1. Different styles of leadership
You probably know that there are different styles of leadership; but, do you know what yours are? Can you point to specific instances when you chose to exercise one instead another? Chances are that you do what feels comfortable to you, regardless of the circumstances. Have you ever thought about why this is the case?
And here’s something else to think about. As a leader, do your followers do so willingly, or do you have to coerce them? Do they want to follow you because they believe in you and what you’re trying to accomplish, or do they do so because they’re afraid not to. There’s a monumental difference between the two.
I can help you think through these questions so that you can discover the reasons for your behaviour and those around you. Together, we can create solutions that will help you get the results that you want.
2. Interpersonal communication skills
Do you want to have fun at work, or is fun something you look for after you get off work? Well, those who are about 45 years old or less think that there’s no reason why they can’t enjoy themselves in both places. How do you feel about this? Do you share their views, or do you think that they just don’t understand the real world?
What about joking around; you know, a bit of banter? Is that something that you allow or even encourage? Do you do it, or do you frown on those that do? It makes a difference, you know?
Can you take a joke yourself? Do you engage in poking fun at your subordinates, and do you let them do that to you? Is what’s good for the goose, also good for the gander?
I don’t know about you, but given a choice I’d rather have fun while at work. We spend enough time there. Why not enjoy it? As long as the work gets done, who cares if we have some fun along the way?
I have a fairly unique combination of experience. I grew up in the US, but have lived in Europe for more than 30 years. I understand how the English-speaking world thinks and behaves, and what they think of each other. If you work in a multi-national or have multi-national teams, then I can help you create solutions that will give them a better understanding of you and each other, and that will make them productive as a result.
3. Employable
Have you ever been laid off? Have you ever thought about why some people can keep working in a bad economy while others can’t? Have you ever wondered why others can find work quickly, while others struggle to do so? It’s not due to dumb luck. It’s because some people are employable, and it’s being employable that enables them to keep their jobs or find work again.
Are you employable? It’s an important question that you can't afford to disregard. Even if you’ve never considered it, you need to, because if nothing else, your boss has.
What does it mean to be employable? It means that you contribute more value to the company that pays you than it costs it to obtain it another way. If the reverse is true, then you’re not employable. But, there’s more to it than that. You have to be able to contribute a lot more value in the medium term; not just a little bit, because for the first few months, you probably will be unable to give more than they need to spend while you learn the ropes. So you can see that it’s something of a gamble for whoever hires you.
In order to become employable, you have to change the way you think about the workplace and how you fit into it. When I was writing our book, I studied this phenomenon is quite a bit of detail. If you’d like to know more about how you can become employable, then contact me.
4. Retaining talent
I’m sure you already know that retaining talent is the most difficult thing you face. There just doesn’t seem to be enough people who are really capable to go around. Do you know why that is? More than that, do you know what you can do about it?
What would you do if you had to make do with the people you already had, and what would you do if your best people left? Have you ever thought about this?
What if we could change your situation altogether and make retaining talent easy? Would you be interested? If so, contact me so that we can discover the solutions together.
5. Independent contractor
If you’re already an independent contractor, thinking about starting your own business, or just want to make some money from a hobby, one of the most useful things you can do is to develop a business plan. It doesn’t have to be fancy or filled with a lot of flowery language. All it has to do is describe what, why and how you’re going to do what you do to create and sell your products and services.
The challenge for most people, however, is that they don’t even know where to begin. As a result, such a plan not only is never written, many important things are never really thought about until they become necessary. And, when that happens, decisions often have to be made on the fly, whatever the consequences.
I’ve written about a dozen business plans from scratch. This has meant that I’ve needed to know what questions to ask so that an independent contractor could discover the flaws in his or her thinking. If you would like to have someone to help you find a solution through this minefield, then contact me.
