Recently when I was talking to someone about management confidence they asked What difference does confidence make to business performance? Good question. In this article I’m going to answer that question and highlight why management confidence is a critical issue – not just for the business owner or manager, but for the businessLet’s begin with what confident managers actually do. In short, confident managers take actionThey use a planned and structured approach to doing things like;
• Identifying, writing and agreeing performance objectives
• Discussing how the objectives contribute to the business goals
• Monitoring and measuring performance so that they can provide ongoing, regular and specific feedback on performance
• Identifying and acknowledging outstanding performance, and taking action to deal with areas for improvement
• Discussing the employee’s development aspirations and objectives
• Discussing the employee’s job satisfactionBecause confident managers take action, confident managers get resultsSo how does this confidence and action impact business performance? There’s a whole body of research that tells us that employees who are effectively managed are more productive, and teams that are effectively managed are more profitable. Research also shows us that one of the key reasons for lost productivity – and one comprehensive piece of research suggests that in the UK and US at least 18% of time spent at work is unproductive – is because of poor employee supervision. And of course this is not taking into account the negative impact that a lack of effective management has on employee satisfaction and engagement. In short confident managers take action to manage effectively and effective management positively impacts business resultsOf course confidence also impacts the manager themselves
So how does this confidence impact the manager? Let me ask you a question. As a manager, who would you prefer to work with and manage:A) A group of people who are clear on what’s expected of them, who get the feedback they want and need and who are consequently willing and motivated to perform wellOrB) A group of people who don’t know what’s expected of them, who don’t know if they are performing well or not and who consequently just don’t care?I know it’s a stupid question, but I want to illustrate the importance of the management role because effective management of people is both a critical commercial issue – because it’s about the business results – and a satisfaction issue, for both the employee and the manager So, how do managers get to be confident? In any field, in any area, the way we build confidence is by taking action and getting results, reviewing those results and then taking action again. By way of illustration I’d like you to think of something you are confident in. It might be that you’re a confident driver, tap dancer, parent, it may be that you are confident in the technical aspects of your job, for example you might be a confident auditor. Now I would like you to think about how you became confident in that areaI’ll bet my bottom dollar that you built that level of confidence by taking action, by reviewing what you did and then by taking action againAnd of course it’s by taking action that managers sky rocket their management confidence
Is a Lack of Management Confidence Hurting Your Business Performance?
Top Financial Education Resources
A large number of people are finding it difficult to make it from paycheck to paycheck right now. The main problem is a deficiency in money skills. Lack of knowledge has led to debt, poor credit, and retirement shortages. Proper financial education and resources provided at a young age could have saved these people from the making the financial mistakes they are now paying for.There are many people scrambling for financial education resources to gain a little more insight on what they can do to get them out of the money troubles they are now experiencing. For our younger generation we can teach money skills to them before they fall into the traps that many people are experiencing today. Read on discover the financial education resources available to you and your family.How can I teach kids about money? What are the financial education resources available to me?1) It goes without saying the best place to get education about money is through organizations that specialize in this. Since kids do not learn about money and finances in school it is imperative that parents and educators refer families to professional financial literacy experts. Thee are many options when it comes to choosing a financial literacy class. When choosing a organization to work with make sure they not only are experts in the field but also teach kids about money in a way that the youth relate to and are inspired by. A professionally run class where students are encouraged to take action can get your kids excited about financial literacy, while a boring experience can have a negative effect on their financial outlook.2) Sure you can provide your children and students home study financial literacy resources. Financial literacy home study courses are now available as a tool to teach children and young adults about financial literacy. Don’t forget to make absolutely sure the information provided is practical and keeps your children’s interest.3) You could also hire a personal financial education consultant to help your children set up their money foundation. Although a personal financial literacy resource consultant can be expensive, the money your children save and make over their lifetime will make this an investment that delivers a solid return.4) There are other people that you can have your children consult with about their finances. Provide your child with real world resources like bankers, tax planners, financial advisors, and business professionals. This gives you children a real world perspective instead of just theory based education. There are tons of exceptional financial education resources available these days.Follow the simple steps listed above and you can ensure your children will be educated about money. With some simple and practical money lessons your child can enter the real world confident and able to make financial decisions by themselves.
Quick and Easy Health and Fitness Tips For Feeling Good
Looking for a few easy health and fitness tips to get you feeling good? Then keep reading! There are a few key things we can and should do every day to help get in shape and stay healthy.Drinking the right amount of water a day is not only good for our bodies, but it can help people loose weight by curbing their appetite. Taking water bottles with you to work will help you stay on track. Freezing water bottles the night before will help keep them lasting all day; you can even through some in the car for the ride home. Drinking plenty of water may mean more bathroom trips, but it also means fewer cravings for sugary and salty foods by giving you a sense of fullness, less appetite, and flushing out the system.Next time you are tempted to hit that ‘up’ arrow button at the nearest elevator remain strong! Be brave and walk on up those stairs. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator every day will help to burn calories and add leg strength while getting a small cardiovascular workout. And don’t think going downstairs isn’t just as beneficial because it is. Going down the stairs also helps to build quadriceps muscles. Bring some items to freshen up when you get in the office if you are worried you might get a more intense workout than planned.Stay in bed an extra couple of minutes! This is not permission to fall back asleep; it is permission to do an ab workout before even getting out of bed! When you first wake up, lay flat on your bed and do ten crunches. Try to increase the amount of crunches by one each day until you get to one hundred; you might surprise yourself!Next time you go to the supermarket or the mall, save yourself the stress of fighting and waiting for that perfect parking spot. Instead, go ahead and park in the farthest spot possible. By parking far away you are giving yourself the gift of walking. Walking those extra steps can really add up in the long run when it comes to your health and fitness. Find and take advantage of every opportunity to walk.Take five! We are a stressed society. An important tip beneficial to your overall health is to take five minutes for every half hour or hour you are working, working out, etc. Use those five minutes to stretch, close your eyes, and meditate. Clearing your mind and taking a few minutes to yourself will help relieve stress which will in turn put you in a better mood which will also increase the likelihood of exercising.These ideas and tips are things that can be done every day. It is important to take a look at your life and your surroundings and find ways to incorporate health and fitness. Not only will ‘exercising’ a few of these tips and ideas make you healthier and more fit, it will give you an overall more positive outlook on life.