a-good-match-maker.html I’m not referring to your love life, but your recruitment process! Do you get it right every time? Why is it necessary to invest time and money in the recruitment process? You know the situation. You’ve just spent six months training your new recruit. Your number two has invested a lot of her time in this training, and then the employee leaves. You have to go through the entire advertising and interview process again, and you have lost money, not only on the new recruit, but also in the time spent by your experienced member of staff. So how do you get it right? The most important point is to have a firm idea of the job role: the technical competencies required, and the personality fit. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Poisoned-Ivy.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Poisoned-Ivy.html “It’s not fair! I hate my job. Why should I do that?” All too often there is a member of staff in your organisation who is uttering this. He may not say it to your face. Worse, he may be complaining behind your back. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Green-is-the-new-black.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Business-Coach/148/Green-is-the-new-black.html Challenge yourself this year! Set yourself some new and exciting goals. Take off your blinkers, and look at what is happening in the wider world. Then see what you can do in your business to make a difference in 2008. Thinking “green”, being sustainable, and looking after the environment are the buzz issues at the moment in business. Some of my clients have already embraced these initiatives. One of them has set up “The Green Police” – a project whereby some staff members are responsible for overseeing all the green waste in the organisation. Another has just set his employees the goal of making the business more sustainable in 2008 by cutting their use of electricity and paper at work.