Simplifying Business

Gary Hamel says

"You can take a fat man and cut off his legs but that won't make him thinner"

Each process in your organisation can be adding complexity, each rule can add complexity, each form could be delaying your customer from enjoying your goods or services. If you really want to be world class - how often do you review rules, forms, processess? How often do you put your team, your business through a health check?

How to Keep Employees

Welcome to the July 26, 2007 edition of how to keep employees.

Cade Krueger presents 3 Questions To Make Your Business Enjoyable And Durable posted at Write To Right.

Jason Rakowski presents Humor in Customer Service and How It Can Help Your Business posted at Learn Good Customer Service, saying, "Your job is to sell something, not put on a clown act. How does humor fit into customer service?"

Marc and Angel presents Corporate America Asks Questions Without Wanting True Answers | Marc and Angel posted at Marc and Angel, saying, "The situation I am referring to involves a professional environment where multiple individuals in a strict business relationship disregard the truth in favor of delivering the ideal lie."

Penelope Trunk presents Trying to keep young employees from quitting? It’s not about money. posted at Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk.

Ivan Rios presents Self-Confidence to Be a Leader posted at artofleading.net.

Ivan Rios presents The Art of Leading / 5 Steps to Successful Leading posted at artofleading.net.

Health Chaos presents Interview Questions posted at Health Chaos.

Warren Wong presents How Much Money Is Integrity Worth? posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "How much money is your integrity worth? Here's why integrity is your most valuable commodity."

Sue Massey presents Leadership - Managing Time For Maximum Profit posted at Business Management Life, saying, "In this article I'll tell you some ways to focus on what is important to maximize your profit in your business"

Chris Tackett presents Effective Direct Marketing posted at Direct Marketing News, saying, "I knew a guy that owned a vacant house once, and he always laughed at the amount of postcards he received every week. He said they all looked the same and he just threw them away."

Pawel Brodzinski presents How to Build a Team posted at Software Project Management.

Chris Russell presents Turning Coal into Diamonds: A Case Study on Customer Complaint Tracking posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "In order to reach the goal of fully utilizing customer feedback, a more comprehensive system for managing customer complaints is needed."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Communication – Friend or Foe posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Our communication skills can make or break us. This article includes some refreshing insights on communication from an unusual vantage point. Celebrate life with newfound attitudes about the art and science of communication.

Adam Pieniazek presents How Much Leadership Can $1 Buy? posted at Adam Pieniazek, saying, "Discussing the use of self-managed teams at Whole Foods, brought on by the visionary leadership of John Mackey."

Tupelo Kenyon presents Take Time for You posted at Tupelo Kenyon, saying, "Don't put yourself at the end of the list. You deserve to be first, at least some of the time. Don't let your entire life slip by with everything else (and everyone else) getting preferential treatment over your most important priorities. Their needs are important, but yours are important too. Celebrate life by taking time for YOU!

Ivan Rios presents 5 More Contradictions That Will Make You a Better Leader posted at artofleading.net.

Bhupendra Khanal presents Are you really paid enough? posted at Analytics Bhupe, saying, "Address the emotional issues of the employees first, then think of any secondary issues."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
how to keep employees using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Positive Thinking

People are attracted to positive people, people are attracted to bosses who see what is possible....

One xmas morning a little boy came downstairs to find a pile of horse manure on the floor....Does he cry, no....he shouts "Fantastic, all I have to do is find the pony"

How do you react to the manure on your desk...do you see the smell of a problem or do you see the opportunity to show your leadership form?

Carnival of Anecdotes and Stories for Business

Welcome to the July 19, 2007 edition of anecdotes and stories for presentations. Thank you to all the people who have submitted articles - anecdotes are a great way of presenting information to employees.

Charles H. Green presents Leadership and Folk Wisdom posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Folk wisdom aften contains nuggets that work well for presentations."

Chris Russell presents Turning Coal into Diamonds: A Case Study on Customer Complaint Tracking posted at Productivity Planner, saying, "In order to reach the goal of fully utilizing customer feedback, a more comprehensive system for managing customer complaints is needed."

TherapyDoc presents At What Age Do You Start to Teach about . . . posted at Everyone Needs Therapy, saying, "Work this stuff into your presentations and you'll captivate more than a few who might otherwise nod off."

Marc and Angel presents Email Communication Problems: How To Communicate Effectively posted at Marc and Angel, saying, "Email is an extremely popular form of communication in both the business and personal communication landscapes, but it can often lead to major problems if the underlying tone of the email message is misinterpreted at one end."

Jason Rakowski presents How To Avoid Common Pitfalls When Using Music On Hold For Your Business posted at Learn Good Customer Service, saying, "While on hold messaging is not a complicated product, it can be somewhat confusing for beginners because of all the available choices. This article will help you avoid the most common pitfalls that can trip up a newcomer who is looking to make the best decision for his - her business."

Cade Krueger presents 3 Easy Steps On How To Create A Productive Life posted at Write To Right.

Michael Haaren presents The Pony in Sunglasses -- Home-Based Careers Meet the Future posted at Rat Race Rebellion, saying, "Michael Haaren, President of training and development firm Staffcentrix, relates how going online into "Webkinz World" with his 7-yr.-old daughter opened his eyes to the "workplace of the future."

Stacey Derbinshire presents Three Life Saving Tips For New Businesses posted at Starting a Small Home Business, saying, "While entrepreneurs that are starting their new business typically look for ways to save money on everything from office space to consulting services, there are some things that are worth the splurge and more often then not, can give you the competitive edge you need to succeed."

Jack Yoest presents Management Training: The Collected Sayings of Benjamin Franklin?s Grandfather posted at Yoest.com, saying, "The lineage of Benjamin Franklin is a bit murky. So Bill Oncken, Sr. would regularly attribute management training quotes to make a point more memorable - “It’s hell to work for a nervous boss — especially when you are the one who is making him nervous.”

Sue Massey presents Leadership - Managing Time For Maximum Profit posted at Business Management Life, saying, "In this article I'll tell you some ways to focus on what is important to maximize your profit in your business"

Chris Tackett presents Effective Direct Marketing posted at Direct Marketing News, saying, "I knew a guy that owned a vacant house once, and he always laughed at the amount of postcards he received every week. He said they all looked the same and he just threw them away."

TherapyDoc presents The Collar on the Shirt posted at Everyone Needs Therapy, saying, "Why do I feel there's a story in here that will work for you business type people?"

edithyeung presents 7 Phrases Successful People Would Never Say posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of anecdotes and stories for presentations using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Grab the Age of Conversation

I am proud to be part of the blogging community that has contributed to a new book - The Age of Conversation. This is a fantastic venture, and hope that you will help Drew and Gavin raise loads of money for a very worthwhile cause. My contribution looks at employee engagement and how to achieve a happy marriage between employer and employee.

A fellow contributor C.B Whittmore at the wonderful Flooring the Customer blog has just posted about the project and as I could not say it any better, I thought I would share the post with you - collaboration is the name of the game on this venture! Here is the post...

"Even Ad Age has caught on with THE AGE OF CONVERSATION -- Edited by Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton - When Is a Blog Not a Blog? When It's a Book. by Matt Kinsey on 07.13.07.

A project that has been in the works for several months is seeing the light of day. As of today -- Monday, July 16, 2007 -- you can purchase your very own copy - in any one of 3 formats - of a one-of-a-kind worldwide collaboration between marketing professionals all passionate about the topic of The Age of Conversation. Simply go to this Age Of Conversation order link.

[To underscore how global a project this is, check out Matt Dickman's google map (it's included in the book) that lists all of the authors' locations.]

Imagine that: over 100 bloggers from 24 states and 10 nations, each contributing a chapter. The end result is a book that will provide you with perspective and insight on a phenomenon that - whether involved in the blogosphere or not - affects us increasingly: how citizen marketers are changing the landscape. Each author has taken a different approach to discussing what The Age of Conversation means. I talk about my contribution in Conversation Age - Enabled.

Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton conceived of the project -- see Background -- identified a terrific cause - Variety, the Children's Charity - and an inspiring Dedication, and then rallied the following bloggers:

Gavin Heaton, Drew McLellan, CK, Valeria Maltoni, Emily Reed, Katie Chatfield, Greg Verdino, Lewis Green, Sacrum, Ann Handley, Mike Sansone, Paul McEnany, Roger von Oech, Anna Farmery, David Armano, Bob Glaza, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Scott Monty, Richard Huntington, Cam Beck, David Reich, Luc Debaisieux, Sean Howard, Tim Jackson, Patrick Schaber, Roberta Rosenberg, Uwe Hook, Tony D. Clark, Todd Andrlik, Toby Bloomberg, Steve Woodruff, Steve Bannister, Steve Roesler, Stanley Johnson, Spike Jones, Nathan Snell, Simon Payn, Ryan Rasmussen, Ron Shevlin, Roger Anderson, Robert Hruzek, Rishi Desai, Phil Gerbyshak, Peter Corbett, Pete Deutschman, Nick Rice, Nick Wright, Michael Morton, Mark Earls, Mark Blair, Mario Vellandi, Lori Magno, Kristin Gorski, Kris Hoet, G.Kofi Annan, Kimberly Dawn Wells, Karl Long, Julie Fleischer, Jordan Behan, John La Grou, Joe Raasch, Jim Kukral, Jessica Hagy, Janet Green, Jamey Shiel, s, Dr. Graham Hill, Gia Facchini, Geert Desager, Gaurav Mishra, Gary Schoeniger, Gareth Kay, Faris Yakob, Emily Clasper, Ed Cotton, Dustin Jacobsen, Tom Clifford, David Polinchock, David Koopmans, David Brazeal, David Berkowitz, Carolyn Manning, Craig Wilson, Cord Silverstein, Connie Reece, Colin McKay, Chris Newlan, Chris Corrigan, Cedric Giorgi, Brian Reich, Becky Carroll, Arun Rajagopal, Amy Jussel, AJ James, Kim Klaver, Sandy Renshaw, Susan Bird, Ryan Barrett, Troy Worman, S. Neil Vineberg, C.B. Whittemore, Mack Collier, Andy Nulman

Even the brilliant cover design - created by David Armano - captures the essence of The Age of Conversation!

Per Heaton, "We've been amazed at the variety of approaches that have been taken, and with hardly any duplication or overlap. This book really explores the art of conversation and how that is changing the face of marketing from virtually every angle possible."

I encourage you to purchase this book. It is available in three formats for the following prices:
+ Hardbacks $29.99 [$8.55 goes to charity]
+ Paperbacks $16.95 [$8.10 goes to charity]
+ E-book $9.99 [$7.99 goes to charity]

Thank you for your enthusiastic support of this amazing project that will forever affect your appreciation of our world in The Age of Conversation."

Note: No author is being compensated in any way for this project. Learn more at Age Of Conversation