Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep

Many companies spend a great deal of time and energy focusing on the marketing conditions, planning their strategy to meet the highly competitive environment, preparing for those unforeseen external obstacles like fuel costs, economic recession, etc. only to fall quite short of their goals.

I have noticed the following pitfalls that companies fall in:

1. They streamline their management layers losing valuable and irreplaceable talent in the process.

2. They listen to the experts in their industry and the mass media without spending the majority of their time surveying their own customers to determine what their needs may be over the next twelve months.

3. They never tell the employee what their business strategy looks like therefore engagement goes out the window.

4. They eliminate the decision-making process when it comes to the financial resources needed to move forward, and

5. They focus internally at the cost-effectiveness of their operations and don’t focus on their sales and marketing efforts and appropriate ROI

The reason for the above pitfalls is primarily due to the fact that most companies do not have a Strategic Development Process in place that can help them through the “white water” and correct their course in a relatively short period of time opposed to changing the course entirely using up their precious response time.

Do any of those scenarios sound familiar?

We can help you focus on “What Matters Most” – the ways and the means to generate revenue, your people, the systems and processes that make a difference, and the financial expectations of your actions. In other words, we help you get results. The time is now to maximize your strategy and strengths.

For more information on our “What Matters Most” Process contact us.

Making of an Effective Manager Grads!

Innovative Leadership announces AllCare Medical’s graduating class from “The Making of an Effective Manager.” Ten managers from AllCare Medical completed an extensive nine course manager training program that focused on the skills and competencies needed to help them to reach their goals and to help them learn how to deal with people as a leader.

The Making of an Effective Manager course was facilitated by Richard and Ellen Hohmann. Innovative's unique training methods focus on the development of the individual with their organization to help improve performance and productivity. The process includes a variety of components to make better leaders and managers through application and action to improve skills in the areas of delegation, staff development, handling employee problems, decision making, program solving and motivation while improving time management and organization development.

The next Making of an Effective Manager course starts on April 15^th, 2009.
For more information call 609-390-2830 or visit www.ILDV.org

Pictured: From Left to Right

Front Row: Christian R, Janet S, Alicia L, Barry S, Rita H

Back Row: Dewayne G, Christine F, John A, Dewey H, Kristen N

March, Keeping to the Plan

It's March. Have you kept to your 2009 plan?

Use these 10 tips to stay on track or get back on track for your business or home.

• Determine a planning and administration system that works for you.
• Develop a budget for your business and your home
• Use Cash Flow as a key performance indicator for your activities
• Revisit your personal goals
• Provide the time for a Strategic Business Development Process
• Use your Professional Advisors to your advantage (Accountant, Lawyer, Business Consultant, Coach, Commercial Bank Representative, and Financial Advisor)
• Formulate metrics for your personal and business success and monitor them monthly.
• Maintain a positive attitude and be committed to change if the environment dictates
• Exercise and continue to pursue your recreational activities or hobby
• Focus on Responsibility, Accountability, and self-empowerment

5 Tips to Help You Become a Better Time Manager

Time management is personal management and it is our responsibility to manage the amount of time we spend on an activity or at an event so that we can satisfy our Work/Life Balance. Most of us are being asked to do more in less time and we are also expected to do it with less stress. If we cannot manage or control time, then we cannot manage or control our lives. Here are five tips to help you become a better time manager:

Schedule Your Time Effectively – a good time manager not only schedules their events or appointments but schedules any activities including tasks and “to do’s”.

Maximize your efficiency with electronic formats – a good time manager will make sure that they understand all the features and benefits of their electronic planning and administration system, whether it be Outlook, Lotus Notes, or another electronic platform.

Eliminate the “Multi-tasking” Attitude - a good time manager completes one task or assignment before moving on to the next task or assignment.

Be a Better Project Manager – a good time manager knows more than when they started and ended an assignment or task. They guesstimate the time it takes to complete the task or assignment when they start the task or assignment and then grade themselves on how successful they were with the guesstimate. Those time managers who come within 5% of their guesstimate can give themselves an “A” in time management.

Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize - A good time manager spends the time each day to prioritize their activities each and every day. Many time managers use a system that reflects what must be done today and what would they like to do today.

Did you know?

The majority of Management Development and Leadership Training Programs do not provide participants with the following even though they all have been shown to improve the effectiveness of the learning for the participant:

Use problem-solving tasks
Use multiple examples
Use role-playing or practice exercises
Creation of an action plan

Here are the statistics reported in an article that appeared online in Manage Smarter , (12/23/200). Over 86% of participants said that the training made them more effective when problem-solving was included in the session. 87% of participants said the training made them more effective when multiple examples were used in the program.91% of participants said the training was more effective when practice exercises or role-plays were used and 90% of the participants found the training made them more effective when action planning was incorporated in the program.

Our Solution:

Innovative Leadership’s provides a full compliment of Leadership and Management Development Processes in which all of our courses include all of the above. Our Leadership and Management Development Courses all include Application and Action Exercises that allow the participants to actively problem-solve within each lesson. Each lesson contains a Case Study that is designed to provide multiple examples for the participants. Action Plans are used with each lesson make sure that each participant uses the newly learned material in the workplace immediately. Role-playing and practice exercises can only be delivered by experienced managers or leaders. Unlike most of the Customized Training companies, all of our facilitators have extensive management experience resulting in some pretty interesting role plays.

Call us at your convenience to find out how our programs provide more than information at 609.390.2830 or explore our website http://www.ILDV.org

Let's Get Real

We have just elected a new President and we live in a country where a person can overcome almost any situation, obstacle or circumstance and achieve their goals. The same is true in business. Even though we are facing challenging economic times, we can still achieve success. The time is now to look at processes, programs, and products that can help achieve your business and personal goals.

Everyone must first develop a realistic view of the world. There is no question that the world is struggling and the world economy will probably end up reflecting no growth or maybe even shrink by 1%. In other words, 99% of the business that existed last year will exist this year! It is time to realize that we can’t let that 1% figure dictate the way that we do business. We can’t base our attitude, belief or expectation as a business owner on that 1%. Business owners today must focus on the opportunity.

It’s time to focus on your strengths and take advantage of your opportunities. Think in terms of productivity improvement resulting in expanded margins. Ask yourself, how can we increase the productivity of our staff by 10% or 20%? If you could increase productivity by 10%, this means that 9 people can do the job of 10 and if we can double that percentage, 8 people can do the job of 10 and so on. Think how much this could save your company.

The same is also true today for leadership development. Companies cannot afford to pay managers and supervisors who just watch other people work. This means two things. First, managers must become better leaders. Managers can’t spend time “managing” people; they must learn how to lead. Secondly, all employees must learn to lead themselves. The need for leadership development is greater and more urgent than ever before.

Our Leadership Development Programs all focus on the development of the total leader. Now is the time to make your management team better leaders and every employee a total leader as well. Leadership development can make the difference with the engagement of your people and their commitment to your business strategy. This improved engagement and increased productivity leads to improved margins. Innovative Leadership can provide you with clear cut expectations and demonstrate the ROI before you have to spend any money. There is no other Leadership Development Program that can produce those results.

Please call us at your convenience, 609-390-2830 or visit www.ILDV.org, for more information on these new cost effective programs that can make a difference in your company’s performance.

Now is the Right Time for Investment

Employees make a company successful, the time is right to make an investment in your people. Everyone will agree that in this uncertain economy, the management team is working overtime to protect the interests of the company. Many businesses are experiencing decreasing revenues, increasing costs, reduced margins, and customer hesitancy. All of which tends to put business owners on hold in regard to spending.

Most consultants agree that when times get tough or uncertain, as they are today, business owners must develop a cost-effective marketing plan and continue to develop your key performers. Not all business owners subscribe to this philosophy.

One major hospitality organization in our market has focused on reducing the workforce from the middle. The entire layoff comprised of middle managers. It will take a relatively short time for them to realize their mistake. Most of their top producers and high potential performers were in this group. They are now paying less and getting far less and the slide will continue downward because their people don’t have the skills and competencies to make a difference.

Now is the time to invest in your key employees and develop your high potentials. High achieving mangers and workers are five times more productive than your other staff. Many companies don’t even know who their top performers are in every area of their business. Here are some of the tools that make for a good investment for all business owners:

• Use an assessment process to determine your high potential employee
• Provide Leadership Training opportunities for your key employees and high potentials to insure retention and development
• Allow your top producers to grow and develop into more valuable roles
• Implement a goal-oriented Business Plan that everyone can understand
• Focus on developing every employee into the Total Leader

Innovative Leadership is a performance improvement company that believes that people development is the best practice to establish organizational effectiveness. Our unique adult learning processes, programs, and products focus your people on leadership competencies and teach them the skill-sets to be high achieving managers and top performers. Unfortunately, when times are uncertain, we usually ask our good people to do more with less. Your investment allows them to be more productive, enhance their own personal performance, and continue to support the business strategy of the company. Is there more that you could want from your top producers?

Find out who your top performers are and invest. today.

It’s time to invest in the right thing . . . your people.