How to – Get to the Triple Bottom Line Every year there are new trends in management. While they can appear to be simply the latest fad in a long line of “flavors of the month”, many are grounded in the current thinking about the best way to manage an organization that aims to thrive in the current economic climate.

If you (or your boss) are inspired to try a new business model, resistance and reservation can be seen as an impediment. Given the desire to try new things (in tough times OR in good), the Triple Bottom Line is getting attention. Knowing what it is and how to get there can give your workplace focus and renewed energy. You may already be working toward these three bottom lines, but in the near future it may become that standard for staying in business.

3BL
The Triple Bottom Line looks at 3 P’s:
• Planet – improving the environment
• People – developing Human Capital
• Profits – economic viability of the organization

Why
Have a compelling reason for change. Joining the ”flavor of the month” club isn’t going to get anyone on board.

What
What are you changing from and what will you be changing to? Is it going to replace something?

Who
Transitions and initiatives need champions: the people that carry the flag, rouse the troops, cheer people on, and generally keep employees focused on the goal(s). People can get distracted easily, and in tough times, lose their focus.

Where
Change needs to be addressed on a wide variety of levels: employees, customers, partners, vendors, shareholders, and executives. Each group needs to know "What’s In It for Them".

How
What is the method by which your organization will get to this future state? There should be a plan with steps and systems in place that support the processes that will shift.

When
Expectations need to be managed about how easy this will be, how soon this can happen, and what the signs are for both success and trouble.

As with any change, initiative, or transition, there are clear stages for 3BL and time well spent in each one will help prepare you and your firm for success. Make sure you take the needed time to assess your organization’s readiness; design and plan the change implementation plan, the metrics needed for measuring movement and the corresponding communication, implement the change, troubleshoot issues and challenges as they arise, and maintain/evergreen as things continue forward.  8:28 AM •  0 Comments •

How to – Make Presentations like a Professional We have become a TV/Computer screen society and people today expect you to make presentations that are engaging, informative and polished. Professional presenters do not leave success up to chance. They plan for it by crafting a program that is customized for the audience with the outcome in mind.

You can use the same old program that you feel comfortable with, adding the tired PowerPoint that holds no excitement for anyone (including you) and make an adequate presentation. Or you can present to others in a way that shows your ability to address their informational needs with a powerful and creative style.

Ask - Start with asking the right questions: Who is the audience? What do they want to know? What do you want them to do as a result of your presentation? What do they need to know in order to do that?

Strong Opening – Grab their attention right at the start. Tell a story, use a surprising statistic, ask a question, share an example of the consequence of inaction, show a picture or video, or talk about the benefit or the happy ending if ideas /suggestions are adopted.

Hello – First impressions matter. Make it the right one with professional attire, eye contact and a confident smile (whether you feel it or not). If it’s a little more formal, provide a well written introduction of who you are and why you are the person to make this presentation.

Logical Progression – Create a logical sequence for your talk. It can develop like building blocks, have a beginning, middle, and end, or start simply and grow to become complicated. Start where the audience needs to begin and design a map to get them where you want to end up.

Customize – Create a presentation where the focus is one the audience’s need. If they are beginners, start them out with basics. If they have a good grasp of the basics, focus on application. If you have a mix of knowledge levels, make sure to offer additional resources, websites, articles, and books on your subject.

Stop Talking – Allow for questions, discussion, comments or reflection. Not only will you engage your audience, you can determine if they are moving in the direction you had hoped.

Multiple Paths – Use a variety of approaches. Use stories, facts, statistics, pictures, models, terms (and their definitions), examples, handouts, or quotes in your presentation.

Plan for Questions – Anticipate questions and prepare answers. Have examples ready to demonstrate.

Strong Close – Just like your opening, your closing should be strong with a call to action. As a result of your presentation, what are you asking for? Do you want them to know something new, learn about themselves, believe, get motivated, act, buy, or communicate to others?

2P's – Preparation and Practice draws the line between savvy and stupid! Rehearsing reduces nervousness by up to 75% and decreases the chance of errors by even more!

Match the needs of your presentation to your audience and your invitations to speak and be seen as a valuable resource will increase. Communicating effectively is one of the most needed and valued professional skills.  9:07 AM •  0 Comments •

How to – Stay Upbeat The so-called “school of positive psychology” gets extra attention during difficult economic times. People are trying to balance the continuing deluge of bad news with an optimistic outlook. Today’s economic headlines certainly test our ability to find hope.

Happiness feels better than anger or depression and there are studies that actually measure the effect an upbeat attitude can have on the bottom line. Almost ten years of research suggests that being happy at work can improve revenue, employee retention, customer loyalty and even creativity. While I don’t advocate acting as if the current downturn isn’t happening, I do think it makes sense to focus on what you CAN do, what you are good at doing, and what brings joy into your life.

Take Action
Upbeat professionals and optimistic organizational leaders behave in ways that generate positive energy. Apply some of these tactics at work when you feel things dragging you down:

• Communicate positive stories from customers. Not only are you focusing on the people who support your firm, you are providing reinforcement feedback to employees who want to know that what they are doing matters to the recipient of the goods and services of your firm.

• Acknowledge someone who made you more effective. Gratitude and attention improves productivity.

• If someone’s strengths don’t align with their job responsibilities, see if you can adjust the job. People like to “go to their strengths” and tend to solve problems faster when they are feeling capable of doing so.

• Hire for fit rather than skill. Skills can be taught but a good fit is worth more to your firm in terms of positive energy and emotional strength, both critical attributes in tough times.

• Focus outward rather than inward. Helping others can be empowering; and keeping your attention on what may be going wrong tends to drain. Complaining may be the default mode of choice, but it IS a choice. Choose to concentrate on ways you can take action or support others

• Suggest something fun. “Wacky Hat Day,” “Ugly Sweater Day,” or even a scavenger hunt won’t change the business climate; but they can create an opportunity to lighten up, have some low-cost fun, and help people focus on having a good time. Smiling can be contagious and the physical act of laughing is an exhale that relaxes the muscles.

• Take time to inspire and create. Retreats that focus the team on their work can keep them focused on how their contributions fit into the larger purpose of the organization. When things improve, you’ll be poised with new ideas, strategies and focus. You can also get the team to explore ways to save money collectively, rather than simply making a unilateral decision to cut budget or people.

Note:people may feel upbeat as a result of your positive outlook. Don’t forget however, that it’s a temporary way to address the problem of the economic downturn.

Hope can vanish if left to flourish on its own, so doing nothing at all can make the workplace a drain on people’s psyche. Your goal should be to help folks stay focused on doing what they CAN so they will be more upbeat. Since each person is unique, employees will define happiness at work differently from each other.  10:56 AM •  0 Comments •