Eagle Enterprise!

The importance of how to be a better team contributor plays a very important role in restoring peace and harmony in the workpalce. In order for one to be considered as a team player, one needs to be open for collaboration. You need to practice the old adage stating, two heads are better than one. If everyone is a team player, goals and objectives set by any organization or department can easily be attained. Following what your leader says and cooperating with your team mates is not enough. Below are things that one need to follow on how to be a better team contributor.

You can be a better team player if you try to improve your social skills. If your goal is to foster a harmonious team environment, you need to socialize and interact with your colleagues at work. Development of social skills varies from one person to another. Just remember that team needs interaction and what better way on how to be a better team contributor than by enhancing your social skills. As a member of the team, you need to know what your role and responsibility is. Find out what are the tasks which are assigned to you. Be initiative enough to contribute especially if you know that it can help the team.

To be a better team contributor, you need to listen and learn from others. If someone possesses skills and expertise about a certain subject, take some time to listen and learn from what they have to say. You also need to be willing to share what you know. Learn from your coworkers in the same way that they will learn from you too. Never be intimidated with your knowledge, never hold them back. Who know, your little idea maybe the solution that the whole team has been waiting to hear.

Communication is a very effective tool on how to be a better team contributor. Speak your mind and do it in a clear, concise and proper way. Do not give out vague instructions. Do not expect your team mates to read between the lines. Do not say blue when you mean red. Say what you mean, just make sure you don’t sound rude or offensive. Bear in mind that confusion is a result of miscommunication or incomprehensible messages passed on from one team member to another.

People say that familiarity breeds contempt. But there are times when it breeds love as well. Imagine going in the same place everyday and sittings right beside a very attractive co-worker for eight hours. Who wouldn’t fall in love under such circumstance? In cases where office romance is bout to bloom, it is best to keep things in secret. Most especially if you work at a company that prohibits romantic workplace relationship. But in times where resisting the feeling may not be your best option, the next best thing that you can do is to keep it among you and your mate.

One best way to keep co workers from noticing any workplace relationship among you and your lover is by simply not talking about it. After all it is about your personal life, you have the right to keep it to yourself. If someone asks about your love life, try to give vague answer. You are free to admit that you are indeed seeing someone just do not go into details as it might endanger your professional life. Another way to avoid people from noticing any office romance that is happening among you and any co worker is by keeping up appearances.

Do not do something that will spark people’s curiosity. If you are close friends before the relationship, maintain that level of friendliness. Acting weird may get a nosy co worker to notice something odd about you and your actions towards one another. When you are at work, focus your attention at whatever is it that you are doing. There are times that when you are dating someone, you unconsciously look at that person. This is why in any secret workplace relationship, it is best to keep your eyes in its proper place. If you and the one that you are dating are in the same team or department, maintain professionalism. As much as possible, avoid being the object of mockery. Treat the person that you are dating in the same way that you would treat other coworkers.

The cream of the crop is what everybody wants. It doesn’t matter what type of business you own, whether it’s a retail store, a law firm or fast food chain. Getting top talents to work for you is a sure way of enhancing your business. Why settle for a mediocre secretary who is slow at typing when you can have the best typist in town. If your goal is to hire the best of the best, you need to know the basics of getting top talents. If you want to have access to fresh and top talents, be sure to make your company’s culture attractive.

Take care of your employees. Be sure to give them the benefits and everything that they deserve. During the hiring process, put all cards on the table so that no time is wasted and everything is clear. One best way in getting top talent is by being flexible. For instance you have hired a top talent but he ends not fit for a particular position, be straight in telling it to that employee and find other position that will fit his talents and skills best. You can also adopt an open door policy. To bring out the best in your workers, challenge them periodically.

In most companies where a lot of talented and highly qualified individuals are vying for a position, the culture of hard work and creativity are pushed to the limit. In getting top talents, you need to treat every possible candidate in the same way that you would treat a regular and valued employee. It does not matter whether the applicant gets to have the job. The moment you treat them right, word will spread about your excellent treatment. People who heard about it will be more than willing to apply in your company.

Working in a place where humor is present can be exciting. One can work in sync to everybody else if workplace is fun-filled. Imagine a workplace where people are too serious that when you crack a joke, nobody laughs or you are stretching your precious time with too much stress and nobody’s breaking the ice. This can be pretty devastating. You will then come to a point that you dread every morning you go to work. You even dread every morning you hear your alarm clock. But of course work should be taken seriously and beating deadlines as well.

The product of an enjoyable and joyful workplace is that in high spirits; workers are more loyal and productive. The malingering and tardiness rate may decrease as people look forward to going to work. The proceeds rate may reduce, as workers feel satisfied and loyal to an association. And the cost linked with ill health may decline as people experience the optimistic physiological and psychological effects of mirth. Company activities can educate employees how working together as a team can be fun and productive. Some of the spirited natures can work itself out on a co-ed field. To sum it all up, leaders can be seen also as team players, who can relax and enjoy life and others as well.

The use of fun and humor in the workplace must be appropriate in nature, when and how it is used. The humor should not be unpleasant to the normal or sensible person. It is meant to give self-confidence to people to see the irrationality in our thought processes, perceptions, and behaviors. It is also a helpful instrument that can be used to help us lighten up and not take things so seriously. It can also successfully lessen the level and strength of disagreement among employees, if appropriately used.

Life’s too short to be serious all the time. Think Laughter.

There is certain degree of being difficult in each one of us. Some have it well concealed, unleashing it on rare occasion. Still others, despite best efforts at self-control, are just simply difficult to handle. Worst is, we can find them everywhere: workplace, malls and worse even at our very own home. Difficult people come in a different presentation; dealing with them makes it more challenging.

The Know-It-Alls are typically arrogant and usually have an opinion on every issue. When they’re wrong, they get defensive; Passives never offer ideas or let you know where they stand. They’re just there for the day. The Dictators on the other hand often times bully and intimidate others. They’re constantly demanding and brutally critical. Nothing is ever right for the Gripers; they prefer complaining to finding solutions. The “Yes” People most of the times agree to any commitment, yet rarely deliver. You can’t trust them to follow through. The “No” People will likely to point out why something won’t work. Worse, they’re inflexible. They are often called the pessimist.

The difficult part is how to handle them when they happen to be in your workplace. They’re the people you work with, sell to or depend on. Often times, you may need them as your business grows.  People with extreme talent on people handling do this job. They can be supervisors, team leads or managers. It’s good when you have this people. What if you don’t? They are seminars and team building activities in the market today to do the job. Seminars vary on pricing and location. Some offers overnight or weeklong activities. I came across reading an article regarding team building activity. This brilliant idea has one goal: to bring out the camaraderie of workers while solving the problem internally. A weekend activity will bring out the best on each of the workers as they build a certain bond. Getting to know your workers and them to you and on a personal level will be a best idea. I believe in fun at work mentality. When one is having fun at work, they will love what they do consequently giving you the best output. They will therefore grow as your company grows.

As the basic part of our social being, networking has transmuted dramatically over the years. Internet has played a big role for this. In the business world, they call it the “poor man’s ad”. Businesses all over the world have been using networking to advertise their products or services. True the old cliché. Obviously advertising can cost a lot these days from TV, radio, internet to newspapers and magazine.

In business world, networking is a marketing strategy by which business breaks are created through association business inclined people. By this method, allows one businessman to build new business relationship and generate business opportunities at the same time. You may often wonder why business trips are very important to all business man. This is because out of the meeting, there’s a big possibility to build a new network of business opportunities. This is why top caliber companies spend big money investing on to networking. As an example, a monthly business conference/seminar is of the highest priority to some companies since the purpose of exchanging business leads/referrals with fellow members will lead to a fruitful business partnership/ relationship someday.

Networking is everywhere. There is a small networking conducted in our very own office and on a larger scale, business networking for big guns. Internet availability has created a big turn of event to networking. There are social media everywhere research says the average human being spend about 20-40 minutes of their time on the internet to build their social empire and to take pleasure in selecting what platform to use to build their network across the globe for personal or for business proposes.

I guess what makes us different for all other species is that we have to the power to think on a most logical way, the power of will and of course, being sociable to the rest of our kind. That is why we tend to socialize and mingle to extend our network. The play/film six degrees of separation speaks about how networking can change the world and the way we see things. I personally believe that it only takes 6 people for me to meet the person or the group of people I need to share my interests with.

What is your prospecting program? Many companies have invested a huge amount of money to their sales arm since sales arm brings in the dough. There are hundreds of sales training, sales seminars out there and if your prospecting program needs enhancement to boost more sales, here’s what you need: a fresh perception.

Build relationships/network.

I was once a sales representative. When I was starting a career in sales, my view of prospecting was all about cold call selling but I learned it was far from truth. When prospecting, you goal should not be limited to closing a sale in one sitting. Nothing beats a qualified sales lead, which simply means one thing: try to begin building a qualified database consequently having the opportunity to build a good relationship to your prospects and potential clients or customers.

Be persistent.

Okay, not everybody’s happy about being persistent but it’s not a bad idea at all. The key is to be persistently firm. It opens you to the door of overflowing opportunity. Prospective clients will know the difference between insolence and pure prospecting. They know what you are trying to bridge and you will be rewarded, eventually.

The Script

Many of sales reps have a similar dilemma. To use or not to use a script for fear of sounding too canned in their sales approach. Sales reps have only one goal:  how to sound completely original and spontaneous and the thought of using a script will not going to help them. Far from truth again; in fact, using a script is one useful trick. Use it as your outline to direct your conversation. That way, your prospect will have a good judgment about you being sincere enough, at the end of the line.

Expect Rejection.

Whether you love what you do or not, whether you are good at it or just starting things, you’re going to experience rejection when prospecting. Remember one thing: it’s all about work; work means nothing personal and don’t let it get you down. Tomorrow’s another day.

So you are running your home based business instead of being employed to your usual nine to five job.  Now you are reaping the fruits of your hard work and countless sleepless nights of planning and here comes the biggest question of all: how to keep simple bookkeeping and understanding the IRS? You have to remember that all income earned from working at home is still regarded as a taxable income by the IRS. Here are a few tips to help out with your dilemma.

Keep an accurate record of your income and expenses in order to find out whether or not you will have to pay Self employment tax on whatever you make. Keeping a record for your home based business income is very simple.  Accounting software is by chance the holy grail of bookkeeping but can be pretty expensive. Prices may vary from brand name and manufacturer and developers. Free accounting software is available, but usually with limited functionality. An upgrade will cost you though. Other software , like Quickbooks, offer great business tracking.

Keep a simple log book or an excel spreadsheet will do. Keep all the receipts and invoices for you to have an ease of tracking your cash flow. However, if you are hiring someone to keep records of your income and expenses from your business, those fees are tax deductible. There are many people who offer home based back office accounting work- virtually. This can be your best decision since hiring someone adept to do the job can save you stress, beneficial to both parties and convenient. You need to be very careful on choosing one though since back office accounting, both virtually and just around town can be a pretty fragile subject. Look around for a good deal.

Keep track of everything. From postage, mileages (business trips) training materials expenses, business related seminars and networking opportunities to your staff (regardless of what kind of contract you are both into (hourly, monthly or per project basis) office supplies like Paper, ink, envelopes as well as office equipment and furniture are also tax-deductible business expenses even for  home based businesses .

They say leadership is taught in school. I say, based in experience, not true at all. There are two kinds of people in this harsh world: the follower and the leader. A person running for Presidency may have the best credential there is plus good leadership skills can run a country and his future constituents. A person running for Presidency minus good leadership skills can bring chaos to a nation.

Leadership can come in different ways, different wrappings. One can be a leader for 12 million people and one can also be a leader of 15. You see, leadership is not measured on how many people you have. It is gauged on the yield of the team. I never, by chance tried running for Presidency, however, I was once a leader and I want to share with you my joy, pain, downtime and victory on how we started developing a Team.

The “us” mentality. Never by chance use a superiority complex on your team. To be honest, a leader is synonymous to being the “servant”, “confidante”, “mother”, “big brother” ,”referee”, “the judge” . True to the cliché; “big command comes with big responsibility”. One has to balance everything, make sure that everything is in order, everything is running up and good and everybody is in good shape. After all, it’s not YOU but the teamwork that will matter at the end of the day.

Team player? Yes, what you need are team players not stars in your team. How mold your members to be players? The answer is simple: act as one. Play the game. Dive into everything there is to be done, immerse into the core mission of the team. Play hard. Take the lead. They will follow you. Trust me.

Fair is fair and be firm about it. Treat everyone in the team fairly. If one calls in sick, don’t panic. Remember you were part of a team before and you are dealing with people and they get sick too. Make it a point when you excuse one member of the team, you give the same favor to the rest of the team as well. Set rules and practice it.

Respect begets respect. Show everyone that you respect yourself and on whatever you to. If there’s respect, there is integrity in whatever aspect in the team. If you want your team member to respect you, show everyone that you respect them too.

Reward them. Pay back the team for a job well done. After all, your success depends on your team and theirs depend on you as well. I guess the core decree on how to develop a good team knows the cycle of a give and take relationship. Treat them a good meal. Buy them frappe or macchiato; organize a team building activity or a simple pat on the back will do.

So you have decided to start a home- based business. The deal is ready to kick off and your staff is good to go. No more boss to deal with, no more call time and the best part is: you are the boss! Always remember that controlling a home-based business means the union of your work and the rest of your everyday life. With these two located in only one place, you must come up with new set of rules so you won’t be putting one aspect in a hardnosed situation. Imagine you need to cook for kids but you need to send fax to a client. Or you need to walk your dog and you have a phone appointment at the same time.

Here are some useful tips to help you focus more on your business, ensure productivity without sacrificing your personal life.

Location, location, location. Remember to locate your home office where you can get enough light and air. If possible, choose a non distractive location like kitchen pathway, main door, playroom (if you have kids) and back door. Avoid places that likely to create traffic inside the house. Nothing beats a comfortable working space.

Choose wisely. Invest on good quality office furniture. A swivel chair for example can be pretty expensive but will give you the best comfort there is then why settle for a simple coffee chair? Put in mind that you will spend 8-16 hours sitting and brainstorming to formulate new ideas for a more productive business so choose furniture that can give you comfort and less stress.

The minimalist in you. Keep things you only need. This is to avoid distraction while you are working. Why pile unnecessary folders you don’t need? Scattered paper clips, stationeries and staple wires can give you a lot of stress. After all, it’s not healthy to work in a cluttered area. This will greatly influence your daily output. Clean up!

Inspire yourself. In whatever we do, unavoidable stressors knock in, things get rough (especially for new businesses) and sometimes, the I-want-to-get-out-of-here moment comes along. Don’t be dismay. After all, this is your long term dream. You don’t want to put everything to waste do you? Inspire yourself. Remember though, that you don’t have a supervisor to pat you back to move forward. You are literally on your own now. Put a picture of a loved one nearby, a picture or a city that you have wanted to visit or a relaxing painting. These will help you remind that there are things needed to work on.

Best of luck!