Business Education

There’s No Synergy and Little Camaraderie between My Tenured Staff and New Hires… What Do I Do?

So, you had a wonderful staff and everything was going really well. Then, the whole world fell into chaos due to the pandemic. But, you managed to work your way through and even brought on additional personnel. It was a reasonable and logistical decision. Now, you’re caught in a quagmire because your tenured employees aren’t syncing with your new hires. What can you do before it becomes too big a problem? Simple, take immediate action, size up differences, be impartial, formulate an action plan, and then keep an eye out.

Every Solution Breeds New Problems

It sure seems that when you find a way to fix an issue, it only creates another problem. Although it’s a well-known cliche, it’s certainly something that practically every business has experienced. When you brought aboard fresh talent, you probably pictured them working side by side with your existing staff. Instead, you’ve got a kind of civil war unfolding in your place of business.

…it is important to intervene early. In extreme examples, the conflict might be due to one employee who is creating a problem, but most often it is a matter of having two personalities that don’t mesh well together. The sooner a solution is reached, the sooner both employees will be happy to be able to move on—and the sooner their coworkers will be relieved to feel the easing of tensions in the office. —The Balance Careers

Obviously, you can’t let this go on and need to address it as quickly as possible. If you don’t, it will only worsen over time and divisions will grow deeper among your combative team members. They might even go so far as to quit abruptly in a moment of anger and leave you to deal with the very untimely fallout. Instead of letting this situation grow out of control, you need to intervene and take rational, measured action. Otherwise, you might also become emotionally overcharged and that will only lead to a lot more trouble.

How to Deal with Employees Who Don’t Work Well Together

There is always a potential for personalities to clash. It’s the opposite problem of having employees who get along too well, to the point they isolate themselves from the rest of the staff and that too becomes an issue. Because people are inherently social, they really like to get along. But, there are individuals who feel an innate need to do their own thing and this also can present a number of problems. If you have a tenured staff that isn’t meshing with new hires, here are a few bits of advice about how to deal with these circumstances:

Identify the problem(s). We’ll start with the most obvious step to take. And that is, to identify the root issues of what’s causing so much chaos. You might find there are very petty differences here that have managed to quickly balloon out of proportion. If so, that’s actually good news because it’s a much easier fix. However, if you discover it’s a very wide and deep rift, you’ll have your work cut out for you.
Understand basic personalities. It’s not just enough to understand what’s going on at the most basic level, it’s imperative that you also know precisely what types of personalities are involved. If you don’t have a firm grip on these elements, there’s really nothing that you can do to end the feud. If necessary, take a little time to get to know your new people better so that you can approach this with confidence.
Don’t show favoritism to anyone. If there’s one thing that will sabotage all of your healing attempts, it’s showing favoritism. Usually, this trait appears on behalf of the people you know best and is biased against the new people in the business. Even if it’s the other way around, favoritism is a poison pill. Be objective and think things through before you take any significant action.
Present some real, workable solutions. Obviously, as the leader of the business, you’ll be the one who needs to come up with one or more solutions or a set of compromises. Regardless of what these are, don’t apply them unilaterally. Instead, speak to people individually in order to get a sense of what they think is most fair, then bring everyone together as a group to talk it out.
Monitor the situation objectively thereafter. Lastly, don’t pull yourself away from the situation too quickly. Instead, watch what unfolds over the next few days to several weeks and be ready to make changes if necessary. You could discover that it’s just not workable and have to make changes to your staff or even put people in different roles. Hopefully, they will begin to work well together and develop strong professional relationships.

What other suggestions do you have for dealing with team members who don’t necessarily get along? Please take a moment or two to express your thoughts and experiences; you might just help someone else out in a big way! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

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How to Solve the Biggest Problem a Work Routine Creates

March 4, 2020 No Comments

Every entrepreneur has heard the advice to adopt a work routine. While it’s certainly helpful in a number of ways, it can eventually lead to feeling stuck, stifled, and unrewarding. That’s definitely no place anyone wants to be because it becomes counterproductive. What’s more, it drains your energy and doesn’t help to fulfill your passion. It’s called a rut and it’s the single biggest problem with following a routine. Advantages of Having a Routine Now, there’s a whole lot of good that comes from establishing a routine. It helps you to keep focused, stay on-task, on-time, and avoid wasting effort on unimportant tasks. Plus, a routine helps to ensure you check off entries on your to-do list, one prioritized item at a time. A routine that is too rigid can become a rut, and a rut can become a trap. Some people are so adamant about sticking to “the routine,” that it becomes a full-blown stress when anything disturbs it. And you can count on disturbances! They are a part of life. But these people have forgotten how to think outside the cherished routine. The joy of spontaneity is missing. —Self Growth Moreover, a routine lets you know precisely where you are at any given time. Then, there’s the psychological and emotional benefit of having peace of mind. When you follow a routine, you’re much less likely to feel anxious or stressed out. 3 Effective Ways Entrepreneurs can Break Out of Work Rut Although there are a number of benefits to following a routine, the biggest downside is it turning into a dreaded rut. This is a bad situation and will only worsen, if you don’t stop the cycle. Here are three effective ways entrepreneurs can break out of a work rut: Change things up. Okay, this one’s obvious but it’s necessary because it’s so hard to actually do. When you change things up, you’ll feel like chaos has broken loose. You’ll also probably feel a bit lost. But, when you change things up, you’ll also start to feel more free, realizing your routine isn’t always the best way to work on your business. Give yourself new tasks. Try giving yourself at least one or more new tasks to complete. It will challenge you to think in a way that you haven’t before and help to unleash your creativity. Plus, it will give you a real sense of accomplishment because it’s something you’re not accustomed to doing. Spend some time in different places. Work ruts can happen anywhere, not just the office or shop. You probably run in the same circles all the time, frequenting the same locations over and over again. So, try something new in order to experience new environments and people. It will only widen your perspective and might even inspire you in a totally unique way than ever before. What other suggestions do you have? Please comment and share your thoughts and experiences! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Are You Focused or Frantic?

April 8, 2017 No Comments

The world of business is often a fast-paced one, an environment which requires attention to many details and dynamics. Those new to the entrepreneurial experience are usually shocked by the sheer amount of things which need to be done. In response to these needs, some business owners try to attend to more than one matter at a time, a solution often called “multitasking.” Unfortunately, abiding by the adage “killing two birds with one stone,” is a counterproductive solution. When you multitask, you lose, plain and simple. Talking on the phone while picking-up groceries or walking the dog while replying to an email seem like smart time-saving ideas, but, they aren’t. You’ll forget the loaf of bread or to run spell check before hitting “send.” It’s a matter of attention, which is to say a matter of fact. We’re not biologically engineered to do multiple things at a time, which is why it’s tricky to pat your head and rub your belly simultaneously. When multitasking is attempted, your attention is less attentive to each task, and something inevitably gets missed. How to Maintain Your Focus in Business Let the nearby quote sink-in for a moment. How professional athletes, trained engineers, scientists, physicians do what they do best isn’t done by trying to do many tasks all at once. They use a process, an incremental approach to everything in a focused manner. When you play a game of chess or go into the gym, you do so with purpose. No matter what the experience, there is purpose, even watching a movie you’ve seen countless times has purpose–to unwind or just to re-live a feeling. It’s not a big surprise that big league baseball players can hit a pitch far better than the rest of us. Research on the game’s best hitters has shown that they have excellent hand-eye coordination and can respond quickly to visual cues. Indeed, one of the keys to a superior ball player’s performance is excellent vision and focus that allow him to see a baseball perfectly as it travels at high velocity toward home plate. —Forbes You’re in business for a purpose and a good one at-that. Regardless of what you sell, your aim is to fulfill a need and derive personal satisfaction, as well as a sense of accomplishment. Those are admirable but what’s probably holding you back from delivering your best is you’re not giving everything your best, you’re simply rushing through one task to get to the next–to rush through it as well. Your argument (read: rationalization) for doing so is that you simply don’t have enough time. Time management is an art-form, but it wouldn’t be as high a priority if you did not have to redo what you just did…again. By focusing, you’re not wasting time, you are ensuring thoughtfulness, quality, and attention to detail–the list goes on and on. What you need to do to succeed in business is be in the business of taking care of business. This doesn’t mean taking an important phone call while on the treadmill and juggling to eat your lunch without spilling it. The person you’re speaking to will certainly know what you’re doing, even though he or she cannot see you, precisely because your attention is distracted. That does not equal good business practice, it undermines and worse, inflicts damage. If “location, location, location,” means everything in real estate, then, focus is of the same importance in business. Here are some things you should be doing, every single day: Eliminate distractions. It’s not rude if you close your office door or go outside to sit on a bench to concentrate, it’s healthy for your psyche, and, for your business. Although I have a home office, I purposely operate out of a professional business office that provides the environment, the accountability and allows me to be more focused and productive. Distractions are the hobgoblin of business, the less, the better. Batch like tasks. If you read each email as it arrives, you’re doing it wrong. There’s an unseen, yet, really felt harm in doing so, because it breaks your focus. Batch similar tasks and schedule these in blocks. An example is email as the first, unfinished tasks as the second, new tasks as the third, you get the idea. Do what’s most productive and works best. Prioritize according to importance. Our natural inclination is to do what’s easiest or what we most prefer, but we also are quite aware of the consequences. If you’re doing this, it’s why you don’t feel much personal satisfaction and like you’re not really moving your business forward. Put everything in its place. You might call it O.C.D., but it’s actually very smart to have a place for everything and put everything in its place. I have very specific spots on my desk for client project priorities, my own business and personal business priorities, prospects, etc. Essentially, the only piles on my desk are those that are high priority so that my focus is aligned. The time you spend looking for this or that might be small, but add-up all those moments and you’ll marvel at the immense waste. One last suggestion is to harness the power of your body’s healing power–sleep. It’s hard to be an entrepreneur but it’s even more difficult when you’re making it more difficult by not getting a good night’s sleep. Instead of watching the late night news, I started going to bed earlier. As a result, I have been getting up earlier to go to the gym, which provided energy and clarity for creativity and productive focus during my day. Turn off the technology, let your brain rest, and rejuvenate each and every night. [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]

The 3 Biggest Social Media Marketing Mistakes

March 10, 2020 No Comments

The three biggest social media marketing mistakes small businesses make might surprise you. In fact, two of them seem contradictory, that is, once you learn their details. But, knowing about these unforced errors can help a business create brand awareness, reach a larger audience, and sell more. Read on to learn about the three biggest social media marketing mistakes small businesses make. The Importance of Social Media Marketing Social media marketing is an obvious necessity in today’s business environment. Consumers get most of their news and information from social media. It’s where 3 out of 5 consumers discover new products and services and/or are repetitively exposed to them on a regular basis. It’s also the place where literally hundreds of millions of people go day after day. Most modern businesses understand the importance of using social media to promote their brand and interact with consumers. Indeed, social media is at the core of many companies’ digital strategy, often delivering measurable results in terms of sales, leads and customer service. That said, there are many social media mistakes that we see time and time again: strategic errors that leave leads on the table and opportunities unexplored. —Forbes.com With such wide reach and exponential potential, it’s no wonder social media marketing is the preferred medium of the largest international brands. Small businesses can also tap into this powerful branding tool, by building a presence. However, it must be done with an effective strategy. 3 Biggest Social Media Marketing Mistakes The lack of strategy, unsurprisingly, is where too many businesses go wrong. Just having a presence and posting updates isn’t enough. It is very important not to commit these three huge social media marketing mistakes, too: Posting too little. If there’s one rule small businesses should follow in regards to social media marketing, it is consistency. Too many businesses start off posting regularly, only to update their pages less and less. Eventually, updates are sporadic, becoming few and far between. Hence, people don’t encounter them often enough and that’s a really bad thing. Posting too much. On the other hand, some businesses over do it. They post so frequently, there’s no discernible message or value to their target audience. These businesses make the mistake of confusing quantity for quality, and that too, is a huge mistake. Posting for the sake of it usually only serves to irritate people, not endear them to the brand. Not effectively branding. The last point plays into this one. It’s a well-known fact in the digital marketing world people often forget where they see things on social media, more particularly, not remembering the source. In other words, they might recall a product or service, but can’t recall the platform on which they saw it, and more importantly, which business it posted the content. Therefore, it’s imperative to have a consistent brand presence so people associate your business with its products and services. What other mistakes would you advise small businesses to avoid? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

There’s No Synergy and Little Camaraderie between My Tenured Staff and New Hires… What Do I Do?

Every Solution Breeds New Problems

How to Deal with Employees Who Don’t Work Well Together

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How to Solve the Biggest Problem a Work Routine Creates

Are You Focused or Frantic?

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