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Atricle Dump - Managing Your Team (Part 4) - Who's Exerting a Disproportionate Amount of Influence?
Internet Home BusinessRunning an internet home business can be exciting for anyone who likes dealing with customers, fulfilling orders, or maintaining a web site. There is much money to be made in this endeavor. Deciding which internet home business to invest in or create can be difficult unless a person has a background in something that is marketable on the internet. Many people make the transition from working for a company to working on their own by applying their skills to running their own business. An internet business can bring a person much joy and comfort while affording them more time to spend with friends and family.There are many jobs that utilize the internet in to ensure that the contribution of ALL team members continues to be valued. Of course some ideas won't work, some suggestions won't get the support needed, some projects or tasks will need more work to be done. However, as much as it is appropriate that team members respect the influence that comes with authority or expertise, it is also encumbent upon the 'influencers' to use their position wisely and appropriately. This is not about the WHAT or the WHY, it is about the HOW Encourage an open-minded approach by everyone involvedEnsure the 'influencers' understand the ground rules the team has for sharing information and making decisionsThere are or should not be any taboo areas in the context of the project or team's objectives. If necessary, this approach can be discussed in advance and outside the team setting, making sure this is agreed to.< SEZ WHO? Tips About Recommendations, Sales Cycles, and Trade ShowsHere’s the scene. You’re at the trade show, having a
discrete "Sales Call" conversation with a visitor. Things are
going well until he says something like...* So who else uses this upgrade?* You mentioned Big Foot, Inc. as a client. Who can I contact
there?* I’m not sure it’s worth the extra money to us. Got any
examples of real savings?* We’re heavily invested in one of your competitors and I
can’t see junking everything we’ve already done even
though we have problems with that system. You say the
transition would be smooth. How do I know?YIKES. There you are with great sales resistance, which you
could ove Why is it that, in a team setting, some participants seem to hold more influence than others even though they may not be team leader? Where does this influence or power come from? What impact do these people have on the team? If the effect is being detrimental to the team's well-being or holding back progress, then why have them on the team? Let's take, for example a continuous improvement team, a task force, perhaps a project team developing a new product. It is healthy and, sometimes, maybe even necessary to include team members who are invited because they are in a position of authority or have a great deal of expertise in / experience of the team's key objectives. WHY? Credibility. These influencers can be just that. They are in the ideal position to influence others outside the group if, for example, additional backing or approval is needed. Perhaps they will form part of the main presentation team, lending their skills or authority to help to ensure the success of the team.Approval. It may be that the person of authority is involved because their approval is a mandatory part of team making progress from one stage to another.Help. Perhaps the team is struggling and needs help to move forward.Information. Maybe additional information or hard data is needed. Perhaps it's feedback from a presentation or inputs based on technical know-how.Training. The team may need specific training in new skills or techniques to enable them to make progress.I'm sure you can think of a whole bunch of other reasons why these people of influence can and do add value. However, challenges may arise when the individual with authority or relevant expertise... Tends to undervalue the inputs and suggestions from other team members. The knock-on effect of this action and attitude can be quite significant in that it undermines the participants' confidence which can lead to those team members questioning why they are involved at all. Not only that, the other team members will rapidly get the feeling that it's better to shut up and say nothing. At least, in that way, they won't be seen as naive or even stupid.Creates taboo areas. This may or may not be intentional. This person has been invited because of their knowledge. Problem is, maybe they are so used to talking to their peers who already have an understanding of the subject, that they almost automatically use a lot of technical terms that just go over the heads of the rest of the team. Sadly, sometimes this can be intentional - "Don't go there, I know what I'm talking about, you don't".Lives in the past. "Been there, done it, got the T-shirt". The It did not work twenty years ago so it won't work now attitude is not as uncommon as you may think. Although this also can damage the confidence of team members, it can, potentially, damage the credibility of the 'expert' who is less than open minded and maybe even somewhat afraid of trying something new.Blocks inputs or suggestions. It may be obvious that all these points are inter-linked and if the person in authority believes or has decided that something isn't going to fly, they may actually attempt to block any further discussion as wasting everyone's time including their own.So, how can we handle these situations? I feel, as I have mentioned in previous articles, it's a case of restoring balance. These team members are present because, without them, life could be extremely difficult. Balance needs to be restored because we want to ensure that the contribution of ALL team members continues to be valued. Of course some ideas won't work, some suggestions won't get the support needed, some projects or tasks will need more work to be done. However, as much as it is appropriate that team members respect the influence that comes with authority or expertise, it is also encumbent upon the 'influencers' to use their position wisely and appropriately. This is not about the WHAT or the WHY, it is about the HOW Encourage an open-minded approach by everyone involvedEnsure the 'influencers' understand the ground rules the team has for sharing information and making decisionsThere are or should not be any taboo areas in the context of the project or team's objectives. If necessary, this approach can be discussed in advance and outside the team setting, making sure this is agreed to. Medical Billing Outsourcing
The medical treatment business has changed significantly in the past few years. It presents many administrative difficulties during the preparation of insurance policy procedures and dealing with complicated claim forms. To avoid these complexities, doctors look out for outside help, and hire representatives to advise them, attend insurance company seminars, and provide them with regular financial reports. This is called medical billing outsourcing. It has become a thriving business in the modern age.Very often, it is impossible to post in-house staffs for preparing medical billing, because they may not have in-depth knowledge and time to handle claims. ill form part of the main presentation team, lending their skills or authority to help to ensure the success of the team.Approval. It may be that the person of authority is involved because their approval is a mandatory part of team making progress from one stage to another.Help. Perhaps the team is struggling and needs help to move forward.Information. Maybe additional information or hard data is needed. Perhaps it's feedback from a presentation or inputs based on technical know-how.Training. The team may need specific training in new skills or techniques to enable them to make progress.I'm sure you can think of a whole bunch of other reasons why these people of influence can and do add value. However, challenges may arise when the individual with authority or relevant expertise... Tends to undervalue the inputs and suggestions from other team members. The knock-on effect of this action and attitude can be quite significant in that it undermines the participants' confidence which can lead to those team members questioning why they are involved at all. Not only that, the other team members will rapidly get the feeling that it's better to shut up and say nothing. At least, in that way, they won't be seen as naive or even stupid.Creates taboo areas. This may or may not be intentional. This person has been invited because of their knowledge. Problem is, maybe they are so used to talking to their peers who already have an understanding of the subject, that they almost automatically use a lot of technical terms that just go over the heads of the rest of the team. Sadly, sometimes this can be intentional - "Don't go there, I know what I'm talking about, you don't".Lives in the past. "Been there, done it, got the T-shirt". The It did not work twenty years ago so it won't work now attitude is not as uncommon as you may think. Although this also can damage the confidence of team members, it can, potentially, damage the credibility of the 'expert' who is less than open minded and maybe even somewhat afraid of trying something new.Blocks inputs or suggestions. It may be obvious that all these points are inter-linked and if the person in authority believes or has decided that something isn't going to fly, they may actually attempt to block any further discussion as wasting everyone's time including their own.So, how can we handle these situations? I feel, as I have mentioned in previous articles, it's a case of restoring balance. These team members are present because, without them, life could be extremely difficult. Balance needs to be restored because we want to ensure that the contribution of ALL team members continues to be valued. Of course some ideas won't work, some suggestions won't get the support needed, some projects or tasks will need more work to be done. However, as much as it is appropriate that team members respect the influence that comes with authority or expertise, it is also encumbent upon the 'influencers' to use their position wisely and appropriately. This is not about the WHAT or the WHY, it is about the HOW Encourage an open-minded approach by everyone involvedEnsure the 'influencers' understand the ground rules the team has for sharing information and making decisionsThere are or should not be any taboo areas in the context of the project or team's objectives. If necessary, this approach can be discussed in advance and outside the team setting, making sure this is agreed to.< How To Select A Consultant - The Three ImperativesAs a manager many years ago when faced with my first challenge of selecting an external consultant, I found myself all at sea. Fortunately for me, I intuitively hit two of the three selection targets. The project was to produce a communication video, so it was relatively easy to see and compare what each consultant had previously produced. I had a number of consultants to choose from, but finally chose the one that I felt most comfortable with and whose work impressed me most. The project was succesful and in the process, I learned a lot.Since that time, I have had to employ a number of consultants, I have been a consultant myself for almost 20 years s from other team members. The knock-on effect of this action and attitude can be quite significant in that it undermines the participants' confidence which can lead to those team members questioning why they are involved at all. Not only that, the other team members will rapidly get the feeling that it's better to shut up and say nothing. At least, in that way, they won't be seen as naive or even stupid.Creates taboo areas. This may or may not be intentional. This person has been invited because of their knowledge. Problem is, maybe they are so used to talking to their peers who already have an understanding of the subject, that they almost automatically use a lot of technical terms that just go over the heads of the rest of the team. Sadly, sometimes this can be intentional - "Don't go there, I know what I'm talking about, you don't".Lives in the past. "Been there, done it, got the T-shirt". The It did not work twenty years ago so it won't work now attitude is not as uncommon as you may think. Although this also can damage the confidence of team members, it can, potentially, damage the credibility of the 'expert' who is less than open minded and maybe even somewhat afraid of trying something new.Blocks inputs or suggestions. It may be obvious that all these points are inter-linked and if the person in authority believes or has decided that something isn't going to fly, they may actually attempt to block any further discussion as wasting everyone's time including their own.So, how can we handle these situations? I feel, as I have mentioned in previous articles, it's a case of restoring balance. These team members are present because, without them, life could be extremely difficult. Balance needs to be restored because we want to ensure that the contribution of ALL team members continues to be valued. Of course some ideas won't work, some suggestions won't get the support needed, some projects or tasks will need more work to be done. However, as much as it is appropriate that team members respect the influence that comes with authority or expertise, it is also encumbent upon the 'influencers' to use their position wisely and appropriately. This is not about the WHAT or the WHY, it is about the HOW Encourage an open-minded approach by everyone involvedEnsure the 'influencers' understand the ground rules the team has for sharing information and making decisionsThere are or should not be any taboo areas in the context of the project or team's objectives. If necessary, this approach can be discussed in advance and outside the team setting, making sure this is agreed to.< The BossI want to tell you a little story that could make a wonderful difference in your life. You may already know about everything I'm going to tell you. If you do, you're a remarkable person, and according to the latest statistics you belong to the top 5% of all the working people in the world. You're to be congratulated. If you don't know about the things I'm going to say, you've been holding yourself back, not only on the job but you're also missing a big percentage of the greatest joy in life. I want to talk about your boss and your relationship with him. How you handle this relationship will determine your success or failure. It will determine how much money you got the T-shirt". The It did not work twenty years ago so it won't work now attitude is not as uncommon as you may think. Although this also can damage the confidence of team members, it can, potentially, damage the credibility of the 'expert' who is less than open minded and maybe even somewhat afraid of trying something new.Blocks inputs or suggestions. It may be obvious that all these points are inter-linked and if the person in authority believes or has decided that something isn't going to fly, they may actually attempt to block any further discussion as wasting everyone's time including their own.So, how can we handle these situations? I feel, as I have mentioned in previous articles, it's a case of restoring balance. These team members are present because, without them, life could be extremely difficult. Balance needs to be restored because we want to ensure that the contribution of ALL team members continues to be valued. Of course some ideas won't work, some suggestions won't get the support needed, some projects or tasks will need more work to be done. However, as much as it is appropriate that team members respect the influence that comes with authority or expertise, it is also encumbent upon the 'influencers' to use their position wisely and appropriately. This is not about the WHAT or the WHY, it is about the HOW Encourage an open-minded approach by everyone involvedEnsure the 'influencers' understand the ground rules the team has for sharing information and making decisionsThere are or should not be any taboo areas in the context of the project or team's objectives. If necessary, this approach can be discussed in advance and outside the team setting, making sure this is agreed to.< Franchise Business Opportunities - What is the Role of a Franchise Broker?If you are interested in buying a franchise business, it may behoove you to do so through a franchise broker. You should also consider utilizing the advice of a professional franchise consultant.So, What Exactly is a Franchise Broker?A franchise broker is simply someone who acts as a liaison between franchisors and franchisees. He gets the two parties together and has the sale of a franchise as his ultimate goal.Empirebb.com compares a franchise, or business broker to a real estate broker because, essentially, a business broker does the same thing. The only difference is that instead of selling houses, the franchise broker is selling busine to ensure that the contribution of ALL team members continues to be valued. Of course some ideas won't work, some suggestions won't get the support needed, some projects or tasks will need more work to be done.However, as much as it is appropriate that team members respect the influence that comes with authority or expertise, it is also encumbent upon the 'influencers' to use their position wisely and appropriately. This is not about the WHAT or the WHY, it is about the HOW Encourage an open-minded approach by everyone involvedEnsure the 'influencers' understand the ground rules the team has for sharing information and making decisionsThere are or should not be any taboo areas in the context of the project or team's objectives. If necessary, this approach can be discussed in advance and outside the team setting, making sure this is agreed to.Always use a structured approach. What is the data telling us? What additional analysis can the 'expert' provide? What suggestions does the expert have in moving forward?Be prepared. The more the 'influencers' co-operate with a positive, open-minded attitude, the more successful the team will be AND the more enjoyable the experience will be for EVERYONE. To be prepared it may mean spending more time with the person in authority or the expert to ensure they understand how the team works, how they can co-operate, and, as team leader, even how you would wish them to 'behave' in the team setting.Managing Your Team (Part 5) will look at Who's Guilty of Plopping?
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