http://bluedot.co.nz/ Blue Dot Ltd Articles http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=11565 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=11565 No business can become #1 by being all things to all people - it's important to find the unique value that it alone can deliver to a chosen market. The Discipline of Market Leaders by Michael Treacy & Fred Wiersema identifies three ways in which companies can combine operational models and value propositions to be the best in their markets: operational excellence - delivering a combination of quality, price and ease... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=11124 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=11124 Thinking about increasing the size of your team? Finding the very best people in a reasonable timeframe can be challenging. Here's our top 7 tips for recruiting great staff: 1. Be clear about the kind of person you need Before you start looking for someone be clear about what it is that they will be doing because this may, in part, influence the type of person that you need. New roles are often created to... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10803 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10803 Owner-managers can sometimes be left underwhelmed by the enthusiasm, commitment and performance of their employees. This can be particularly frustrating when there are growth plans because employees are so critical to achieving success. Here are 6 common mistakes that businesses make with their culture that impacts the level of employee engagement and ultimately, performance. 1. Lack of Vision or Business Plan... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10559 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10559 In a recession, reducing operating expenses and improving productivity are important objectives for small business owners. Redundancies and restructuring may improve things in the short-term but they often have long-term consequences on quality, customer experience, goodwill and the ability of the business to compete effectively. They also ignore the time and money invested in recruiting and training employees; they discount the effect on... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10586 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10586 Encouraging and supporting employee wellness such as healthy eating and regular exercise can benefit your bottom line through reduced absenteeism and higher engagement, productivity and retention. There are many low-cost/high-impact initiatives that you can introduce to improve the overall health and wellbeing of your workforce. To get the maximum return on your investment in wellness, ensure the initiatives are well targeted. Do you... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10585 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10585 When employees do not feel they are being paid fairly for the work they do it can impact their engagement, the amount of effort they put into their work, the results that they can acheive for their employer and how long they stay. So remuneration is pretty strategic in terms of your overall approach to managing people. Do you have a philosophy behind your remuneration? How are remuneration reviews administered? What is... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10584 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10584 Conventional managers use training and development as tools to fix employee weaknesses – researchers are now finding what many successful entrepreneurs have known for some time: for high performance you should spend more time focusing on each employee's strengths and manage around their weaknesses. Training and development allows employees to acquire skills and knowledge and further hone their talents in order to support the... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10583 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10583 Traditional managers believe that paying a salary should be enough to ensure high performance. The reality is that a salary compensates the employee for turning up to do a job. In other words, it might be enough to get average performance but high performers expect something more in return for their extra effort and results. And it is not always money. In fact, there are some organisations who pay above average wages so they don't have to do... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10582 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10582 There are many causes of poor performance and not all require disciplinary action. Part of being a great manager means treating employees with respect - giving honest and timely performance feedback is a clear demonstration of this. When an employee's performance falls short of expectations the situation can quickly get worse for the individual themselves, their colleagues and of course, the business. Many times the manager will hope things... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10581 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10581 The most important role of a manager is to covert an employee's talent into performance for the business. Managing performance is an ongoing process of communication between the manager and employee that is focused on the future, culminating in an end of year meeting that reviews overall performance, the employee's strengths and weaknesses and their career options. How clear are your employees about what they are paid to do? How... http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10580 http://bluedot.co.nz/?process=views/article.php&articleId=10580 Much has been written about the importance of strategic planning for business growth. However many business owners and managers tend to keep the details of the strategic plan away from the very people who are able to make it become a reality: their staff. How much of your business vision and strategy do you share with your employees? How inspired are your employees to achieve your vision and execute your strategy? Many...