Successful Organizations -- Five Keys to a Successful Organization

Many companies long to learn the secret to success. While business has many critical aspects - from vision to strategic planning to customer service - the one that is often given the least attention, yet can be the most costly, is people.

Your people have the ability to drive customers to you or away from you. To make work fun and simple, or miserable and riffled with issues. They can cause problems or save time and money with their creative solutions. What's a company to do?

Invent

Here are 5 keys to make your Organization Successful:

1. Hire the right people - when it comes to hiring, many organizations miss the mark by:

• Failing to identify and agree upon the position requirements
• Neglecting to plan
• Asking illegal questions
• Asking few follow-up or clarifying questions
• Succumbing to the pressure to fill the position
• Letting individual biases and stereotypes get in the way

2. Give them the tools to do a good job - Put yourself in your employees' shoes. Would you be able to do a better job if:

• You had a faster computer?
• There was a file cabinet for pertinent documents?
• The printer/copier was closer to your desk?
• You had a database program to track customers?
• There were bins to organize inventory parts?
• You had some help developing a report to track tasks?
• The supplies weren't locked up and you didn't have to requisition every paperclip?

3. Provide them with positive, constructive feedback - many companies have a formal performance review process, but rarely use it. Constructive feedback is one of the best ways to grow a company! People want to know:

• Know they are doing a good job.
• Understand what and how they should improve.
• Understand how they affect company success.
• Know how they can affect their status and pay.
• Know how they can get ahead in the company.
• Be heard and appreciated for their efforts.
• Have open dialogue with their managers.
• Have input into their goals.

4. Develop them - Keep in mind, companies do not grow; companies are not entities that can grow by themselves. A company can improve productivity, gain new customers, capture new markets, acquire new technology, increase efficiencies, develop creative approaches, increase profitability, etc., but only through one prime ingredient - it's people. Invent in their continued learning and they will help the company grow.

5. Reward them - How do you reward your people for doing a good job? Most would say money, right? Yes, people want to make a good living and be well paid for the job they do. That's a given. But money is only part of the equation! Different things motivate different people, learn what is important to your people and reward them appropriately.

Keep in mind - the number one reason employees leave their jobs is due to a poor boss. They stay because of good leadership that recognizes the needs of the people, and provides praise and recognition.

Remember, companies don't change and grow. . . people do! So be sure to reward and recognize the behaviors you want to see. Catch people in the act of doing things right and reward them on the spot with a heartfelt "thank you"!

Successful Organizations -- Five Keys to a Successful Organization

Sue E. Thomas, president of Managing Asset Potential (M-A-P, LLC), has over 25 years of business experience, 17 years of equine experience and 15 years of Human Resource Management. She possesses an in-depth knowledge of human interaction and team dynamics. She has extensive skills in organizational development, leadership development, facilitation and executive coaching.

For more information visit us at http://www.mapotential.com

Seven Key Qualities of Successful Entrepreneurs

A recent poll conducted by Forbes magazine shows that majority
of its readers would prefer to become a billionaire rather than
a Nobel peace prize winner, a great scientist or a famous athlete.
There is no secret that most of the average people dream about
getting rich albeit very few makes any real effort to become one.

According to statistics, more than 100 thousand people become
millionaires each year in the United States alone! Overwhelming
majority out of them is self-made and owners of business. This
means, if you would like to pursue your goal of becoming rich,
you have to start your own venture.

Creativity

Becoming an entrepreneur is not an easy task! There are certain
qualities that are absolutely necessary if you would like to
become successful in your business ventures. Some of these
qualities are built-in parts of your inherent personality, and
some of them get developed over time. Knowing these
characteristics and identifying your weak ones - those, which
need strengthening - will, eventually, help you become a
successful entrepreneur.

1. Common Sense

Studies show that most successful businessmen consider common
sense as the foundation of their success. Common sense is defined
as an ability to make sound judgments on the issues, which you
encounter in everyday situations.

Good judgment depends on acquired knowledge and past experience.
The combination of these two creates necessary prerequisites in
developing common sense in a person. Common sense allows you to
understand complex issues in simpler terms and get into the core
of a problem.

2. Specialized Knowledge of your field

It is easier to start a successful business, if you have deep
knowledge of the business field that you decide to pursue. About
half of all home-based start-ups are launched by people who decide
to use the knowledge, which they gained from their previous work
experience of a particular niche area.

Philip Green, a billionaire, who made his fortune in garments
retailing, claims that corner stone of his success is his knowledge
of rag trade. He, presumably, can price a fabric simply by rubbing
it between his fingers. Just by looking at a rack of coats he can
predict which ones won't sell next season. That's the kind of
knowledge required in order to become successful in
entrepreneurship.

Around 45 percent of all start-ups fail to survive more than two
years. One of the main reasons is many entrepreneurs do not
accumulate needed industry knowledge before jumping into business
world.

3. Self-confidence

Self confidence is a key entrepreneurial skill for success. It is
easy to become demoralized, frustrated and resentful if you lack
self-confidence.

Self-confidence is concerned with how a person feels about his
ability. A successful entrepreneur believes in his abilities. He is
not scared to explore un-chartered territories, take risk and take
difficult decisions.

Self-confidence, however, is not a personal trait that either you
have or you don't. A person can have high self-confidence in one
situation and totally lack in another. This is one of those skills
that can be developed by training.

4. Ability to get things done

Successful entrepreneurs are persistent and hardworking. They
master self-discipline to such extent that if a work is important
and related to their goals, they will, eventually, complete it.

Getting things done is the vital link between motivations and their
outcome. At times, entrepreneurs force themselves to choose work
over fun, a boring job against a pleasant one, working on tax
papers rather than reading a glamour magazine. This requires a
self-control that many people simply fail to develop in them.

5. Creativity

Creativity is the ability to use your insights and come up with
new solutions to old problems, get things done in a different way
or find a totally different approach for conventional things to
work together. Entrepreneurs need creative thinking ability
virtually in everything. Each new product, each new marketing
method, each business decision - all these are fertile ground
for creative thinking.

Often, entrepreneurs become immensely successful thanks to one
single creative idea!

6. Ability to lead

Successful entrepreneurs are capable of leading people and get
work done by them. They use a combination of various methods -
effective motivation, planning, coaching and evaluation - to
lead people. They are concerned about the wellbeing of others
and easily get along with people.

7. Self reliance

Successful entrepreneurs try to take full responsibility for
their actions. They know that what they are today, and what
they are going to be tomorrow, depend solely on themselves,
as it is the outcome of their own choices and decisions.
They are proactive people, who set goals, walk an extra mile
to achieve them and rely, primarily, on their own resources
and abilities.

If you would like to check out if your personality fits the
typical entrepreneurial profile, the following site has
questionnaire that will help you asses your entrepreneurial
skills:

[http://www.rateyourself.com/subject.cfm/Subject_ID/2]

If, even, you have all these great qualities and you feel
quite confident about yourself, you will never know how good
an entrepreneur you are, unless you give it a try! So, the
best way to prove your abilities, is to jump start a new
venture!

Seven Key Qualities of Successful Entrepreneurs

Nowshade Kabir is the founder, primary developer and present CEO of Rusbiz.com. A Ph. D. in Information Technology, he has wide experience in Business Consulting, International Trade and Web Marketing. Rusbiz is a Global B2B Emarketplace with solutions to start and run online business. You can contact him at mailto:nowshade[at]rusbiz.com, http://ezine.rusbiz.com, http://www.rusbiz.com