When it comes to leadership there are a number of very distinct styles that team leaders can often find themselves falling into.
When you lead from the front, rather than from behind, this means that you are play a vital and active role in the day to day running of the company or organisation that you are working for. When a business leader adopts this style of leadership, they are actively choosing to be more engaged with the members of their team, their customers and the stakeholders who are actively involved with the operations “front line.”
You can learn from those you lead
Being a leader is not all about you, its actually about the people that you lead, and they have a lot of valuable information to share with those who are willing to listen. A huge part of being a leader requires you to use great communication skills, this might be for talking to customers, stakeholders or even the members of your team. But communication is more than talking it is also about listening, and your team can be a great source of information and ideas if you are willing to listen to them.
When you encounter a problem with something you are working on you might want to get the team together to work on finding a solution; this can often come from the most unexpected member of your team. In other words the members of your team can teach you things, but you have to be willing to listen to them. Interacting with your team, letting them see that you are also working on problems, and getting involved will help them to feel like their voice matters. When you choose to put barriers between you and your team; to create a “me” and “them” situations, and this is not effective leading.
Learning is constant
From the CEO of a company to the newest apprentice, learning is a continual process. You are always in a position to learn something new whilst you are working. It is also important to consider your Continuous Professional Development (CPD) as well. These are the learning activities that any professional undertakes to enhance and renew their skills in the workplace. These are not just those skills linked solely to your role, they can also be your interpersonal skills as well and even the skills needed to use new software and technology. Continually improving your skills can help to keep you in the loop with developments that occur within your field, new innovations and methodologies that might help you to carry out your role much better.
When you create the right environment within your team and are not leading from behind it benefits everyone and there are opportunities for team member to learn from each other. It isn’t a sign of weakness when the team leader learns something from another person in the team but rather a sign of strength that can help to strengthen the team.
As a digital marketing coach I have heard every possible excuse as to why people can’t start a small business or can’t improve the profitability of a small business. With the power of internet marketing building a profitable business has never been easier! Attraction marketing has completely revolutionized this industry and people still find excuses on why they can’t be successful in their industry.
One of the most common excuses that I hear is, “I don’t have the skills or knowledge to start a blog.” If you know anything about online marketing it is critical to have a blog for you business. Your blog is the engine that runs your marketing car and without a blog it will be very challenging to attract targeted leads to your small business.
Online Marketing Just Got Easier!
When someone drops the “I don’t have the skills or knowledge to start a blog” excuse on me I quickly respond with, “GREAT! You don’t need to know how!” The first thing I do is tell them about WordPress and show them some of the great blogs already online that don’t necessarily have great writers but do have an understanding of what interests online readers and that is everything and more that a newbie marketer needs to get started in the right direction.
Within minutes of setting up a WordPress blog you can be reaching people – and that is incredibly powerful. There are currently millions of people using this platform to blog. This is powerful because you can blog using specific keywords and these keywords will rank much, much faster than if you were trying to rank them with a blog on any other platform.
In addition to getting a complete blogging system you also get a website that can use a range of free themes to get a layout and design that suits your topics.
A Blog Supplements Your Primary Business
You should not look at the blog as your primary business. This blogging platform should be used to build your value and to position you as a leader in your industry.
It is awesome having a resource such as WordPress available for the people that are really self-motivated and want to start blogging. Again, there ARE NO MORE EXCUSES as to why you cannot blog daily and build an online business.
Mark my words….if you start blogging seriously by the end of a year your business will be making serious amounts of money.
If you are fortunate enough to be moving house soon, no doubt you will be excited, but you will also have started to realise just how expensive all the moving costs will be. So how can you keep moving costs down and hopefully have something left over to stamp your mark on your new home and from where you can grow your fledgling business? There is plenty of argument about what type of home is best suited to a home-based business but whether you choose a period home or a new home there will be benefits to both: the charm of period home is undeniable but the clean lines and up-to-date technology might be better suited to a home office.
Moving to a new house is an expensive business and some of the expenses you will incur cannot be avoided, such as stamp duty and legal fees. But if you are fairly fit and have some willing hands to help, then the actual removals part of moving home can easily be managed without calling in the professionals. This is not something recommended if you are moving overseas, have a very large house or very valuable possessions, such as antiques. A specialist remover will always be required for antiques to ensure the right insurance cover and the correct type of packing. But for the majority of us this can be done simply by hiring a van, loading it up, driving to the new home, and unloading.
Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well it is relatively simple; just be prepared for some hard work and you could save yourself a substantial sum by doing it yourself.
I recently heard about an alternative to all this moving house hassle for senior folks so I thought I’d just mention it here. Did you know that there is an alternative to a residential care home for senior people not able to care for themselves any more? No? Nor had I until recently and I had to investigate options for my wife’s mom. Turns out there is something called live-in care or home care where you can stay in your own home but a qualified carer come sto live with you full-time and takes care of all your needs. Sounds like something we could all do with!
But what about the storage service that most removal companies offer if the dates for moving out of your old home and into your new one are not the same? Or if your new home needs decoration or renovation before you move in? Well, there’s a simple option for that too because there are plenty of cheap self storage facilities available all across the country.
So here are the basic steps to a DIY house move:
Create a list of everything that will be moving to your new address
If you are in a rented property, much of the furniture may be staying and it might just be your personal possessions that need moving. But if you own your current home, then you are probably going to take everything. And if you have a freestanding kitchen, you may even actually take the kitchen sink. For small items, make an estimate of how many packing boxes you will require. Don’t use boxes that are too large – they will just become very heavy once full and remember you will be lifting them.
Sell your surplus stuff on Ebay
Be ruthless – if there are any possessions that you no longer want, then get selling on Ebay as soon as possible. The less you have to transport from your old home to your new home, and possibly store in between, the easier and less expensive it will be. You may even earn enough to pay for any storage.
Contact several companies to get quotes for hiring a vehicle
A reputable hire company should be able to tell you over the phone what size of vehicle is necessary if you describe the amount of belongings you have.
Book your vehicle
Once you have a definite moving date, confirm the vehicle hire. Don’t be tempted to book your removal vehicle before your moving date is confirmed. Moving dates are notoriously prone to change and you could end up losing your deposit.
Pack non-essential items in advance.
Buy or borrow packing boxes and start packing non-essential items as soon as you can. Books, DVDs, bedding, children’s toys, kitchen gadgets whatever you think you can do without for a couple of weeks. It will take much longer than you expected, particularly if you have to sort through storage cupboards, lofts, sheds and garages etc that have not been used for a long time. Use plenty of bubble-wrap for fragile items and fill any spaces in the boxes with old newspaper. Always tape up boxes once full to prevent anything falling out during the move and label them on all sides with a thick black marker with the room (or other location such as the self-storage unit) where they should be put.
Pack out-of-season clothes in advance.
The best way to transport clothes is by using wardrobe cases. These are boxes that have a hanging rail so you don’t need to remove your clothes from their hangers. Clothes can simply be taken out of your wardrobe, hooked into the wardrobe case and put back in the wardrobe at your new home. These are such a great way to keep the creases out of your clothes and save on ironing.
Pack essentials on the day
Pack a small suitcase with all the items you’ll need for your first night in your new home such as toiletries and medicines, toilet roll, bedding, and a change of clothes. Use a small, separate bag for valuable items such as jewellery and important documents so these can be kept with you on the moving day.
It may sound obvious but pack a small box with the kettle, mugs, teabags, milk and biscuits. By the time you have arrived at your new home you will need a reviving drink and something to eat.
Load the van.
Cover any furniture likely to get scratched with old blankets. Make sure any high pieces of furniture like wardrobes are well secured or lay them on their side if possible to prevent falling over. Tie string around doors and drawers to prevent drawers sliding out or doors flying open when the van is turning corners.
Place the heaviest boxes at the bottom and stack boxes in the lowest piles possible, otherwise they are likely to topple over when the van is on the move.
Unload the van.
Once you arrive at your destination, whether that’s your new home or a self storage facility, you simply have to unload everything in reverse order. Since all the boxes were labelled, it will be a simple job to place them in the correct location.
Put your feet up and have a well-earned cup of tea.
This is when you will be glad you packed that small essentials box and kept it handy. Now is the time to sit back and congratulate yourself on the money you have saved hiring a van and using cheap self storage and doing your own house removal.
A lot of people think that being a leader is something that either comes naturally or it doesn’t. However, this is not the case. You can teach yourself to be a good leader. A good leader is someone who is able to effectively overcome all of the different challenges they face. A good leader is someone who learns from mistakes so that they can make improvements going forward. With that being said, below, we are going to take a look at three major leadership challenges, as well as providing some tips on how to overcome them.
Keeping your team motivated and inspired
As a leader, your team is going to look to you for motivation. It is up to you to make sure that everyone working for you is inspired. There are going to be moments whereby people do not feel motivated. You may notice that productivity levels have dipped and that your team does not seem as interested anymore. It is up to you to spot the signs of this. If your employees are unmotivated, look for ways to keep their eyes on the prize. You can break tasks down into smaller jobs and celebrate small wins. You may even want to consider team building activities.
Managing people without micromanaging
Leaders can often fall into the trap of micromanaging. This is something that is incredibly easy to do. However, micromanaging can cause employees to feel frustrated and they will assume that you do not trust them. At the end of the day, your team has been employed for a reason; they have the skills and qualities that are needed to succeed. Therefore, you need to delegate tasks effectively. Do not delegate them on a first-come, first-serve basis. Instead, think about who is going to be most suitable for the task at hand.
Dealing with conflict
Last but not least, there is no denying that dealing with conflict is one of the most challenging things that any leader has to do. It is healthy for people to have different opinions. However, there does get to a point whereby this spills over, and healthy conflict turns into unhealthy conflict. When this happens, you need to look for ways for conflict to be healthy and constructive. As a leader, you need to make sure that any sort of conflict is steered toward a positive resolution.
Final words on major leadership challenges and how to overcome them
Now, we’ve hopefully given you an insight into three of the most common and difficult leadership challenges. All leaders face challenges in the workplace, and there are going to be times when you do not handle them as effectively as you should. Rather than punishing yourself over this, you need to make sure that you take the time to assess the situation and learn where you went wrong so that you can make better decisions in the future. We hope that the advice provided above will help with this.
The idea of resilience in the workplace is one that is both problematic and important. Leaders do have a need to improve their efforts on the resilience front – including targeted interventions like flexible work arrangements to things like paid leave and well-being resources. However it is important that at the same time they also remain vigilant to the downsides of this. It is important to not only understand but also address the pitfalls that can occur, and to know when they should, and should not, promote resilience.
Resilience pitfalls
It is often considered that resilience is something that someone either has or doesn’t have and whilst it may be true that some individuals have “trait-like” stability to their resilience, that is the ability to demonstrate consistent levels of resilience over time, this is not always the case. When resilience is thought of this way the emphasis is placed on the employee and there is no consideration made to the support that an organisation should be providing. When there is an encouragement towards resilience with no accountability then it can result in burnout.
Instead of thinking of resilience as a trait consider it to be a state that any employee is capable of attaining. This means creating environments that support resilience and proactively enable it. Employees need to feel that they can speak up and ask for the resources that they need in order to address any concerns that they might have. There are some circumstances however that it can be impossible to anticipate, such as the loss of a loved one or a period of severe illness and it is important that there are policies in place to address these situations as everyone’s resilience is different, and until these types of situation arise nobody knows how they will react.
It should also be remembered that resilience should not be used as any form of replacement within the workplace, or indeed anywhere else for the removal of inequality. Anyone who has experienced any form of discrimination or racism should not be told to simply be more resilient, grow a thicker skin or “man-up”. The root cause of the issue should always be looked into in these types of cases. Every organisation should be creating a culture where acceptance, inclusion and diversity are the norms
Employees experiencing adversity shouldn’t be stigmatised
Positive emotions aid in the boosting of resilience, however, negative emotions do not, in fact, prohibit anyone from being resilient as well. When an individual is experiencing anxiety or is overwhelmed it is easy for them to be stigmatised and not look for the support that they need because they believe that they will be judged. Whilst this can become too much if a person is continually over-emotional, resilience is not an absence of negative emotions during difficult periods
Whilst leaders should promote some resilience in the workplace, it is important to understand that it is not always appropriate to do so, and each situation should be considered on its own merits before they decide which route they should take.
It’s easier to manage and lead a team when everyone is in front of you, and you can see what is going on more clearly. Yet, with the change to hybrid and remote working showing signs of continuing, it’s essential to brush up on the skills of leading remotely. Of course, there are challenges, and here we take a look at what they are and what you can do to overcome them.
Setting clear expectations
Don’t assume that just because expectations in the office were clear this is the case for home or hybrid workers. You may need to give more direction and guidance, especially when it comes to what you expect when it comes to responding to communications and attending virtual meetings.
Avoid micromanaging. Instead, empower your team’s belonging and accountability, so they take responsibility for getting the job done without you.
Managing productivity
Whilst remote working can improve productivity for many workers; others will struggle. They may find it difficult to keep focussed and productive with home distractions and a lack of direct in-person supervision. Set realistic goals and innovative ways to track working time and progress to help keep them on track.
You may also face the challenge of aligning expectations of those in the office with remote workers to manage perceptions and ensure resentment over production or perceived lack of it doesn’t build. Keep everyone in the office and home up-to-date on who is responsible and doing what.
Communicate regularly
With the ability to integrate and discuss matters freely around an office, it’s essential to make time for engagement and communication with those working remotely, and these tips may help. Set aside some times of the day when you are free to engage in short sessions with remote employees to catch up and share your calendar to let them know when you are available.
Cohesive teams
It can be challenging to treat both on-site and hybrid workers equally, but it’s essential to make everything as fair as possible. Differences can cause teams to break up through resentment and will affect productivity. Find ways to include remote workers if you provide free snacks or meals during meetings to office-based employees. Find ways to extend flexible working hours to remote workers if it’s a benefit afforded to on-site workers, or recognise that remote workers do not have the travel hassles of their office-based colleagues. There are no hard and fast rules but you should seek to remove any bias.
Social interactions
Remote workers are at risk of social isolation, and loneliness is one of the most common complaints, especially from those who had transitioned to home working when they previously came to your office each day. So it’s essential to be mindful and make ways to include socially those at home, grab a virtual coffee together and chat about things that aren’t work-related as you would over a typical office coffee break. Open a chat channel that is fun and is more about inclusion and socialising than work, listen to the concerns of both those in the office and at home, and be sure to follow up, just as you would do if everyone were together.
Lastly, lead by example. The easier and more pleasant you make it, the more work everyone is likely to get through. Perhaps learn how to become more productive yourself and share insights and experiences with all your team members no matter where they are based.
Virtual literally became a reality with the changes demanded of us through the Coronavirus pandemic. Businesses quickly adapted to significantly reduced personal interaction levels and moved to video calls, meetings, and training by phone or video call. For some, the benefits have been enormous and they see very little reason to return to old ways, so does this work for virtual mentoring?
Mentoring should support teams and individuals, which is even more critical when working remotely. The feeling of community is easily lost and individuals can suffer stress and feel isolated without it being noticed when they aren’t turning up to an office every day. The virtual world is one way to overcome this and mentoring can undoubtedly be as effective.
Virtual Mentoring Has Many Benefits Even Post-Pandemic
Location– remote mentoring immediately removes the location barrier. Virtual mentoring opens up the opportunity for relationships that would never happen in an office.
Time Efficiencies– No travel time and sessions can happen from anywhere, be scheduled more efficiently and cost less.
Less Social Pressure– Meeting with a mentor face-to-face can cause anxiety and nerves, especially for those with low self-esteem, which can inhibit some natural reactions and become a barrier to progress. Virtual mentoring can be a highly successful way of removing this stress to become a more comfortable and productive process. You can begin with phone calls and move to video calls at a pace that your mentee is comfortable with.
Multiple Mentors– Individuals can have multiple mentors through the new flexibility that virtual mentoring offers.
Quick To Put Into Action– Mentoring programs within offices tend to become large programs that take planning and big meetings. Virtual mentoring allows this to be scaled down and is much quicker to get up and running as a result.
Overcoming The Challenges of Virtual Mentoring
Forming A Connection–Wherever possible, encourage participants to use video calls, even if they start without the camera. It gives the option to switch on the camera as you form a connection without changing the basic meeting structure. Make time for the social side and use icebreaker games to get to know each other and become comfortable. Understanding how to mentor an anxious employee can teach skills valuable to all virtual mentoring encounters.
Reducing the feeling of isolation – Mentoring programs have a sense of community that needs to develop even more strongly in virtual mentoring, whether to an individual or a group. Schedule a webinar for those involved before the program’s official start, encouraging participants to feel part of something. Have similar milestone meetings throughout the program to celebrate achievements and progress.
Technical Difficulties– You are bound to encounter some technical difficulties, so have a backup plan that everyone understands. Disruption can derail the flow and become frustrating. Check connections are stable before you start and resort to a phone call to get back on track if you can’t fix the issue speedily.
Mentoring may never become entirely remote and there is, we hope, no reason for that to be the case. Still, it is undoubtedly a productive and valuable addition to mentoring services that we see staying around.
Live in care may not be a job you’ve ever considered, but it could be a career that brings you much pleasure. Here, we look at why people choose to start a career in live in care.
There are plenty of paths you can take when looking for a job in the care sector, but one that seems to be growing in popularity and demand is that of being a live-in carer. But would it be the right job for you?
Creating a rapport with your client
Delivering exceptional live-in care for an elderly person is the primary objective of live in care jobs, but one of the surprising additional benefits is building a close friendship with your client. If you were a carer in a residential care home, you would be dealing with lots of different residents, and it is unlikely you would ever be able to get to know them as well as if you were a live in care provider, or providing private at home care. As a live-in carer, you will have lots of time to get to know your client – their likes and dislikes, their personality, their family members and their characteristics. Knowing all about them will lead to a better relationship, and help you begin to anticipate their needs.
Job satisfaction and security
Being a carer for anyone – be it professionally or for a loved one – is a specialised vocation that takes a unique and dedicated person to do it. The rewards for becoming a live-in carer are not just financial. Whilst live-in carers can benefit from having a private room, internet access, a generous wage and making savings on rent/mortgage payments, utility bills and transport costs, the knowledge that you are making an enormous difference to the life of an elderly client is hugely rewarding too.
No two days are ever the same
If there is one thing you can predict about being a live-in carer, it is the unpredictability of your day! Unlike working at a residential care home, you do not have to stick to a schedule for things like mealtimes and recreation. You will be able to help your elderly client with everything from getting dressed in the morning to getting them to their bingo night or social group. Doing even the smallest tasks – reminding them to take their medication, or switching on their favourite television programme – will mean supporting them in every way that matters.
Support and advice for you
Knowing that you are closely on hand day and night to help and assist your elderly client will be of great comfort to them, but what about you? Being a live-in carer does not mean you are alone in going about your daily employment. If you work with a care company, you will have support and assistance of your own. You will have managers that can guide you and provide on the job training for all kinds of aspects of your job. If you need to take a break, your employers can arrange for a relief carer to take over, so there is no disruption to your client’s daily care.
The life of a live-in carer is one that is dedicated and specialised, but incredibly fulfilling. More and more care workers are choosing to be live-in carers and really make a difference to elderly people’s lives.
Are you still using Salesforce as just a contact manager and tracker instead of wholly a part of the sales process? Salesforce is an immensely powerful customer relationship management ecosystem that can completely revolutionise customer handling across your entire organisation leading to a more consistent customer experience and greater customer satisfaction. But it can’t do that unless you unlock its potential by populating it with data about your customers.
Get Trained
Probably the number one reason you aren’t using Salesforce as effectively as you could, is that you don’t know what it’s capable of. So instead of wasting money on features you don’t know existed and couldn’t use if you did get yourself some sales management training.
Connect, Integrate and Automate
Like keyword research for SEO, Salesforce gives back as much as you put into it. So, to maximise the value gained from your investment in the technology you need to start using it as the default application for any task. Many of the tasks that sales departments need to do on a daily basis are natively supported by Salesforce or you can directly link the application you need. No more copying and pasting customer data from database to email or cross-referencing to create a quotation. All that can be automated through Salesforce reducing the time spent creating sales documents and minimising the introduction of errors.
Customise the Interface…
Salesforce is extremely flexible and allows you to customise it to suit your particular business. Hide away the parts that don’t interest you and bring to the front the parts that are important. Salesforce users make the most of it when they can understand what it’s telling them so don’t be afraid to tailor the experience!
…And Expand Your Horizons
We mentioned above that Salesforce is a CRM ecosystem. There is a wealth of apps that plug into Salesforce and extend its capabilities even further. From Survey Monkey to SCOTSMAN tools there’s an app that can help you make the most of Salesforce.
Take It with You
In an increasingly connected world there is still a place for the sales visit to reassure prospective clients that you care about them and to demonstrate your product. Keep your Salesforce CRM data to hand by installing the Salesforce1 mobile app. Record the results of the meeting instantly, before you can forget what happened or confuse them with the next client and make a decision on what to do next before heading back to base.
Rich Analytics
The huge advantage of a CRM over, say keeping your records in a filing cabinet, is that you can mine your customer data to reveal interesting insights about how your customers are responding to you. Salesforce users who successfully harness this power can tailor their sales operations to focus on the most profitable areas where sales are most likely to come from. By reading and responding to the analytics you can increase customer satisfaction, improve customer loyalty and reduce time spent per sale on closing the deal. Doesn’t that sound like good value to you?
