Approximately 55% of white collar workers take cell phone calls or emails after office hours all or some of the time, according to a BusinessWeek poll (Sug. 25, 2008).  As technology continues to expand the ease for 24-hour availability, managers and leaders must rethink the old adage: Time + Physical Presence = Results.

Employees today are demanding more freedom from the strict work shift of 9-5, or 8-6, etc... because they are always accessible by phone or the internet.  Employers struggle to provide some of that flexibility while at the same time maintaining control over customer satisfaction, performance, and profitability.

The key to placing this into balance is the development and use of key performance measurements.  Through the development of quantifiable objectives, managers will know if employees are actually working when away from the office, or merely taking advantage of their flexibility.

The measurements must be defined to the point that it actually describes the levels of achievement and success.  Said differently, each performance metric must clearly state that if this level of achievement is obtained, it is worth a "3" rating on the review.  if the achievement reaches this level, it is worth a "4."  And so on.

For more ideas on developing strong performance measurements, pick up a copy of our first book, Positioning Success, and review section 2: Recognizing People as Assets.

Robert Half Technologoes reports that 37% of polled companies had a corporate policy and software in place to prevent employees from accessing certain websites (Entrepreneur magazine, Sept. 2008), blocking inappropriate content, viruses and malware.  Some cmpanies have even moved to real time monitoring that trigger automatic notifications when employees venture beyond approved areas.

If your organization does monitor employee computer usage, it is essential employees are informed of the fact as part of their new hire process, and then reminded at least annually.  With this notification in place, it makes disciplinary action (including termination) much easier to enact.

Even though it's been a part of the American workplace for a while, the concept of a 4-day, 10-hour work week is gaining momentum as many local, state and even federal agencies are looking closely at this change to foster energy savings, eliminate unnecessary commuting, reduce road congestion, and reduce employee stress (Chicago Tribune, August 24, 2008).

Even Congress has begun examining the issue.

Companies wishing to attract younger employees have already begun to move to this work week, brushing aside concerns that such an arrangement will be a detriment to productivity and customer satisfaction.

With so much media attention, it may make sense for you and your organization to examine the appropriateness of this concept, before too many of your own employees begin to ask about its availability.  That investigation must entail how work customers can be supported all throughout the week, how to stagger staffing, which days should be mandated for full attendence, etc...

One of the reasons I enjoy reading BusinessWeek magazine is the last page column by Jack and Suzy Welch, where I usually find an interesting perspective to consider in how I approach my leadership and management duties.  Their thoughts recently on worker empowerment (August 25, 2008) are offered here for your consideration:

• Empowerment is one of those concepts that gets surrounded by more hype than honesty.  Because of that, they offer three hard facts to clarify its use:
• In normal companies, empowerment is not doled out equally--it is earned.  Managers should give their employees leeway to experiment with big, new projects, but only after they knock several smaller ones out of the park.
• People who are empowered and then fail more than once don't become pariahs, they become damaged goods. 
  with every misstep, the empowerment glow fades and few companies continue to empower them. 
• The larger the company, the less likely empowerment will occur--the exact opposite of what it should be.  Large organizations tend to be risk-adverse and keep decisions close to the top, while startups and smaller ones embrace the philosophy as a means of survival.  How ironic since it would take a very big misstep to bring down an S&P leader.

An empowered workforce can help keep your organization on the cutting edge of product and service development, as well as in delivering outstanding customer satisfaction.  It should be used, but carefully. 

If you haven't come to this conclusion yet, do so now:  Managers are NOT the only source of new ideas in an organization.  in fact, the manager's most important job is to assemble a team that can and does do that, according to Ram Charan, co-author of Execution.  He adds that if only the boss came up with new ideas, expect that event to occur maybe once every two years.  Your team, however, can easily double or triple that output.

Think of yourself as the facilitator of ideas; or better yet, a coach of ideas.

Once ideas are flowing, the second part of your job is to figure out how to implement those concepts into revenue producing goods and services.  And activities that provide nice revenues as well!

For ideas on how to facilitiate idea generation and brainstorming sessions, watch for our soon-to-be available third book, Retaining Success.

Productivity in the workplace is always a hot topic.  But wanting productivity, and then getting things done efficiently, can be two entirely different things.

 David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity, offers two major focuses with his GTD Philosophy.

1. First, he suggests dumping all of your to-dos onto paper or into a spreadsheet, and then sorting them into lists of similar tasks.  These tasks can then be prioritized, sorted, etc...  When unexpected issues arise, having all of these tasks already listed has the added bonus of freeing your attention to the new issue.
2. Second, he says when confronted with major or complex tasks, break it into smaller sub tasks or "next actions."

He adds that supporting an organized approach to productivity includes a well sorted filing system, a regular weekly review of progress on the listed tasks, and an empty email in-box.

One trick I use when managing the major tasks of my team is to place a spreadsheet on my desktop.  The spreadsheet is very simple, and includes columns for employee name, date assigned, task description, status (green, yellow, red), and then a comments box.  Everytime I have a one-on-one, or receive an update, I open up the spreadsheet, and type an additional note into the comment field (dated).  When the item is completed, I change the status field to done.

Besides allowing you to keep track of your team's (and your own) progress on major tasks, it also provides you with a complete summary of activity at review time.

Here are some interesting traits to consider as you manage your GenX and Gen Y employees (BusinessWeek, Sept. 1, 2008):

• Technology:
• Gen X: Keep it up-to-date and motivating; music at work, Blackberrys, IM and fast computers
• Gen Y: Encourage suggestions and don;t fear change; more comfortable with technology than any generation
• Compensation:
• Gen X: Be willing to negotiate; they have the experience to make themselves marketable
• Gen Y: highlight the importance of building their resume
• Collaboration:
• Gen X: Limit in-person meetings; they want alternatives like conference calls, video, and web interfacing
• Gen Y: This is the social network generation; how do you leverage them in the workplace
• Attire:
• Gen X: Give them a heads up if they should dress nicer; it won't cause tension
• Gen Y: Because they're new to the workplace, they might not know the expectations
• Work Ethic:
• Gen X: Trust them; many now have family responsibilities; increase their loyalty with flex time
• Gen Y: When fully in the work force, expect the rules changes based on productivity not face time
• Socializing:
• Gen X: Invite but don't push them to participate; they tend to dislike corporate politics
• Gen Y: Appeal to their career goals; more likely to attend networking events
• Corporate Loyalty:
• Gen X: Limit bureaucracy; provide access to information and resources without excessive meetings
• Gen Y: They tend to job hop, especially if they think they are being judged on seniority

ATHENAPowerLink is just one of only 27 organizations nationwide geared towards provinding mentoring to women business owners.  Program director Jasmine Moore says that mentored companies "must be open to advice."  She looks for companies poised for growth and whose owners are proactive about seeking advice.

Acceptance into the program, which accepts only six to eight businesses ayear, is far from automatic, according to Jim Kendall, of 121 Marketing Resources.  Applicants must have clearly defined goals and a willingness to accept and act upon advice.

For more information, go to www.athenafoundation.org.  Other questions can be directed to Jim Kendall at jkendall@121marketingresources.com.

Innovative companies usually outperform both the S&P Global 100 and S&P 500 indexes, according to BusinessWeek (June 16, 2008).  some of those top companies include (with stock return):

• Microsoft, 12%
• Apple, 83%
• Nokia, 35%
• Research in Motion, 51%
• Google, 53%
• Hewlatt-Packard, 35%
• Nintendo, 77%
• Sony, 17%
• Toyota, 15%,
• Honda, 14%
• BMW, 11%
• Amazon, 28%
• Boeing, 21%
• Proter & Gamble, 12%

For strategies on how to brain storm within your organization, see our soon to be released third book, Retaining Success.  Watch our Home Page for information.

While working as part of the HQ team responsible for the efforts of a 2,000-person field team, we learned first hand the value of what John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, said recently (Spirit magazine, June 2008):

"When I visit stores, I don't criticize anything.  That's for other people to do.  I'm there to connect with team members on an emotional level."

Our national team was continuously on the road visiting stores, traveling with District Managers to as many as 10 to 12 stores over a two day period.  Long days, brutal drives, and late nights.  In the beginning, we would point out every problem seen so that by the time we headed back to HQ, our field managers had their heads spinning.

But we soon changed our tune and instead engaged in more positive mentoring and coaching, rather than commendation.  This approach saw much quicker improvement with performance, and it helped mold a more cohesive and loyal team.  In fact, the field managers began to see such value in these visits, they complained that we were not out there enough.

John Mackey has it right.  Connecting with epople comes from an emotional connection--one that thrives on positive coaching and support.  How does your organization function in this area?

There's the way it's always been done.  Then there's the way that takes advantage of current perspectives and trends.  What path does your organization follow as it executes strategy?

Take the case of Hasbro, which learned a lesson in the way it handled its online version of Scrabble. 

Facebook had been featuring a digital knockoff version of Hasbro's game Scrabble, calling it Scrabulous.  Hasbro sued Facebook to remove the knockoff, which was being used daily by over 500,000 people (BusinessWeek, Aug. 18, 2008).  Hasbro's replacement version, seen as a clunky and slower version of Scrabulous, has only seen about 89,000 daily users.  And Hasbro's official version is now facing a rival called Wordscrapper that already has 68,000 daily users.

What this example shows is how Hasbro underestimated the power of social networking.  The digital knockoff had revived interest in a stagnant product.  Instead of embrassing this by utilizing online ad for revenue over subscription rights, Hasbro missed the mark and built up bad will from an entire generation of new users instead of establishing its name as a leader in digital gaming.

Hasbro now concedes it missed the mark on dealing with the internet and the power of social networking.  It is now working on free versions of some of its other prominent games, such as Boggle, Battleship, and Yatzee, and its plans to gain income through ads asscoiated with the site.

Are there lessons here that your organization can learn?

When marketing the advantages of your organization over your competitors, know that conversations about your people, your workflows and your products and services are not enough to show a differentiation.  People come and go and replacements can be trained to continue your company's mission. Workflows can be created, enhanced, and even adapted from elsewhere.  Over time, every one of your "unique" products or services can be offered by other companies.

What really defines an organization's uniqueness, however, is its culture.  This is what defines your organization's personality and the shared ideas of "how things getdone around here," according to TheLadders.com (Feb. 27, 2008).  Corporate culture is abroad term that encompasses how employees think, act, feel and behave.  It describes unique beliefs and behavior of a company and it includes the organization's core values, mission, ethics, and rules of behavior.

Corporate culture is important because it affects the hours employees work, how people interact with each other (or don't), how they dress, benefits offered, office layout, training, and professional development, says Randi Bussin, a 25-year veteran of career coaching and founder of Aspire!.

One important factor about your organization's culture is in how it attracts or repells new employees or prospective new business.  here are some ways you can begin to assess your organization's existing culture:

1. What three words would you use to describe your organization?
2. What is the organization's stated set of cultural values?  Is this evident from the mission statement?
3. Describe the work environment?  Are frowns commonplace or is there a sense of comaraderie?
4. What is the organization's bent towards education and professional development?
5. What types of employment achievements are recognized by the organization?
6. What types of sponsorships or philanthropic activities does the organization participate in?

If you take the perspective that people are an organization's most important asset, than its culture becomes the true barometer of how well the organization lives up to that belief. 

American workers have created such a dependence on email that they have subsequently created an anxiety laden workplace that affects the ability to focus, diminishes productivity and threatens family bonds, according to an article on ChicagoTribune.com (July 31, 2008).

Many pundits are calling email the monster that is threatening to ruin American lives.  "It chases you," said Natalie Firstenberg, an LA therapist.  "There are no business hours."  Timithy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, worries that email simulates forward motion but doesn't necessarily create action.  "Email is used as a self-validation tool by people to procrastinate and to recreate activity versus productivity," he said.

This perspective becomes critical during this season of summer vacations as large numbers of "knowledge workers" struggle with the issue of bringing their BlackBerries along for the trip, debating the two-edge sword of ignoring email while gone and facing a tsunami of inbox items upon return, or spending time each day staying abreast of the tide.

Consider these facts: 38% of office workers' time is spent on email, according to RescueTime, while NY research firm Basex found that electronic interruptions from Spam, unnecessary email and instant messaging takes up 28% of the average knowledge workers' day.

Besides the drain on productivity email appears to be causing, a deeper problem is that it is also overloading people with more information than they can probably handle.  This in turn is causing more surface skimming of issues, and preventing deep dive investigations that can create knowledge or creative advancements, says Maggie Jackson, author of Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age.

A new software industry has sprung up to soften this problem, creating programs that can screen email, or batch them during critical times to prevent them from poping onto your screen as they arrive.  Some programs even send out automated messages to let senders know at what points each day people will be reviewing their inboxes.  (Two programs to consider might be ClearContext and Xobni.)

As with all workplace processes, the solution lies with understanding the critical pieces of information each person within your workflows requires in order to provide customer satisfaction, and to safeguard those pathways either through time management training, software blocking aids, or changes to process flows.  Our first and third books in the Success Series can help you.  Positioning Success can now be ordered fromour Home page, and Retaining Success will soon be avialable.

In today's uncertain economy, many leaders are facing the tough decision of reducing its staff.  If layoffs are your best option, then do it right, according to Guy Kawasaki (Entrepreneur magazine, August 2008) by following his guidelines:

• Take responsibility.  Ultimately it is the CEO's responsibility to make the cuts, so don;t blame it on the board.  have the courage to live up to your decision.
• Cut deep and cut once.  Don;t expect a miracle to come and prevent rounds 2, 3 and 4 of more cuts.  Multiple cuts cripple your team's morale, and quickly diminishes your credibility.  A better message will be: "Crisis over, we're hiring again!"
• Move fast.  One hour after your management team discusses layoffs, the company will know something is happening.  Once popel sense the sword is coming, productivity drops like a rock.
• Clean house.  A layoff is a good time to eliminate marginal employees.
• Provide support.  Usually the people getting laid off are not at fault.  provide counselling where appropriate, even if it is simply career help.
• Don't let people self select.  If you allow folks to choose to be laid off or retire early, you lose control of which people leave.  You could lose key talent.  You make the decision.
• Circulate.  After the deed is done, do not hide behind your office door and stop answering email.  This is the time to motivate by walking around.

If you need to hire someone, beware.  CareerBuilder.com reports that 49% of hiring managers have found lies on applicant resumes.  While down from 57% in 2006 (BusinessWeek, Aug. 4, 2008), this issue is still troublesome.  Of the discrepencies found:

• Exaggerated job responsibilities: 38%,
• Exaggerated skills: 18%,
• Unearned academic degrees: 10%, and
• Inflated job titles: 5%.

For some strategies to use when hiring, examine our first book, Positioning Success, and its second section entitled: Recognizing People as Assets.