10 Business reSolutions for 2010

1. Conduct a SWOT Analysis for 2009 and analyze your sales, operations, people, and financial commitments.
2. Conduct a Customer Satisfaction Survey to define benchmarks in your core competencies
3. Develop a Strategic or Business Plan for 2010.
4. Meet quarterly with your professional advisors (Accounting, Legal, Business Consultant, Financial Planner, etc.) to review progress and determine action plans.
5. Focus your energies on your talented people
6. Complete a course or take a workshop for self-improvement and/or business development
7. Focus on your strengths, the strengths of your people, and your processes.
8. Prioritize your tasks and make sure others do as well.
9. Remember that time management is personal management.
10. Celebrate success; offer praise and recognition to your top producers.

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
Business Consulting - Leadership/Management Development, Strategic Planning and more

10 HR Resolutions for 2010

1. Conduct an HR Self-Audit on your department.
2. Create a Leadership Development Strategy
3. Build better relationships with other departments
4. Establish and evaluate your Training Programs in regard to Level (Kirkpatrick) achieved.
5. Revitalize your Employee Orientation Program (Onboarding)
6. Focus on retaining great employees
7. Become more goal and strategic-oriented
8. Start using metrics to demonstrate the improvement in the profitability resulting from your department.
9. Conduct Organizational Needs and Employee Satisfaction Surveys to define baselines and benchmarks
10. Make sure your compensation plan compliments your performance management process

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
HR Services by Innovative Leadership

10 Management reSOLUTIONS for 2010

1. Make sure the business strategy is understood and clear to all employees
2. Make sure the employees understand how their value and job roles contribute to the overall success of the business
3. Improve your communication with employees
4. Help people reach their potential through coaching and/or mentoring
5. Make sure you are consistent in your message and actions
6. Focus yourself and all the employees on the “High Payoff Activities”
7. Become more goal and results-oriented
8. Understand that you are responsible for employee engagement.
9. Focus your energies on people development and career enhancement
10. Understand that the tools of accountability (data, metrics, analysis, assessments, and performance evaluations) are neutral and need to become the tools that high achievers use to understand and improve performance.

By Richard Hohmann, VP of Innovative Leadership
Making of an Effective Manager Course 2010

Key Areas of Focus for Managers

In these turbulent times, it is imperative that management create a plan of action that reflects the Strategic Business Objectives of the company and gets each and every staff member to be engaged in activities that will produce the desired outcomes. Here are my recommended resolutions for managers:

1. Focus on your key clients and make sure you understand the Pareto Principle…..the 80-20 rule that reflects the fact that 20% of your clients provide 80% if your revenue.

2. Improve communication with your staff and make sure that your platforms are effective. Make sure you spend the time for One-on-Ones with all team members.

3. Identify your key employees and make sure their development plan reflects a succession plan for your company.

4. Create Dashboards that reflect the financial implications including revenue generation, operating costs or expenses, and profitability by your area or department. Use Dashboards to make quicker decisions or take actions that are more effective.

5. Focus on your strengths and how you can elevate your performance without dwelling on your weaknesses.

6. Create specific metrics for your department and individual team members

7. Be open to create cultural change in your department and company.

8. Delegate and cross-train to the maximum.

9. Use technology to become more effective, not efficient.

10. Lead by example: exhibit a goal-oriented process at all times.

Key Business Resolutions for 2009

In these turbulent times, it is imperative that companies optimize their strengths and utilize their resources to provide the customer with quality products and/or services. So here are my recommended resolutions for Businesses:

1. Strengthen your relationship with your client
- Use every possible tool and practice to both touch your clients frequently. Determine what is important to them and show them how you are meeting their expectations.

2. Make a Plan
- Create a plan that is both tactical and strategically. Make sure you include a creative and financially sound marketing plan.

3. Improve communication with your management team and employees
- Focus on your key employees and make sure that they understand the need to improve communication and be accountable for results.

4. Implement cost cutting techniques without sacrificing quality
- Be prepared to budget accordingly in relation to the external and internal factors affecting your highly competitive market.

5. Build a support team
- Lean on your advisory team of professionals to help you formulate a financially focused action plan that offers the metrics to define success.

6. Become goal-oriented
- Create a goal-oriented culture that thrives on achievement.

7. Monitor your progress
- Make sure you create dashboards for you and your management team to monitor the key performance indicators.


Article written by Richard J. Hohmann Jr., Senior Business and Management Consultant for Innovative Leadership, a strategic partner with Fitzpatrick, Bongiovanni, & Kelly, PC, and also a member of the Collaboration Team for Leadership Management International. Richard can also speak at your next organization’s meeting, to invite him to speak call 609-390-2830, For your business solutions click here: http:// www.ILDV.org