SME - Small Business Links

Trevor writes:

Two interesting site links for budding entrepreneurs in Africa:

1. SME Toolkit Africa

2. Mainspring - small business specialists

3. Gauteng Enterprise Propeller

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

Great Bosses

Ever wondered why your staff behave and act in a certain way - whether it is the quality of their work, service to customers or care of your business? The secret may lie in the extract below:

“People take their cues from the boss. The boss sets the tone and the standards. The boss sets the example. Over time, the department, the office, the store, the workshop, the factory, the company begin to do what the boss does….Great bosses position the organisation to succeed, not with policies, but with posture and prescence."

(How to become a Great Boss – Jeffrey J Fox)

Most Valuable MARKETING Blogs

Trevor writes:

Have spent some time going through Andy Nulman's POW! Right Between The Eyes blog - MVBs Us All

He provides a list of '..some of the smartest, most dedicated thinkers, writers and ravers in the marketing game':

http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/
http://www.fightthebull.com/blog/
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/eggbaconchipsandbeans/
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
http://feeds.feedburner.com/jaffejuice
http://www.coolhunting.com/
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/index.html
http://www.beyondmadisonavenue.com/
http://blog.wired.com/
http://adverlab.blogspot.com/
http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/
http://www.gapingvoid.com/
http://missinglink.typepad.com/hello_world/
http://www.blogmaverick.com/
http://www.springwise.com/
http://www.psfk.com
http://www.adliterate.com/
http://servantofchaos.typepad.com/
http://conversationagent.typepad.com/
http://blog.creativethink.com/
http://www.scottweisbrod.com/index.php/
http://www.micropersuasion.com
http://www.toprankblog.com
http://www.pronetadvertising.com
http://wheresthesausage.typepad.com/
http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/
http://www.ck-blog.com/
http://powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/
http://www.churchofthecustomer.com/blog/
http://www.modernlifeisrubbish.co.uk/
http://www.radicaltrust.ca

Keep these on file and study them.

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

simplify, Simplify, SIMPLIFY ..1 ..2 ..3

Trevor writes:

From this post - MAD 7. It Only Takes 'HALF-A-DOZEN' Things! (extract below) - I am reminded that it is all to easy to fall into the trap of adding unnecessary complexity to ideas, projects, strategies, et al, that should be as simple as ...1 ..2 ..3

Too many people look to make the simple things in life too complex to understand.

Yes, most often it takes only a few things... 1, 2, or 3 things... just a 'half-a-dozen' things to ensure success in most projects.

I am resolving to simplify every idea, project, strategy I have into a 'simple as ..1 ..2 ..3' graphic presentation.

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

Blog Digest

As the third month of this blog comes to a close, I thought a Blog Digest of half a dozen ideas, issues, discussions and tips would be useful to newcomers and regular readers.

* To repeat the objective of this blog: "geared towards the entrepreneur that wants to achieve spectacular results (customers, market share, multimillion rand deals or sustainable profits) by unleashing the BIG people that they employ."

* Attract Talent quickly
It takes minutes and costs nothing

* Post your Business Opportunity for Free

* You will be judged by what you do
The Performance Imperative

* Untapped Profit Drivers in your business
Looking for bottom line impact?

* Total Cost Packages Exposed
Don’t even think about CTC until you read this post

Multigenerational Workforce Is A BIG Issue

Trevor writes:

Yusuf raises a very important issue in his last post. Here are some extracts and links to further excellent articles:

1. Motivating A Multigenerational Workforce - Great Staff Equals Great Marketing

I like this insight:

One of the most common complaints Baby Boomers make about Gen Xers and Gen Yers is, “They don’t have the same work ethic.” Unfortunately, it’s a true statement. It’s not that they are not hardworking; it’s just that they place a different value and priority on work.

While many baby boomers have a love-hate relationship with work, they work to work. Work is more of an end in and of itself. Not so for Gen Xers and Gen Yers. They work to be able to fulfill other, more important priorities.

Although Gen Xers and Gen Yers are motivated by different things, both age groups need the following:

Frequent communication. This includes being told “why” certain projects are important and priorities are established, not just “what” they are.

To be included in the overall direction and goals of the company--not just in what affects them most directly.

To have fun at work with a capital “F”.

2. Motivating & Managing Different Generations

3. Motivating Your Environment Enables Earnings - A company is only as strong as its employees. Understanding their needs and concerns can be positive for both the working environment as well as company profits

4. PDF: Florida Counties Magazine - Generational Challenges in the Workplace Today & Tomorrow

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

Generations in your workplace

Trevor’s post about the WIFM generation and in particular, the following statement warrants further discussion:

“It's a symptom of the W-I-I-F-M (What's In It For Me) generation where employee loyalty is something that a company has to earn by offering exceptional conditions for employees to grow and prosper.”
Today’s workplace is a melting pot of different generations employed side by side to power the business engine.

First up is the Silent Generation, those born in the 1930s and 1940s. The major defining events for the Silent generation were apartheid, World War II, They grew up in a father dominated household, admired Clark Gable & Ava Gardener and dressed formally. Their life approach was to maintain stability in their career and family. They saw work as something they must do, sought security, respected authority, gave loyalty for decades and waited for retirement to rest although they feared it.

Next comes the Baby Boomers from the 1950s and early 1960s. The major defining events for Baby Boomers were apartheid, JFK and HF Verwoerd assassinations, man landing on the moon and 1976 Soweto riots. They grew up in father dominated households with mums exploring careers. They admired Steve Biko & Elizabeth Taylor, dressed with designer labels and loved Elvis & Beatles. Their life approach was family and make money. They saw work as being their life, felt those in authority didn’t know what they were doing, gave loyalty for years, and viewed retirement as the end of their career leaving them free time to spend their wealth.

Generation X from the 1970s bring their own disposition. The major defining events for Generation X were the Watergate scandal, social unrest and ushering in the computer age. They grew up in shared household roles. They were wowed by Superman and ABBA. Their life approach was experiencing it no matter how high the price. The viewed work as the path to having a life not the other way round. Generation X ignored authority, give no loyalty for tenure and are worried about retirement.

From the 1980s, Generation Y appears on the scene and are newcomers to the workforce. The major defining events for Generation Y were the Rubicorn speech, collapse of communism and end of apartheid. They are likely to be raised in single parent households. Think of Pumpkin Patch and Michael Jackson for Generation Y. They want work-life balance, see authority as whatever, haven’t worked long enough to care about loyalty and retirement is a distant thought.

Understanding the generations in your workplace is a must do area for management. Offering them what they want rather they what you want to impose on them won’t earn everlasting loyalty but should keep them engaged long enough to create value.