Business Management Secrets, Tools & Tips,

How many people do you know who that hate their jobs? How many employees fume with workplace resentments. How many complain bitterly day after day?

I hated my job for years.

But in 1974, I volunteered to work part-time in one of the most intense, yet most successful organizations on the planet. (Intense = rip-your-face-off - hang-by-the-neck-until-dead passion!)

I had agreed to participate without pay for at least 10-20 hours a week! Through leadership training, we learned leadership skills.

My mind often screamed in the back of my head, "I QUIT. Why did I ever agree to do this? I'm NEVER coming here again. That's IT! Blah, blah, blah..." (Besides, I still had my "regular 40-hour job," which I really HATED!)

How Our Completion Process Made The Difference - How It Helped Us Succeed In Business

Anyway, at the end of our "shift" we would conduct our "Completion Process."

We would hand write the answers to four questions on a simple form (shown below). Our answers told our manager what worked and what didn't work - plus project status. It took very few minutes. But sometimes I got even more upset answering these questions. Why? Because my answers seemed to magnify my inadequacies and expose my best excuses. (Often the truth hurts - but helps.)

Then, we would have a brief team meeting. We would share our wins, setbacks, upsets, acknowledgments, etc., for that day. We stood up for these meetings. And we applauded everyone's participation. Noisy and fun.

This sharing (not whining nor complaining)with our teammates was the MOST IMPORTANT part of this "Completion Process." Why? Because we "cleared the air" every day before we left.

No matter how intensely we had "played the game" that day, no matter how upset we had become, no matter whom we might have confronted in some unproductive way -- when the meeting was over, everyone was genuinely acknowledged for their contribution to the results.

And everyone left in BETTER CONDITION than when they had arrived! When I left, I was inspired and I could hardly wait to return to this intense environment.

Why? We created MIRACLES and had a BLAST doing so! This organization was different. WAY different!

Yes, some people dropped out.

But, with this training, inspiration, and my new confidence, I soon started my own company and created my perfect "job," which gave me more flexibility and time to serve without pay!

Later, when I got around to writing our Operations Manuals, I created our Employee Impact Report (EIR), which included the four questions. Here it is:

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THE EMPLOYEE IMPACT REPORT (EIR)

Each Employee will provide his/her manager with at least one Employee Impact Report per ______ to convey Employee's career and business successes for that period. Use the following questions as a guide to writing your report.

Use extra pages as required. A team meeting will follow immediately after the forms are in.

Date: ______________________________
TO: _______________________________ (Manager)
FROM: ______________________________ (Employee)

1. What project(s) am I working on and what is the status of each?

2. What results were produced - and what worked to produce those results?

3. What did not work to produce those results?

4. Comments, suggestions, communications, etc.
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Well, that's the form. Simple, eh? (I left the time period blank to allow managers some flexibility in planning.)

Try the form yourself. Expect resistance. In a coming newsletter, I will discuss a way you can effectively introduce new ideas and practices to a resistant audience.

Your meeting, if properly conducted, will clear the air.

Incidentally, the meeting should be NOT about blame, shame, guilt trips, excuses, lectures, and make-wrongs. These meetings should be about acknowledging and inspiring your team.

Make sure team members leave with a sense of accomplishment and contribution - INSPIRED to come back!

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Mike Hayden
Slightly Famous Author of
The Ultimate Career Builder: Turning Cold Jobs into Hot Opportunities

Have you experienced the frustration of watching companies sink like leaky ships? I have, too. You point to the leaks. But, their crews say, "We have no time to patch leaks. We're too busy sailing for the gold." (Good luck!)

When you lose your most valuable assets...your people... your business processes... your intellectual property, your company is like that sinking ship.

And you know you cannot sail a leaky ship . . . very far.

To develop a "seaworthy" business, you - or someone - must write stuff down! The right stuff! This helps you must build your business like a leak-proof hull. Documenting your business is the work of "business development."

But, most people HATE to write!

When business BOOMS people say:

"We don't have time to write . . . too many projects . . . it is not a priority now . . . we'll get to it later ... yada ... yada ... yada ..."

Yet, when there's a business BUST ... people always have time to write CYA Memos and resumes! The bottom line: Employees seldom write your vital business documentation!

Will your company avoid becoming a "sinking ship?"

Not if you apply the business development techniques I call "Profitable Venture Tactics" (PVT), and you will enrich your business - whether you're a small startup, a growing franchise, or a huge corporation!

Continued at Executive Summary with free 7 Minute MBA Audio and Workbook.

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Mike Hayden
Slightly Famous Author of
The Ultimate Career Builder: Turning Cold Jobs into Hot Opportunities