AtlantaEvent.com NewsFlash - The Flu or The Failure?

Intro From Jeff Glaze

Jeff Glaze
Editor



"Buy my eye-opening ebook!" from Jeff Glaze, The editor of AtlantaEvent.com

Greetings From Jeff Glaze:

My first NewsFlash in over two weeks comes to you after surviving the Flu. I have had the Flu in the past, but never to the extent that it floored me for at least ten days! If you have had the Flu experience this year, you have my sympathies and congratulations for getting through it. If you have not had it, maybe it is not too late to get a flu shot! Notice below that our networking event is this Thursday at Copeland's. We hope you can make it out this month, last month we had over 100 people in attendance and the networking and the food were great.

This month, as a special bonus, the first 20 people to arrive will receive a free AtlantaEvent.com photo mouse pad, so be sure to get there early to get yours, these mouse pads are a limited edition.

Our online business expo has been extended from March 1, to run until April 30, a full two months. Since you are a subscriber to the NewsFlash, we are giving you a special price on a sponsorship for this online event. You get the $97 sponsorship for the $47 price. Be sure to check it out, The expo page is the highest traffic page on the site at the present time.

One last item, tables are available for the networking Thursday night for only $75 I only have 2 left!

Watch for my new e-book coming soon, "The Five Keys To Ranking First In The Search Engines".

See you Thursday and have a great week!

Jeff Glaze
www.AtlantaEvent.com Editor

Coming This Thursday - February 24, 5 PM - 8 PM
AtlantaEvent.com and The Atlanta Business Calendar Present:

The Atlanta Business Mixer

Copeland's
3365 Piedmont Road in Buckhead
$5 at the door
Free Buffet - Free Validated Parking
Display Tables Available call 678-508-5975

Please Note, for now Five@Five has been merged into this event.

3 Strategies to Market Your Business Even When There’s No Money

By Kathleen Gage

I am writing this “direction article” from the North Georgia Mountains and it seems appropriate that this is the home of Merciers Orchard. Reason being I want to address the ”one bad apple you might have in your box.”

The bad apple is that employee who never seems to be satisfied, is never happy, has always got something with which to find fault. No matter what you do for them and other employees it is never enough. They are always associated with the “bad attitude” terminology. They seem to have time on their hands and are constantly cruising the office and disturbing others who are busy.

For those of you who do have one or more like this then read on and find a few good ideas that have been proven over and over again in the work place.

First and foremost, you must deal with these people or your credibility is destroyed. In some cases the only answer to the problem is to terminate the employment. You got that right- fire them. Dealing with them fairly (but dealing with them) will cause others to respect you and is a good method by which you can begin to improve productivity. Take a minute or two and answer the following questions.

Question # 1. Is what you are observing a real problem or is it an area that irritates you and it is a personal thing? Just because staff does not do things the way you want them done does not mean it is a problem. Is the job getting done? Is the product being produced while maintaining the quality that is expected? Do you really have a problem?

Question # 2. Have you set goals that the individual understands and has bought into? Many years ago Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager) taught me that goals should always be SMART. I taught that in the 80’s and I still teach it today. S stands for Specific, they need to be very clear and understood by the employee. Exactly what does a good job, a great job and even a poor job performance look like? The employee has to be aware of what is expected. Most employees do not know what is expected, they have a general idea but not specifics. This one idea can correct a lot of poor performers.

Question # 3. Have you taken time to monitor the employee? Tom Peters called it MBWA. “Management by wandering around.” You need to develop a means by which you can observe the employees as they work. What do they actually spend the day doing? What is getting accomplished? How much time do they spend performing a particular assignment? In one of my seminars I describe the employee who arrives at work and for 8 hours never slows down, they are going a hundred miles a minute, they never seem to stop but they don’t accomplish anything. How much time does the employee spend “visiting,” making copies, making personal phone calls or hanging around the old water cooler? Procrastination relative to important job functions, time filling relative to unimportant tasks and what appears to be a “bad attitude” can be caused by personal issues that are not resolved and or inability to manage oneself. No matter what the cause, it is your responsibility to get to the bottom of the issue, provide counseling, give guidance and assist in the elimination of the productivity block.

Question # 4. What skills does the employee have? Many supervisors/ managers have little idea of the real skills that the employee possesses. Skills can and must be learned. Training sessions to address shortcomings not only improve output but also show a genuine concern on the part of management for continued employee development. Skills training should commence on the first day of employment by conducting a meaningful orientation program. A good orientation program consists of but is not limited to; introducing the company and its values, its management, its products and rules of conduct.

Question # 5. Is the employee/job fit right? Matching what might be called employees strengths to the requirements of the job just makes sense. Too many employees are performing ( in reality under performing) jobs that are wrong for them and the individual strengths they bring to the workplace. Extroverts are placed in positions that limit their contact with other human beings and introverts are regularly placed in positions that force face to face relationships. Employees blessed with mechanical ability and a love of the outdoors are forced into jobs that require mental skills and are positioned in cubicles with no windows. All of these situations are foundations for discontent, bad attitudes, unmotivated, unhappy and lackluster performance by individuals in the workplace.

Question # 6. Is it time for me to stop talking and start walking? There comes a time when you have fully investigated, reviewed and discussed the situation and you have to make a decision. You may of heard the term “Paralysis by Analysis.” Enough is enough and now its time for action. ACT_I_ON. You must ACT ON the situation and you are the owner.

A review of the information you have gathered will provide the plan for your next step.
#1 is it really a problem, yes or no? Have goals been spelled out clearly and concisely and more important are they fully understood? Have you taken the time to monitor behavior and activities? Are you aware of the employee’s ability, skills, needs and fit with the job requirements? Is there a personal situation that is the real cause of the problem?

Now - Just Do It.

John A Delves. www.setrainingdev.com

Check Your Comfort Zone At The Door

By Josh Hinds
© 2004

Read Chapter 12 In "Guerrilla Marketing in 30 days" about AtlantaEvent.com

No matter what goals and dreams you desire, there's a good chance it's going to mean reaching beyond what you believe yourself to be capable of.

This fine line between what we think we can achieve and cannot is often referred to as one's comfort zone.

Whether it's giving a report in class, or preparing to make a speech to the board of directors at your company -- we all have a point where we begin to doubt what we're made of. Can we really pull it off we ask ourselves?

Perhaps you're asking yourself something similar at this very moment in your life. Let me assure you -- the answer is YES! Yes you can.

Now that's not to say you're not going to be scared, or perhaps even hear your knees knocking. Fear, is simply part of being human -- to some degree, we all deal with it.

The key is to manage that fear and not allow it to hold us back. At the risk of belittling something as serious as overcoming one's fears... I'd like to offer up this little acronym to keep in mind the next time you find yourself faced with one of life's less then comfortable situations...

F = alse
E = vidence
A = ppearing
R = eal

Don't worry; what you read above is not a typo :-) Keep that saying in mind, and also keep clearly in mind that just beyond your personal comfort zone lays great achievements... Here's to your Success, Josh Hinds
______________
Josh Hinds of http://GetMotivation.com specializes in helping people to achieve maximum success and live the life of their dreams -- He is also the co-founder of http://AudioMotivation.com
Getmotivation.com and Audiomotivation.com are Josh Hinds Websites

Should We Admit Failure?

By Jeff Glaze

www.besomeone.org
"Helping Children
One Move At A Time"

BeSomeone.org is the Official supported charity of AtlantaEvent.com

Failure is something that none of us ever plans for but it is a part of the human condition. As we go through our lives there are few if any who have never experienced this phenomenon. So as we experience failure, how do we accept it and move on if we are unable to admit it?

I am not suggesting that when we fail that we broadcast our failure to the world at large. I am suggesting though that admitting failure is a necessary tool that we must use if we are ever to be successful again.

An admission of failure is a very personal thing and it should be done with those whom we have a special relationship. Often we can find it difficult to admit to those we love that we have failed. It is especially difficult to admit failure to those who had expected it from the beginning.

To be wildly successful at anything requires us to go into a venture with a narrow definition of what success looks like. if we have not defined success before we attempt something, how do we know when it is time to give up on it and try something else?

Most people define success as having a dollar amount attached to it, but it is always not a financial reward that comes with success, often success is totally unrelated to finance.

Therefore as we work in a business we must be prepared to make a determination as to what success in that business looks like. If our success depends on a financial reward, we need to know what we must do to achieve that reward, otherwise we are at risk of failure. If on the other hand success is determined by the impact that we have on the lives of others, we can not always expect that this success will have financial reward.

So is it possible then to actually fail and succeed at the same time? This is the point that I would like you to ponder. As you go through your life, ask yourself what the impact is that you have had on the lives of others. Then weigh that impact on the result that you have achieved. It may not be a situation where you can claim a financial victory immediately, but it may also be a situation where you are primed to go forward and accomplish something that will reap a great financial reward.

It is with this thought that I would like to close this article. I know you have read the books that used this phrase and I believe that to achieve success we must all be prepared to live by these words. Whether we are successful now or have been in the past, we are all involved in a process of "Failing Forward" and it is in this common condition that we should all remember to be supportive of others when we see their need for support.

Jeff Glaze is the Editor of AtlantaEvent.com and this newsletter.