Biz-commPulse

The fear of speaking in public is very real and many people’s biggest anxiety. Some people stop breathing, start stuttering and sweat excessively when they need to speak in front of other people. A fear of speaking in public has nothing to do with incompetence. Even people in top positions had to overcome the fear to speak in front of a large crowd of people. Some well-known public speakers still feel butterflies just before they step onto the stage, which is quite normal. I know somebody who never applied for promotion because the new position entailed speaking in public. The good news is that fear of speaking in public is only in the mind and has mainly to do with how a person thinks about him or herself when being in that position. The brain is an amazing organ with unimaginable capabilities. Neuro-programming is a powerful self-improvement technique to help you climb the corporate ladder and to adjust your brain into thinking differently. Fear of public speaking can be overco...

Rumours in the business should be managed through proper communication . As a manager you have the added responsibility to look after the communication in the business, that is to make sure that communication is coordinated, early enough, frequent and clear.  Many large businesses have communications employees to deal with the communication aspects for the business, but it ultimately remains the responsibility of the manager.  It is human nature to discuss issue with you colleagues, especially if there is uncertainty about unforeseen changes in the business or problems with employees.  But it is important to stop or prevent rumours early enough before they get out of hand, damage the reputation of the business or the morale of the employees.  What role should the manager play to put an end or prevent rumours in the business? A weekly blog on the Intranet is increasingly being used by managers worldwide to inform employees about goings-on in the business or to...

Have you received an invitation, especially on LinkedIn to evaluate one of your peers via the 360 evaluation process?  I recently accepted a colleague's invitation to be peer reviewed in this manner and in this post I want to give my honest impression of this evaluation process. But first how does it work?  It is a web-based peer evaluation system where the reviewer has to drag the 18 most positive attributes of the colleague to another box, then those most likely to be associated with the colleague, and then lastly those least likely to be associated with the colleague.  In addition you have to single out attributes needing attention.  You have to drag 18 attributes for each category and are then left with all attributes not dragged over and thus being forced to associate them with the least likely to be associated with the colleague.  The process seems quite fine until you reach the least likely category.  Even if you do not necessarily agree with...

It is true that resonance in leadership makes a difference between merely managing a business and true leadership.  The employees in businesses today differ vastly from before requiring new ways of leading to obtain results, especially because of technological innovations. Source:  Freedigitalphotos.net What is a resonant leader?  A resonant leader also inspires employees not only to find meaning in their own lives but also hope in the future.  It has more to do with the "how" of leadership and not merely the "what".   As communicated in an earlier posting, a good leader always displays emotional intelligence, considers all points of view and thus never react on emotions.  A resonant leader also displays emotional intelligence but is also excellent at inspiring employees to greater achievements through self-actualisation.  This kind of leader is good at communicating the mission and vision of the business to employees making them feel v...

Cultural intelligence refers to behaviour based on the knowledge and skills related to the cultures of employees with whom the manager interacts in the business.  This can range from language skills or other qualities such as tolerance for uncertainty or flexibility which could also be enhanced because of emotional intelligence (see my post on emotional intelligence ). Cultural intelligence is developed by learning about the beliefs, customs and even restrictions of specific cultures as well as showing an understanding of a different culture by blending in. Cultural intelligence consists of four aspects, namely linguistics, spatial, intrapersonal and interpersonal. Image Credit:  http://www.freedigitalphotos.net Linguistics refers to successfully interacting with employees from other cultures whose native language is different and thus overcoming any language barriers.  For example, learning some key words or even lingo of another language spoken by emplo...

A direct communication channel by the CEO could enhance  business communication. Image credit:  Photopin . Communication from the CEO of a business is essential for employees not only to receive direct messages from Top Management but also to understand the thinking process of those who are in charge.   A CEO weekly blog could improve communication in the business and simultaneously make the management more visible to employees which is essential for any business communication strategy to remain effective. The CEO could, for example, write to employees on a weekly basis about different topics that would be of interest to them at that specific point in time.  The blog posts could relate to important events in the business,  clarify unclear issues or  communicate essential new information, for example on being ethical. In addition interesting statistics about how the business is doing financially could also be of interest to employees.   ...

Employees generally welcome feedback from managers, not only  constructive feedback  about their own work performance, but also about any undertakings in the business which directly relate to their tasks.  Managers tend to forget that well informed employees are more productive and also focused on achieving business objectives. So what kind of  feedback should a manager give to employees? Continuous feedback to employees is important.  Picture Credit: Photopin . Feedback on work performance without discouraging the employee, thus constructive remarks to help the employee grow and prosper to the benefit of business goals.   The annual performance interview is the ideal place, but feedback could also be continuous throughout the year in less formal settings. Feedback about all activities and undertakings in the business.  Large businesses have their own public relations officers dealing with internal communication according t...

Are you an emotionally intelligent leader? Photo credit: Photobin . Are you an emotionally intelligent leader who manages your emotions and also recognizes and manages the emotions of your employees?  Or do you merely act on your feelings and regret it afterwards? Do you constantly have to apologize to your employees for being insensitive? Today having the ability to effectively communicate your emotions and to perceive and manage the emotions of your employees  is a highly desired leadership skill, a skill that can very much enhance communication in your business.  Emotionally intelligent leaders have great self awareness, can manage themselves well, possess good social skills and can also manage employee relationships.  By being aware of who they are and what their strengths and weaknesses are, unsettling emotions are controlled  before they can harm the business communication culture.   These leaders are also generally very optimistic...

Source: Freedigitalphotos.net Being a leader is not the same as being a manager.  A manager can still be a poor leader or a leader cannot be a good manager.     In an ever changing business environment, known leadership principles also constantly have to adapt with new leadership styles in addition to the old styles.  But what is leadership and what will make a good leader in 2014?  A good leader inspires other people while ruling or guiding them in the right direction.  But in a world of being connected, a good leader also provides opportunities for what is known as connective leadership .  This means that while managing and leading, the leader also provides opportunities for participation and innovation by giving employees access to experiences and knowledge to grow.   The leader of 2014 knows exactly what employees' passions are and enable them to use them to the benefit of both the business and the employees. ...

Source: Recruitingcycle.com A business is just as good as its employees and therefore managers aspire to employ only the most talented people.  Not only are talented employees appointed, but star performers are also handpicked for further improvement  of their talents to the benefit of the business through specialised training and skills development programmes. Why is it so important for a business to manage and develop the talent of its star employees? First of all it is an investment the business makes in its employees which will pay off in the long term.  It is considered a strategic advantage for the business by attaining all of its business objectives through highly skilled employees. It cultivates the loyalty of the best employees in the business because it makes them feel appreciated and rewarded to be handpicked for further training. It also improves the performance of these employees in the business as the training is usually directed link...

Leadership and communication skills are essential for the business to function well. There are several points of view about what differentiate a leader from a manager.  Many theorists suggest that a manager is more focused on systems in the business, while a leader is more focused on the workers. The ideal is that a manager should also be a good leader. There is also a difference between a leader and leadership . A leader in a business usually controls the behaviour of workers keeping in mind the mission and vision of the business.  To effectively control a business, a leader demonstrates encouraging behaviour associated with good communication skills. Leadership on the other hand implies encouraging behaviour that managers and even workers demonstrate to help workers achieve their goals and objectives. Persuading workers to do their work, giving directions and coordinating messages and actions all require excellent communication skills. Workers in senior positions ...