Записи с меткой «chart»

Letter to young managers…

If you are a young manager, perhaps recently graduated, then there’s a good chance you are intelligent, confident and ambitious — keen to make your mark in the world. Chances are also high that you have high expectations of both the job and the organization, and that you are quite independent.

Additionally, if you have been promoted from within the team, then no doubt you have some very good ideas on what needs improving. Your own manager will see you as innovative, technologically savvy and willing to learn. He or she may have said to colleagues "My new team leader / manager will be like a breath of fresh air for the team — just what the doctor ordered."

All of your traits and characteristics are highly valued by your employer — probably the reason you have been promoted so quickly. Applied appropriately, they are very positive characteristics to have and will ensure your success in your new role.

On the downside, these same characteristics that are valued so highly by your employer, may count for nothing with the people you are about to manage. They did not appoint you.

Having worked with many experienced and not so experienced managers, I have seen what leads to success and what can impede success. Below are my nine principles for avoiding career derailment. They are in my own personal priority order and are what experienced managers call "learning how to learn".

Priority #1: Give recognition to your people for good work regularly. Find at least one of your team doing something well every day and thank them specifically for what they have done. This builds a positive culture within your team.

Priority #2: Ask for help when you need it. Use the experience within your team. It’s easy to think that "I’m the manager. I’m supposed to know what I’m doing, so it may make me look weak if I ask for help." There’s only a very slight difference between self confidence and arrogance. The self confident manager says "I definitely know there is an answer (somewhere) to this challenge or problem." Whereas the arrogant manager says "I have the answer to this challenge or problem".

Priority #3: Keep a Learning Journal. Jot down things in a small pocket book that you think may be important. In particular, when you do overcome a major challenge or problem, take time to reflect (and record) — What was the challenge? What did I do that worked well? What did I do that did not work so well? What will I do differently next time? Review your journal once a week on a designated day and time. Make this a habit.

Priority #4: Avoid snap decisions. Certainly trust your gut instinct, but before jumping into action, reflect — Is this the best approach for this issue at this time? What are some other alternatives?

Priority #5: Admit mistakes. The leadership research suggests that all great leaders share one common trait — they are willing to admit when they are wrong. Admitting mistakes shows that you are human. It also builds trust and respect.

Priority #6: Build your network. Look at the organisation chart. Who are the successful managers? Who could possibly be of help to you? Make sure you build a network of colleagues from outside your team.

Priority #7: Be careful when giving negative feedback to experienced staff. Make sure you get the words right — ask them for their input in solving the issue or improving their performance. If you have not had some training in giving feedback, ask your manager or consult a good book.

Priority #8: Check your results. Once you have been in the role for nine months, complete a 360 degree profile. As well as getting feedback from your own manager and perhaps informal feedback from others, you need to get an accurate view of how you are performing as a manager. If your organisation does not have a 360 process, see the link at the end of this letter.

Priority #9: Find a mentor. Look for a manager within your organisation whom everyone respects. Build a relationship with that person. Over time, this friendship should turn into a mentoring relationship. Mentoring takes time — take yours!

One final piece of advice from an old, experienced manager. You are young, energetic and have great potential to move up the corporate ladder. The only thing you lack is experience. In twelve months time, make sure that your manager will be telling his / her colleagues "Yes, that was a great decision I made promoting (put your name here …………….). What a fabulous young leader he / she is."

How Can You Choose the Right Shopping Cart Solution?

Your online store has many disadvantages. Unlike a brick and mortar store, people cannot go around looking at the items of choice, touching, feeling and selecting what they please. Your customers do not know you and they wouldn’t recognize you if you sat next to them at the dinner table – nor would you recognize them! You have no way of talking to your customers and converting them. Really, your online store is only as strong as your shopping cart solution because your shopping cart establishes your web identity.

One of the biggest problems in choosing a shopping cart solution is the sheer variety and range of software available. Some are free, for some cost the world and a few are somewhere in between. Some of them have come with all the bells and whistles, while others do not have any addition functionality. Which one should you choose?

Here are some pointers to help you choose the right shopping cart solution.

Budget: Many shopping cart solutions are extremely versatile and they offer many functions that you may never use. On the other hand, you have shopping carts that are just flexible enough to offer you a minimal selling solution. What you need may be something in between. To start off, identify the features you need. Then, chart out a budget. Now, you can select a cart that fits within this broad framework.

Facilities and features: Here is a list of questions that will help you identify what you need:

? Will the shopping cart run on your server? One advantage in buying a shopping cart from your hosting provider is that you do not have to worry about a mismatch.

? Keep an eye on your future plans. Once you start selling successfully, you may want to expand or create an affiliate program. You would also require tax payment options if your purchases are made from various countries. Does it allow you to change shipping charges?

? How much support is the company offering? This is particularly important if you are a small business owner with little knowledge of web design and development.

? Will your shopping cart accept the credit card gateway you want or is it going to tie you up with a payment gateway like Pay pal? If you are into serious selling, then, you must not, at any rate, allow your customers to click away from your web site.

? Does the shopping cart solution have a powerful control panel and admin interface that allows you to set up your store front easily and manage it effectively? Everything should be as simple as point and click. You must be able to create pages, add and delete items, manage payments and orders easily.

? Can you bulk upload items? Adding one item at a time can take forever. While that may look like a small inconvenience, you will grow to hate the delay.

? Does the shopping cart solution offer search engine optimization?

? In addition to all the advanced functions, does it include all the basic facilities like customer tracking and analyzing?

The simple tips above will assist you in making a knowledgeable decision and buy the best shopping cart solution for your needs.

Let Online Market Help You These Holidays

When your heart starts to relax down, your spirits need to calm down, when you don’t will to go for your regular schedule, and every morning you really not will to start with, it’s the time to have a change. A change means to divert your attention and have little fun and recreation, just to recharge yourselves.

So it’s the time to plan to the tourists attracting destination. After browsing this all, is your destination gong to be some of the abroad places, as Mauritius, London or else. It’s just fabulous, as you are going to have really pleasant holidays all wrapped in the armor of love, happiness and fun.
But all you need to plan is a place where you would get peace, a place where you can just have your hearts sink in the deep furrows of nature and have fun enjoying the pleasant weather, which can make your visit all the more amiable. Look for the place where you can view the tourists hunts say from the archaeological buildings, museums, depicting the art and architecture of the place, great monuments and a lot more which can just capture your souls in themselves.

Then you have to also look for the place where you can have all the frolic activities, which can turn your holidays to be entertaining say as opera houses, clubs, discos and lot more.  Market and shopping would be your next requirement as you need to shop to savor the feelings and spirits of your holidays. But do you know that in such a place are you going to get the two basic things which you can not compromise? Which are food and accommodation?  So are you looking for the best and desirable accommodation, as per as your wish and which should also suits your financial parameters? Along with it you also get the tasty and yummy food too.

This web market is going to accomplish your this need and desire. Thus market is flourished with the best and detailed information of your hunt as per your wishes and desires. As for instance you planned to have a trip to London, you need to browse your destination and just type the keyword, which would throw in your path, the detailed knowledge of the appropriate time to visit, places to see, what kind of weather is prevailing there at your visit and what all do you should carry as per the weather chart, so that later on you are not hurt when you get there and also you are save from carrying extra lug gages.  

This online information is so wide spread that sitting at your homes you can have the hotels too reserved and altogether, will also make you know about the budget accommodation London.  This way are you going to enjoy in the cheapest way to preserve for the next trip too. So after the hunt of discount London hotels, now you should look for amenities and facilities as you can reliably and calmly look for.

How to Schedule Workflow for Profit

When you’re running a contracting business, time is essential. The company’s profit depends on the completion of a project, so how a contractor schedules workflow is of primary importance. A single delay in the delivery of certain materials, for example, can set a project back for days and incur high penalties. For smaller companies especially, where the margin of profit is a lot smaller, delay in a project can result in severe loss. Here are some tips on how to organize workflow to maximize profit and sales in your contracting business.

Beating the Deadline. Contractors must continuously monitor the progress of their projects to make sure that everything is going smoothly and the different phases of the project are being completed on time. Try to finish the project before the set deadline. This way, you’ll be entitled to a bonus or a performance payment. Make sure you have charts and time frames for every cycle of the project.

Record everything. Training all the people working under you to keep records of all transactions, sales, materials, change of orders, meeting, etc. is important if you want to keep an organized workflow. Documenting every little thing that happens during the project will help you trace a problem easily when something goes wrong. It will also help you keep track of expenses and stay within budget.

Supervise your subcontractors. This is the crucial part. Sometimes a contractor can get into a whole lot of trouble because their subcontractors’ failure to do their job properly. Make sure you study the contracts you enter with your subcontractors, especially the insurance policies. Also keep track on their expenses and make sure they stick to your budget.

Go wireless. The contracting business can be really tough, tiring and energy-consuming. All the running about from one place to the other, managing orders and deliveries, dealing with sometimes difficult subcontractors, managing a lot of employees under payroll and trying to stay within budget and timeframe can drive anyone up the wall. That’s why a lot of contractors today have decided to go wireless with their business.
There are a lot of software available in the market today that will allow you to keep all your data, charts, spreadsheets, etc. online. An advantage of this is that it allows you to get rid of taxing “paper trails.” It is more efficient too because you can access anything with just your laptop and internet – no matter where you are. It also saves up on time and energy. If you need to approve a change of order request, for example, you can just have your employee or co-worker scan or email you the request form, which you can print out and sign, rescan and send to all involved parties needing to be notified. It decreases the tiring leg work you have to do.

In scheduling workflow for profit, organization is really the key to make everything run smoothly. Work with responsible people, be hands-on and organized and you’ll always be doing a job well-done.