Business and Money Tips

Yes, managing a sales team is not the same as managing the operations team. Salespeople that got promoted into sales managers may not know how to manage salespeople effectively. This is because  salespeople are not normal employees . They cannot be controlled, coerced or managed like anyone. There are 5 things to know to manage sales people: 1.  It is NOT all about Hitting Targets Many people think that if we hit targets, we are doing well.  Unknown to many, hitting targets is easy.   It is  how  they hit the targets that makes the difference.  Do they hit targets in ways that enhance future business, or do they hit targets in ways that create bad debts?  Do they hit targets with good teamwork, or are they just lone wolves? 2. Is Your High Performer Earning More than the Boss? When you have a high performing salesperson earning more than his boss, you know your company will go far.  The opposite is true 3. Are L...

It starts with your values - do you instill values of team rewards, problem solving and caring? There is no difference in managing a small team or big team, the basic principles are the same: Never Manage People like Your Children , instead care for them as if they were your children  In dealing with conflicts, always look at common interests , not different positions It's better to have weekly gathering or meetings, even if there is no issue to discuss. Fellowship is important for bonding   Whenever people become complacent, introduce competition in the team. Competition makes people better and gives the young ones equal chance of success  A good manager leads by inspiration , not instructions  Leadership is not about who has the authority, but who people go to whenever they are stuck. The problem is most managers don't know or don't care if their team members are stuck  When you have a team of high performers, you either promote them fast or they ...

Ask anyone why they queued up for 10 hours under the hot sun just to catch a 10 seconds glimpse of the late Lee Kuan Yew when his body lied in state at Parliament House 2 weeks ago, they will say, "Because we like him" Ask your staff why they are so hard working posting pictures on Facebook when they don't get paid for that, they will say, "Because people click 'like'" Ask employees why they stay in the company for so long despite better opportunities elsewhere, they will say, "Because we like the environment here". Indeed the most important element in people management and leadership is 'Like" and not "Pay". When people like you, they will do whatever you say, even though what you said may not be what they like. When they like you, there is question of loyalty: because they will stick with you forever. When they like you, pay is less important. Because the managers not just pay people money but p...

‘THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF MARKETING’ book  written by Al Ries and Jack Trout is a wonderful book. I realise that we too can apply the laws to management.  In fact the world's 2 most preferred employers Google and Facebook use many of these 8 laws:  1.       Law of Leadership  – Be a Good Leader first then be a Good Manager. (Be a better manager in 4 weeks at here ) 2.       Law of Mind  –  it’s better to be the first in the mind than to be the first in the marketplace .   Once a mind is made up, it rarely changes.   So make a strong name in your people's minds that you are an Effective Manager (details at here ).  3.       Law of Perception  – management is  not a battle of ideas  but a  battle of perceptions .  All ideas is relative.   Management is a  manipulation of perceptions .  Make sure your people perceive you to be ...

Everyone say they work for money, but if you ask them will they work for money if their boss is a jerk, most will say no.  Obviously there are many things worth more than money.  A smart boss will give these to them, simply because they are costless but are perceived as priceless to the receiver. These 7 Invaluable Non-Monetary Treasures include: Recognition for not just achievements but hard work done .  Many bosses only recognize people when they hit the targets, but given the tough business environment that we are in, people will feel de-motivated if they work hard and fail to hit the targets.  That's why a smart boss always recognize people with simple words like, " Thanks for the hard work " coupled with a smile Sense of Belonging .  People want to feel that they belong to something more than just colleagues, their organization must stand for something and they must feel that they belong there and are not just work for money. The most effective way to...

You may wonder: I am a professional manager, what has love got to do with my work? As we know, a manager is only good if he can get good people to work for him and get good people to stay .  Often companies are caught in a vicious circle: they need to hire people quickly to replace the loss of good people.  Once people come in, they are given everything (money, power, fame, position, responsibility and stress) except one thing: love .  As a result, good people leave them fast and they are soon caught in busy trend: hiring.   Of course you could say that everyone in your industry is facing the same problem, this country has labour shortage, right?  It is not your fault as your company's salary is already very competitive.  Being a responsible manager, you know you have to do something to stop this.  Now there is a new strategy to do this: using Love.  Because if you don't love them, you'll lose them.  To many people, love is a dirty wor...

* Next Sun Tzu Art of War for Leadership is on 17 March 2015 Tuesday 9 am to 1 pm.  Details at here Sun Tzu is the one that truly understands war. He said that because war is expensive, we must avoid war at all cost. That's why he advocates Strategy and not Force.  The highest strategy is to win without fighting. What does this means in People Management and Human Resource Management?  (How to Be a Better Manager is here ) 1. Salary Instead of paying top salaries, we attract talents to join us by giving them attractive incentives, fast career growth, solid training and love and care. 2. Self Management Because management is expensive, we empower people so that they can do more and be responsible for their own results. In this way there is no need for a manager or supervisor as each staff runs as though he is running his own business. 3. KPIs Sun Tzu is all about planning your strategies and adapting them to the situation. So is KPIs - Key Performance Ind...

If you are like most managers, you would probably find that you are lacking in certain skills. This lack is causing you delay in your career growth. Worst of all, your boss expects you to know all and your subordinates are watching you every day.    The truth is that most managers and supervisors are promoted based on their technical skills, and yet it is the managerial and leadership skills that will make them more successful. In this Power-packed How to Be a Better Manager or Supervisor program, you will learn proven strategies to improve presentation, negotiation, and how you can manage your team & boss. Focused around Asia Coaching Training coaching and training materials used in 39,871 companies worldwide since 1993, you will find the strategies you need to implement significant changes in your career.  The 4 key areas covered are People Management, Teambuilding, Leadership and Communication.  This management development program is for managers, b...

In Bangkok Thailand Feb 2012 training 24 managers of a MNC Successful managers use a very effective management tactic that wins people over easily. This tactic is actually a process that manages people without managing .   This is because a good manager never managers anyone, he simply  creates the conditions for people to manage themselves.     Transformational Leadership (TL) is the latest buzzword in management.   This is how works: You find out what are the goals of people You share with them the goals of your organization You link how achieving the organization's goals will achieve their individual's goals You show them the step-by-step pathways to achieving the 2 goals, plus you offer assistance and coaching.   You see, when you do the above, you are not telling people that they must achieve your organization's goals.  You're  helping your people to achieve their own goals.   Asking questions helps you to find out w...

I am always amazed that even in 2014, there are some people who still manage people like in the past. The following are the Top 5 Most Common Myths and Truths of People Management: Myth 1: You need money to motivate people Truth: Accomplishment itself is a bigger motivator , and if you use money alone, you’ll get greedy people! Look at those people cheat at mega banks and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Myth 2: You must push people to achieve Your Company's Goals  Truth: People are pushed by their own commitment than your goals. If their commitment is aligned with your goals, your goal setting will work. Otherwise, it will simply not work. Myth 3: People need to be managed and controlled  Truth: You only can manage space, time and resources. You don’t manage people, you lead people. Myth 4: Increasing sales and profits are clear goals that everyone can relate to Truth: People relate more to something bigger that matters and make a difference , like being able t...

Human beings like to fight even though they know very well from past history that fighting never work for any parties.  Just look at the devastation World Wars I and II and the on-going wars today and you'll realize how silly we are. Psychologists said that fighting is an animal instinct, for people have this scarcity mentality and they are too attached to the notion of having things and that's why we cannot let go. Yet wisdom from over 2,000 years of ancient civilisation including Sun Tzu Art of War, Zhuang Zi, Confucius, Lao Zi and Sidharta Gotama 'Pali Canon' told us that at the end of the day, the winner is the one that wins EVEN WHEN HE DOESN'T FIGHT .  In fact smart companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google and Apple know and practised these No-War Strategies.  In particular, Facebook is a latecomer in social media but they did not go out to fight head-on with pioneers like MySpace and Friendster.  Instead Facebook created a perfect photo-sharing and time-l...

We know that things come about on their own.  Once we have done our work, we can leave the law of nature to deliver the results.  But you must first do your work, like plant the right seeds and provide the right soil and environment so that your tree can grow easily. Same as in management of people.  The seeds you plant today will grow into bountiful trees tomorrow.  You plant seeds by putting in the right systems so that your people can grow from the systems.  Your  systems should not inhibit growth.  For example, if your remuneration system rewards everyone the same regardless of their contributions, good people will not grow. There are 7 Ways that You Can Make Your People Grow Faster: Give them a Clear Sense of Direction of Where Your Company is Going Let them Set their Own Goals on When and How They Can Achieve the Company's Directions Your Remuneration System should be 70% Fixed and 30% Variable so that there is sufficient motivati...

We all know how hard it is to find a  good boss.  If you happen to be one, you can do the following 5 things that will make all your  employees  want to work for you without remuneration: Believe in them .  This must be the biggest reward for any person, for we often see doubters but hard to find people who truly believe in us. You believe that they can do beyond what you’re seeing now, that they are self-directed and can be trusted at all times. Such strong faith will turn all ordinary employees into extra-ordinary employees. Train them . Yes,  training  is considered a luxury in many smaller companies but all big MNCs over-train people. The 3 most important skills that you should equip your staff include  communication skills ,  people management skills  and  leadership skills . You must train people without condition.   Do not demand that they must return the benefits to the company, for doing so is ...

As we know, Sun Tzu does not advocate a martinet-style of leadership. Instead, he states that a leader must be strong enough to executive the strategy in the organization. On the other hand, the leader must also be confident and trusting enough to allow his team to carry out the strategy successfully.  It is thus both HARD and SOFT: Hard on the Problem Soft on the People .  There are 5-Ways to Sun Tzu Leadership: Build Your Character, not just Your Image .  To Sun Tzu, a leader must be courageous, sincere and yet humane. But a leader must always  appear to be in control  of the situation, exuding confidence and assurance at all times. This confidence is not a facade, but based on true inside confidence. In short,  if the leader has even one doubt, his followers will have several . Lead with Actions, Not Just Words .  The best way to show your character is not to talk about it, but set the example. Talk is cheap.  You should ne...

As we know, management is an art and not a science, and the best managers do not manage at all, for they make people better than themselves .   I follow the 8-Path Wisdom in Management as follows, using how to ensure people hit their targets as a case study:  Right Understanding Do we have the right understanding on the reasons for people not hitting their targets?  Is it due to lack of skills, motivation or attitude? Right Intent Is hitting targets our intention?  Or making people perform at the highest level possible our intent? Right Action What is the Right Action to Take if Lack of Skills is the reason for people not performing at the right level?  Let's say it is weekly training, plus monthly new challenges.  Right Effort What is the most positive action, every day, in both ourselves and our team?  How can we engage our people so that their  efforts becomes more effective? ...