Fix Company Problems

Is Crazy Creating Chaos in Your Company?

We all deal with crazy (read: difficult) people in life. They are rude, obnoxious, oblivious, pitiful, without fault, always victims, stir up drama, and what’s worse, don’t know so. You see, the problem with him or her is someone else besides he or she: another coworker, a family member, perhaps even you. As the head of an organization, no matter its size, you’re bound to run into crazy and what’s simply insane is the fact that you let them through the door in the first place.

This is just one way business owners and managers rationalize a situation that’s spiraling out of control. “It’s a phase,” or “he or she just needs a little extra motivation.” Though these thoughts might bring a modicum of comfort, it will be short-lived. If you are faced with an employee that’s ultimately doing more harm than good, you’ve got to deal with the situation before it has time to inflict more damage.

Ways to Deal with Difficult Employees

In most instances, people that behave this way aren’t at all aware of reality. While you and the rest of your team know it, the problem personality probably has a peculiar position. This is a moving or adaptable perception that assigns blame away from him or her. Of course, this makes things worse because he or she won’t be easily convinced as to what’s truly going on.

Often, when an employee is difficult we stop paying attention to what’s actually going on. We’re irritated, it seems hopeless, and we’ve already decided what we think about the employee – so we just turn our attention to other things, out of a combination of avoidance and self-protection. But the best managers get very attentive when someone’s not doing well. They know their best shot at improving the situation lies in having the clearest possible understanding of the situation… —Forbes.com

The very first thing you ought to do is to take stock of the dynamics. Put yourself in his or her shoes to try and gain some perspective. If that comes up short and doesn’t provide any tangible answers, you now know he or she is the real source of the problem. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to take crazy out of the company:

Separate fact from friction. Yes, friction, as well as fiction. Friction between employees can easily lead to you taking sides because of your affinity for one over the other, which is where fiction comes into play. You should act on facts, not feelings, and not because of favorites.

Don’t confuse performance with conduct. One rationalization for keeping problematic employees in the company is because of their so-called “redeeming qualities.” While he or she might well possess some great performance traits, it is his or her conduct that’s actually most important. What he or she might be producing individually could well be undermining his or her peers.

Take time to listen and offer solutions. Should the person who brings crazy chaos into your company be a productive team member, you ought to try to invoke a turn-around. Go into a private place and ask if he or she is having any problems, then, tactfully offer solutions. If the response is knee-jerk or obtuse, it’s probably time for ultimatums.

Lend a helping hand. Not your own, but someone within your organization you trust. This works best peer-to-peer, where coaching captures cooperation. Though this can work wonders, it can also become a tempting choice in the future. Don’t use it as the fallback position or you’ll simply be known for passing difficult personalities out for others to deal with.

Ultimately, you are fighting to deal with a situation, not to win by wrangling control away. You want to create a solution, not to win an argument. If you do chose the latter, you are choosing to join in the craziness and even make the environment worse. Also, know when you’re at your limit, as not every situation can be resolved. There will be times when simply parting ways will be the best solution for you and your business.
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7 Steps to Start a Business from Zero

May 5, 2017 No Comments

Companies, no matter their size, don’t start on their own. Someone, somewhere, someway, started something that eventually became a profitable entity. We’ve heard all the terms, like crowd funding, venture capital, angel investment, and the list goes on and on. While all these do exist, the majority of businesses are started with very little to no money. The reason people succeed isn’t because of their cash position but because those entrepreneurs had zeal, a vision, and a passion. In fact, no amount of money guarantees success, even if a business is well-funded from its inception and follows a smart plan in a strategic way, it can still fail. The Edsel is a perfect example. Produced by one of the most successful corporations in the world, the Ford Motor Company, the Edsel rolled off the assembly line from 1958 to 1960. It was, in its day, by far, one of the most advanced private passenger vehicles. It featured such technology as the Teletouch system and had many other creature comforts, as well as plenty of functionality. However, the line failed to the tune of $350 million, an astounding $2.8 billion in today’s dollars. Follow these 7 Steps to Start a Business with Little to No Money Failure is a terrific teacher, if you are willing to learn from it. A good lesson to learn and accept early on in starting a business is that money, as the Edsel clearly demonstrates, doesn’t equal success. Incremental growth, accompanied by patience, tempered with realism, does wonders because such a combination requires focus. When you set aside the distant future, you necessarily put the present at the forefront. …now is the time to have a heart-to-heart with reality. Reality of what? Well, start with yourself. Your experiences, gifts, passion, life goals and areas of weakness. Seriously. Knowing thyself is the first place to start on your trek toward your vision. —Forbes In other words, you’ve got to use what you have now, and turn your natural talents into marketable products and services, which is the very essence of business. Richard Branson, who has dyslexia, started his entrepreneurial career breeding budgerigars at age 11 and it didn’t work. Neither did his plan to sell Christmas trees. Next, with practically no money, the future billionaire started Student Magazine, which morphed into Virgin Records. He, like many mega-successful entrepreneurs, started with little to no money, and you can do this too, by doing a few simple things: Do your homework about the market and competition. The reason so many businesses fail is due to misunderstanding the market and not having a clear conception about the competition. Don’t worry if it seems as though the market is flooded, because you can carve-out a niche. Take small, incremental steps and don’t dive-in. A card table, a favorite spot on the couch, a workbench, or a kitchen are all acceptable places to start a business. When you first begin, do it part time and don’t rack-up expenses. If you commit too much time and/or too much money, you’ll put a lot of undue pressure on yourself and make bad decisions. Try to build out a niche. This bit of advice really bears repeating. If you find a smart way to separate yourself from the competition, you can build a stronger, more attractive business. Set small, tangible money and benchmark goals. When you set high goals, you need to do a lot more to reach them and that often leads to failure. When you set small goals, you’re more likely to accomplish them and that makes for a ton of motivation and satisfaction. Build a responsive, easy to navigate website. You need a presence on the internet, which you probably know. There are very inexpensive and easy to use platforms that will be more than sufficient to get you started. Get out and network but don’t sell. Your website, though a necessary tool, isn’t going to be a salesperson; but you can be, if you network to become a known quantity and not to sell. Finally, give yourself permission to make mistakes and don’t make the huge mistake of waiting for perfection to launch your business. [shareaholic app=”follow_buttons” id=”26833294″]

How to Get Past All the Hype about a New Business

September 7, 2018 No Comments

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, otherwise known by the pen name Mark Twain, once said, “There are three types of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Today, we’re past the sad story of Theranos and the fall of Elizabeth Holmes. But, Elon Musk and Tesla are filling the void. (As are a number of other brands and emerging technologies.) You can pick your favorite, because there are a number of these hyped or buzz generating entities out there. And, it’s precisely the attention and shine that fools so many people. This includes people looking for opportunities to go into business for themselves. So, how do you know if it’s legitimate or just hype? Why Hype often Falls Short Let’s begin with an important lesson. Buzz dies down and hype eventually wears off. But why? The question is more about a matter of time than some exotic explanation. The fact of the matter is, when an organization or a product is surrounded by hype, it’s usually due to an artificial yet real, phenomenon. In other words, some outrageous (or ingenious) marketing tactics work. People are awe-struck and want to believe. Fortunes were made on products using such hype marketing strategies. Many a consumer bought in to the sizzle once, never to be burned again by products that couldn’t possibly live up to the hype. The world’s a different place today, and consumers are far more demanding. The list of tactics that no longer work on today’s savvy consumers is long, and so is the list of things you can learn from the failures of hype-marketing tactics. —American Express OPEN Forum Although, we all know, reality will rear its presence, at some point. There comes a time when hype and buzz just can’t conceal the fact there’s not much there, there. When the dust settles, hindsight becomes 20/20. Now, sometimes, like in the case of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes, it’s just investigative reporting. But other times, it’s just high expectations. Remember when the Segway concept first leaked to the public? It proclaimed the future of transportation. That fell way short. How to Get Past All the Hype about a New Business So, just how do you tell if a business idea or even a product or service is only hype? What are the telltale signs? Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet. But, there are some things you can to do get past all the hype about a new business: Quick! Stop the press! Thomas Edison didn’t exactly invent much. In fact, he once said he’s more of a sponge than an inventor. He also used what’s known as the vaporware marketing tactic. Hearing a rival would soon introduce the first incandescent light bulb, he invited newspaper reports to see his, first. He brought them into a room, one-by-one. And, showed them a prototype. He’d then hurry them out just before it burned out. The same remains true today. You’ve got to look past the glowing press coverage. Look at the fundamentals. Speaking of looking past the media buzz, how about going a bit deeper and actually investigating the fundamentals. Is the company sound? Does it have a workable plan to grow? These and other questions will help you separate fact from fiction. If it sounds too good to be true… Okay, this is practically cliché. Or is it? Take a big step back. Take time to breathe. And, come back with a fresh disposition. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But, it takes an objective look to cut through the buzz. What other ways do you spot hype? How do you look past the buzz and get to the real story? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Effective Ways to Deal with a Setback

May 7, 2019 No Comments

Setbacks are inevitable. They come in many shapes and sizes and some appear from out of the blue. When you encounter a setback, it triggers different emotions. You feel shocked, unprepared, perhaps angry or down. It’s only natural to feel bad after a setback but it’s how you handle it that really matters most. How to Overcome a Setback Everyone experiences setbacks, large and small. During these times it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and maybe even unappreciated. (This is especially true when it involves an interpersonal relationship.) Minor setbacks throw us off for a few hours but others are much more significant and really throw us in a tailspin. While we will all experience roadblocks, we will differ in how we handle them. Some of us have the resilience to just pick up the pieces and move on. Others find it difficult to let go. Either way, how do we learn from the tough times? —Entrepreneur.com Whatever the cause and no matter the size, it’s important to understand you aren’t out of options. Sure, you feel helpless to one degree or another. And, it does bring into question what’s all that time and effort for, anyway? But, if you put things into perspective, you’ll begin to realize it’s not the end-all, be-all. Effective Ways to Deal with a Setback We all know adversary helps to build character. Although, no one welcomes tough times, whether in the form of a setback or something else. So, here are some effective ways to deal with a setback you can put to use: It’s only temporary. Very few setbacks are insurmountable. And, most are only temporary. Realize it is just a temporary situation that will pass. It will only linger and bother you the longer you allow it. If you put it into perspective, it’s merely one of many temporary obstacles. Your goals remain. Sure, it does bring into question what all your hard work is for in the first place. And, it undermines your sense of accomplishment and success. While these are certainly true, it doesn’t change your goals. Refocus on your goals to help you overcome. Reset the timetable. Any setback will throw off the timeline, there’s little way around this fact. But, that doesn’t mean you can adapt and readjust your timetable to make it workable again. Take action, right away. Of course, the worst response is to do nothing at all. It will not get you past the situation and will only serve to make it haunt you even more. Take action straight away and you’ll start to feel better immediately. What other methods would you suggest to get past a setback? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.