Archives for March 2014
The "Culture" of a Company, and Signs that a Change is Needed
You often hear about the idea of a “culture” within a company. It's something that everyone, from owners and executives down to entry-level employees, all feel, but no one really talks about. I know you talk about it, but most don’t. Simply put, you know when the culture of your company is bad, because the best employees will tend to leave, or even worse, lie low and lose motivation.
The flip side, are those organizations that say they have a great culture, they preach about a great culture and yet the relations you have with them tells otherwise. We both know this isn't your company, it's ‘them'.
In today's turbulent business environment, every company must have the ability to change and adapt quickly if it hopes to survive or maintain its success. Companies must drive results and respond to customer needs faster than ever before, and a poor culture can severely limit their ability to do so.
So what effects can culture have on a business, and what signs should be monitored to know if a culture is hindering business operations?
Here are some signs of cultural problems that you should look out for:
- Managers who don't lead, teach, train, mentor – yet claim great success developing employees.
- Weak internal support staff, which can drastically dampen an employee's motivation.
- Overuse of titles rather than focusing on responsibilities and accountability.
- Hierarchical styles with a lot of micro-management, which limits individual creativity.
- Inconsistent disciplinary sanctions, or inappropriate disciplinary action.
- Favoritism or nepotism within departments.
- “Open door cultures” that aren't truly open door.
Those are just a few symptoms of a larger cultural problem that must be addressed for an organization to fulfill its potential for success.
It's important to note that a culture can hinder any process, which in turn limits production. The culture of an organization can also manifest itself in a wide variety of ways. What an employer might think is a simple behavioral issue could actually be a symptom of a larger cultural problem at the company.
It's also important to be aware that when you begin an examination into the culture of your company, things can get very personal very quickly. This is especially true of the major issues within the culture come from upper management or ownership. When you decide that change is necessary, you must address the conflict wherever it is, in every department and at every level.
However, most importantly of all, a successful cultural shift is worth all of the difficulties and challenges you will have to overcome throughout the process. Overhauling the culture of your organization can help you find that motivation and passion inside of you for your business that you thought was long gone. There is no greater rekindling of the fire within, than fueling a great culture for those whom you rely on to grow your business. Hey – and you may regain your spark too!
Is your company's culture positive or negative? What signs lead you to think this way?
Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer | Viral Solutions LLC
Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.
The "Culture" of a Company, and Signs that a Change is Needed
You often hear about the idea of a “culture” within a company. It's something that everyone, from owners and executives down to entry-level employees, all feel, but no one really talks about. I know you talk about it, but most don’t. Simply put, you know when the culture of your company is bad, because the best employees will tend to leave, or even worse, lie low and lose motivation.
The flip side, are those organizations that say they have a great culture, they preach about a great culture and yet the relations you have with them tells otherwise. We both know this isn't your company, it's ‘them'.
In today's turbulent business environment, every company must have the ability to change and adapt quickly if it hopes to survive or maintain its success. Companies must drive results and respond to customer needs faster than ever before, and a poor culture can severely limit their ability to do so.
So what effects can culture have on a business, and what signs should be monitored to know if a culture is hindering business operations?
Here are some signs of cultural problems that you should look out for:
- Managers who don't lead, teach, train, mentor – yet claim great success developing employees.
- Weak internal support staff, which can drastically dampen an employee's motivation.
- Overuse of titles rather than focusing on responsibilities and accountability.
- Hierarchical styles with a lot of micro-management, which limits individual creativity.
- Inconsistent disciplinary sanctions, or inappropriate disciplinary action.
- Favoritism or nepotism within departments.
- “Open door cultures” that aren't truly open door.
Those are just a few symptoms of a larger cultural problem that must be addressed for an organization to fulfill its potential for success.
It's important to note that a culture can hinder any process, which in turn limits production. The culture of an organization can also manifest itself in a wide variety of ways. What an employer might think is a simple behavioral issue could actually be a symptom of a larger cultural problem at the company.
It's also important to be aware that when you begin an examination into the culture of your company, things can get very personal very quickly. This is especially true of the major issues within the culture come from upper management or ownership. When you decide that change is necessary, you must address the conflict wherever it is, in every department and at every level.
However, most importantly of all, a successful cultural shift is worth all of the difficulties and challenges you will have to overcome throughout the process. Overhauling the culture of your organization can help you find that motivation and passion inside of you for your business that you thought was long gone. There is no greater rekindling of the fire within, than fueling a great culture for those whom you rely on to grow your business. Hey – and you may regain your spark too!
Is your company's culture positive or negative? What signs lead you to think this way?
Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer | Viral Solutions LLC
Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.
Social Media Interns – Good Idea? Bad Idea?
Summer is just a few months away, bringing with it a slew of socially savvy interns to help your business. Should you hire a summer intern to handle your social media?
On one hand, college students are a natural choice for social media projects. After all, they grew up with it. Plus, interns are cheap. If you’ve been struggling to keep up with your blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts, you may see hiring an intern as a form of social salvation. Likewise, if you’re doing it all on your own and feel overwhelmed, you may begin fantasizing about all that free time you’ll recover by handing social media off to an intern.
Not so fast! There’s also a downside to handing social media to an intern. Remember, your social media efforts are among the more customer-facing tasks you can possible perform. Are you really comfortable putting a college kid in charge of such a high profile job?
Another consideration involves whether or not the intern is legitimately qualified to perform social media tasks. While he may be a whiz on Facebook or have a ton of Twitter followers, has he taken any communications, journalism, or social media classes?
What about fit? Will a social media intern respond to customers with LOLs and LMAOs or will she conform to the professional tone that you’ve already established? 
Assuming you can find a qualified, socially savvy summer intern who will be amazing at managing your social media accounts, there’s more to consider including your role in the process. What do you have to offer the summer intern? Interns are willing to work for free or for peanuts with the understanding that they will gain valuable experience and real-world insights by working for you. Interning is meant to be an educational, career-enhancing experience.
If you’re looking only for cheap labor and don’t have anything to offer other than the opportunity to work for free, hiring an intern is a bad choice. In fact, it could be in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act which specifies the following criteria for determining whether or not a person can participate in a “for-profit” private sector internship without compensation:
1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
A small business struggling to manage social media isn’t likely a good fit for an internship whereas a digital marketing agency interested in helping future digital marketers experience the real world of social media might be.
So, now that you’ve determined that hiring a summer intern to handle your social media accounts isn’t the best choice, what are you going to do about your overwhelming workload? While an internship may not be an option, you do have other options. For example, you could hire an employee, invest in social media management tools that make your job much easier, or outsource social media to an agency.
Summer’s coming and your social media accounts are stalling. What will you do?
Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.
Avoid These Decision Traps
Making a decision, as a leader, is a critical part of the job. The bigger the decision, the more on the line, the more likely you are to procrastinate or remain stuck. I suggest you avoid these traps.
1. FIFO Bias – The first person that provides information is given a disproportionate amount of weight as you sort through your options. Often the first opinion has extraordinary bias, subject interest, or excessive topical interest. Be careful not to over rate the first opinion in by making it the first solution out. Always pursue uncommon or alternative lines of thought, even if the first one seems correct.
2. State of Affairs Bias – It’s easy to favor alternatives to problems that fit our status quo. Staying in our comfort zone is natural, especially when profitable, just ask General Motors. Instead, ask yourself if staying in that comfort zone serves your objectives and gives you the results you expect. Downplay the urge to stay in your current state. However, change for change sake does not make a policy either. So weigh the strategy versus the decision.
3. Sherlock Holmes Bias – When you find new information validates your current point of view, I challenge you to ask a respected colleague (preferably from the outside) to argue your perspective. Making decisions based upon the views of yes men is very dangerous and the sign of leadership weakness.
4. “Hear Yee, Hear Yee” Bias – Some executives with this bias form committees or seek employee answers via the concept of empowerment. Then they shelve the problem until either a consensus is reached or they feel good about the collaborative choices. Be the judge and make a decision with conviction and authority. I challenge you to research the modern business definition to the word collaboration, especially if you are over 40.
Decisions are without question difficult, especially in this economy. But more than ever before, leadership rallies the troops, and guidance with empowerment gets results. Remember these pointers at decision time.
- While, as with all companies, you are focused on the performance metrics in which our stakeholders rely, you pursue continuous improvement strategies that drive customer, employee, and investor satisfaction. Decisions must be made in balance with the strategic vision.
- Combine time tested best practices with best-of-breed technologies and top notch seasoned agents who know how to balance any discussion with honor and candor. Be committed to providing quantifiable value to your company.
- Take metrics management from a recording process to driving action plans.
- We believe and will reinforce that most of today’s robotic marketing systems can outperform your sales force.
Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer | Viral Solutions LLC
Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.
What Types of Businesses Can Benefit from Social Media Marketing?
Think social media is just for college students, moms, and businesses with big budgets? Think again! Businesses of all types have fallen in love with social media and are successfully marketing their businesses on social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Virtually any business can carve out a niche for itself in the ever-evolving social landscape. Below are just a few of the many possibilities.
- Real Estate Agents – Real estate agents have a social job to start with, making social media a fantastic platform for interacting with buyers, sellers, and investors. Not only that, video and photo sharing are a natural fit for showing prospective buyers the latest listings. At the same time, buyers and sellers alike are likely to share listings with their own networks. This translates into greater visibility, word-of-mouth advertising, and potential referrals. Meanwhile, sharing informative content is a great way to showcase your expertise and build credibility.
- Non-profit Organizations – Non-profits and charities can spread their messages across social media, raise funds, and rally support. In addition, many social media users show their support for their favorite causes by sharing inspirational stories. When stories go viral,
charities may get more “likes” and followers as well as new donations.
- Artists – Musicians are regularly “discovered” on YouTube while photographers and fine artists often turn to Instagram to share their talents. Other popular social networks with artists include Pinterest and Etsy, an online marketplace for handcrafted goods.
- Freelancers and small businesses – Freelance writers, web designers, graphic designers, photographers, and virtual assistants often turn to social media sites to build credibility, showcase their portfolios, interact with potential customers, and find gigs. The same is true of small business owners and other “solopreneurs.”
- Mom and Pop Shops – Of course Target and Home Depot have social media profiles, but what about Bob’s Sandwich Shop or Martha’s Quilting Supply? If you own a mom and pop shop, it’s time to get socially savvy! After all, your customers are likely social media users. Getting followers could be as simple as asking them to “Like” you on Facebook as you ring up their orders. You could even make it easy by handing them a coupon with a QR code that takes them to your Facebook page. Reward your followers with special promotions, exclusive discounts, and engaging content.
- Beauty Salons – Keep your clients coming back for more by nurturing those important relationships after they leave the salon. Ideas for engaging your fans include photo contests, special promotions, and informative hair and beauty content. An example of a photo contest might involve before and after “selfies.” Imagine the promotional boost your salon would receive if all of your clients posted and shared photos of their makeovers!
Clearly, social media isn’t just for big businesses with huge marketing budgets – it’s for any business that wants to connect with its customers on a more personal level. How are you making those connections?
Watch out elephants! This slayer of business challenges comes with 30 years of record breaking sales, marketing, operations, training and leadership experience . He has worked face-to-face with 100’s of small business owners as well as large firms. His love of creating, communicating, developing and executing results for clients shines with each project, publication and training event. His entrepreneurial spirit, passion, industry experience, education, problem-solving prowess, charismatic personality and been-there-done that attitude leads his client focused approach.