Leadership Quality No 3 - Impressive Impact of Relationships

Your ability to build successful relationships could be the key to your own success. Research is beginning to identify relationship building as the key to developing great teams as well as great customers. If you want to have great, relevant and appropriate relationships then you might want to consider each factor identified. If your ideas about each factor match those of the other person, then you are probably on to a winner.We are in relationship with everyone we meet, because we are always swapping energy. Even the guy reading the paper in the adjacent seat on the train might leave an impression as you form an opinion about or sense his energy. Ok, it's not much of a relationship, but it is important to know we can actually impact everyone we meet at some level.

If we have even a slight impact with a complete stranger think about the impact we have on our nearest and dearest, our work colleagues, teams or customers. Human relationships whether they are romantic, work-based, friendship or family based are successful or not because of a number of common factors.

Forging successful relationships is essential for a successful life. Whether at home or at work, creating successful relationships is being able to identify what needs to be in place, and being able to understand ways your relationships work by heightening your understanding of the relationship through the following filters.

Purpose

If you are friends with Ted because you like going to the pub every Friday, and he is in there, then that's the relationship you have. If Ted stops going to the pub on a Friday, then it's unlikely you will continue with your relationship. Understanding and being honest about the purpose of any relationship can prevent many misunderstandings and conflicts.

Reciprocity

A relationship can only be successful if both people want to be in it. If you've ever been friends with someone and you're making all the calls or trying to make arrangements to meet, then you are probably more invested in the relationship than the other person. If a customer simply isn't interested in your product, or your employee is looking for another job, then you don't have a reciprocal relationship.

Energy

Sometimes we have the best relationships with people who have contrasting energy. Someone who is reserved and quiet may enjoy being in relationship with another who is exuberant and loud. Alternatively such a relationship might be a complete recipe for disaster. I remember being on an interview panel with a candidate who was enthusiastic and proactive. While I admired her energy, the other panel member felt drained by it. If matching energy is experienced, then people may feel extremely comfortable or very bored.

Values

Shared values usually create relationship success. If you are struggling in a relationship, examining each other's values is a good place to start. If for example you value expensive things and a luxurious lifestyle and someone else values basic and simplistic living, then you will either come to terms with the differences or the relationship will not exist for any length of time. Likewise a caring, sharing colleague might form a close working relationship with a tough hard-headed business type, but more than likely won't.

Expectations

Expectations can be centred on your own and/or other's needs and wants. If you expect your employees to contribute a decent day's work for a fair wage and that doesn't happen, then the chances are you have relationship problems. Likewise with personal relationships, problems may well occur if you feel let down or expect something different than that which is on offer

Communication

How we communicate can determine the success or not of a relationship. Communication differences can ruin a relationship if there is a lack of understanding about different communication styles. For example conflicts can arise between people who communicate kinaesthetically and those who are auditory. I remember a long drawn out conflict between a manager and one of his team because the language he used was logical and factual and didn't fit with her needs which were words of caring, feeling and empathy.

Attitude

Your beliefs, thoughts and conclusions can determine your attitude about people in your personal and work life. If you work for an employer and you believe you don't count, then your belief is going to colour the relationship with your manager or team. Your attitude will seep out whenever you speak to others about work. Likewise, if someone has let you down badly in your personal life, if you are unable to forgive them, then your relationship will be affected forever by your attitude to them.

Commitment

Relationships require commitment, even if it's to give someone your full attention for just a day. If you decide to work for someone and only plan to stay for a few months and they expect you to stay for the long haul, then your commitment to each other is mismatched and will affect your relationship. Most of us enter into marriage as a lifelong commitment. However, when that commitment wanes, the relationship could be in big trouble without a re-examination and re-connection of why you committed in the first place.

Boundaries

Boundaries exist physically, emotionally and mentally. Part of building good relationships is about identifying and respecting your own and other people's boundaries. Boundaries signify how much you are able to or want to allow someone into your life, or how much of yourself you want to give. Pre-nuptial agreements set clear boundaries. I want to spend my life with you, but if anything goes wrong, I'm not prepared to give you my money. At work, contracts of employment set out the boundaries of the relationship. Trouble can occur when you've signed up for 40 hours a week, and the company with a long hours culture actually expects a lot more.

Timeliness

Relationships happen at the right time. If the timing is wrong, then it's unlikely the relationship will satisfy any or some of the factors listed above. If you meet the man of your dreams and you need to go to college halfway around the world, then the timing may be wrong to get together at that point. Likewise, if your customer doesn't want to buy quite at that point, or your employees don't buy into your vision, it may well be that the time is just not quite right. Unless of course there is a permanent mis-match of any of the above and there will never be a right time.

Mining the Lucky Country

Australia has been called the Lucky Country ever since Donald Horne coined the term in his 1964 book of the same name.

The Australian public liked the phrase, and while they might not have interpreted it in quite the way Donald had intended, it certainly stuck. And with good reason. Australia is known to be blessed with excellent weather (it is noted as the world's sunniest country), a political system that keeps the vast majority of the public content, and a buoyant, resilient economy that seems to be largely immune to the financial crisis that has impacted the rest of the world in recent years.

Part of this financial crisis immunity is due to Australia also being blessed with an abundance of natural wealth in the form of minerals and ores.

Australia is a large country. It tips the scales at just over 5% of the world's land mass and is the sixth largest (seventh if you count Antarctica) in terms of land area over all. However, its mineral and ore reserves are still out of proportion to this size.

Australia's reserves of gold, lead, rutile, zircon, nickel, silver, uranium and zinc are said to be the world's largest, and more than 95% of the world's opals come from Australia. Its reserves of bauxite are the second largest (behind only the Republic of Guinea), as are its reserves of brown coal (behind the USA), industrial diamonds (behind the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and iron (behind China). With copper, Australia ranks third (behind Chile and Peru).

In addition, Australia ranks within the top six for reserves of antimony, black coal, ilmenite, lithium, manganese ore, niobium, tantalum, tungsten and vanadium.

All this adds up to enormous wealth hidden just below the surface of the earth-and Australia is getting progressively better at realising that wealth.

Mining has always been an integral part of Australia's history (the Aborigine people are known to have mined coal for cooking for thousands of years), but it has only recently emerged as the powerhouse for the Australian economy that it has become. Currently, it directly employs more than 200,000 people, impacts the employment of an unknown number of others, and accounts for about 10% of Australia's GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

These figures are only going to increase as time goes on. Mining in Australia has been experiencing a boom for a number of years, and that boom is expected to continue for some time to come.

Given all this, it's easy to see that Australia is indeed the Lucky Country, and that the mining industry is one of the things that makes it so.

Evaluating The Quality of Hotel Service

he idea of using hotel mystery shopping is in its infancy, but reputable companies pride themselves on the expertise they have gained in the two decades that this service has been available. Many companies began by offering excellent quality training courses for service providers in the hospitality industry and have developed an assessment process to back this up. Many are multi national companies and have offices in various places - from Dubai to Hong Kong and India. This enables clients who have hotels in several countries to use the facility from a common service provider.

The main benefactors are hotel chains and large consortiums, who are constantly striving to provide top quality service to all their customers. Staff training and development is imperative in such a competitive industry and it has transpired that, through hotel mystery shopping, staff performance can be monitored and measured.

Hotel Mystery Shopping

Hotel mystery shopping is a very individual service that may follow specific protocol depending on the criteria required or, where necessary, may take a more tailored approach according to the customer's requirements. The idea is to keep a check on the service being provided by staff in the most unobtrusive, realistic way. Performance, selling, interpersonal and management skills can all be assessed and evaluated and appropriate training and development can be given where necessary.

It is recognised that in the hospitality industry the customer is the key and it is the employee - their manner, professionalism and knowledge - that makes the difference between a potential sale and a repeat customer, or not. Reputation can also be affected and so, therefore, can future revenue. The importance of checking and monitoring employees, either by involving hotel mystery shopping visits or mystery calls, is paramount if you are going get the best from your staff.

It is the subtlety of the hotel mystery shopping service that means a very realistic picture of what is happening at ground level can be given. High technology software is used in the evaluation of the service and this involves professional benchmarking programmes.

The Package

In order to analyse the quality of service in all aspects of your business and to ensure this service is maintained, some companies have produced a package that provides their service for up to two years. The ultimate aim of the programme is to give the client an idea of the actual quality of their hotel compared to the guidelines and standards the industry expects.

A hotel mystery shopping visitor can give you an insight into how the customer is made to feel when they are using your facility. Through an extended stay in your hotel the undercover guest can monitor members of staff at different times of the day, in various situations and under different levels of stress. Much can be gained from this method of assessment.

To monitor the quality of performance it is important that the checks are not simply one-off. It is advised that managers and directors are involved in checking staff regularly while the service provider delivers checks from undercover guests, shoppers and testers.

The software used gives standard benchmarks while also allowing access to comparative statistics. Facility standards, services and other facets of a particular business can be measured and compared with the national and international averages.

Writing Great Requests For Customer Referrals

A proven technique to getting customers engaged in participating in your customer referral program is to write a letter that is mailed to the customer. There are a few basics that should always be included in the letter, a thank you for their business, a request for customer referrals, and any benefits that they may receive for sending over business referrals. Each business may need to include additional information in their request letter to customers for business leads; however those should be the core to any letter going out from your business to clients asking for support. If the letter is being sent through email instead of traditional mail service, include links that can be forwarded to potential customers as well as links to your social media channels.

Timing and Personalization

The best time to send a request to a new or existing customer asking for business referrals should be within a short time frame from a previous interaction whether it's the sale of a new product or service to a new client or a routine check up with an existing customer. This gives you the opportunity to thank them for their choice in your company for their needs. Make sure the letters are personalized and reference in the "Thank you" exactly what the customer purchased from you. It is important that customers feel special and important versus just receiving a common form letter, which is why I prefer traditional mail for these types of interactions that have a real signature at the bottom and are distinguishable from the dozens to hundreds of emails people get each day. Obviously if you're sending out hundreds of request letters to customers, email is the only way to go, but if your business deals in high end goods or expensive services take the time to send a professional and formal "Thank you" when you are requesting new business leads.

Asking for Referrals

You have to ask for the business leads. Most people will assume that your business is doing just fine and not think to send a referral your way even if they know of one because it's not at the forefront of their mind. By asking for new business leads it doesn't show weakness if you present the request in the correct manner. The idea you want to convey is, "we appreciate your business and enjoy working with individuals like yourself, if you know of others that would be interested in our product or service, we would appreciate your business referrals and have a great reward program for clients that send us quality customer leads." Make sure to include the right details in the letter for how to send over a business lead whether it's an email or phone number to a specific individual; provide the contact information and a call to action.

Outline the Referral Program

Outline the referral program in the letter whether it's a straight referral fee that will be provided or gift cards to special restaurants, or other benefits such as discounts on future products or services. Know your audience. While a future discount may be great for someone when they make a referral to your business if you are working with another business owner, a sales or marketing guy for another company may really prefer to get rewarded with a nice dinner or night out on the town for sending over a high value lead. You don't always have to have a reward in your request for a customer referral, but if you want to really get people excited about sharing your business to others it's best to have some kind of incentive.

Personalize your request for customer referrals, include a call to action with the details the person needs to send the lead over and make sure to be very clear on the rewards available for customers that provide referrals.

Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A Joint Venture and Referral Marketing firm. He exemplifies how to profit from Joint Venture and Referral relationships by creating profit centers with minimal risk and maximum profitability. To discover more Referral Marketing Strategies please click

Volunteering to Work in Sheltered Housing

It is quite rightly said that volunteering in your spare time can be very fulfilling and can make a massive impact in an individual's life; and this is particularly true in the case of volunteering your time in sheltered accommodation. It is usual for volunteers to be relied upon quite heavily to help ensure a high standard of living in a circumstance that could otherwise be very lonely for a socially isolated elderly person with no regular friends or immediate family to visit them. Read on to discover more about this rewarding way to spend some of your spare time.

What you will be doing?

One of the things you could be doing as a volunteer is befriending and providing companionship to a resident, this may include escorting them to social events like bingo or quiz nights or an important appointment. You also may be asked to perform a more practical function such as doing the all important tea round or helping out at meal time. Basically, anything that will help elderly people do more and make the most of their lives.

What will they expect of me?

You may need to apply for a CRB check in order to work with vulnerable adults and most organisations will want you to sign a volunteer's agreement as well which will outline their expectations of you. It is considered essential to keep your word and be flexible when volunteering and the ability to keep our commitments is an important trait, as you will be representing the values and spirit of the organisation in which you volunteer.

Why bother volunteering?

Volunteering some of your extra time in sheltered housing is a great way to gain relevant experience if you're considering a career in Health and Social care. It is also a good way to learn new skills like teamwork which are transferable to any career. It looks great on your CV, and you will learn plenty of new skills, all this aside, it is also a worthy cause that will make a real difference in people's lives.

Will I be supported in my work?

It varies depending on which organisation you work for but you will usually be supported by either another volunteer or a member of staff, or both. You will likely be find yourself included in both formal and informal meetings relating to the care and wellbeing of the residents in your chosen accommodation.

Trophy Engraving - Basic Information and Tips

Whether it's related to school, sports, or business, giving trophies is the best way to show a person that his efforts are acknowledged. When it comes to trophies, plaques, or medals, though, you don't want to give just any award item you find in the store. As much as possible, you would want to give a well-designed award item and one that's customized for a particular individual. This is where the importance of trophy engraving comes in. Whether it's wood or glass engraving, it's an excellent way to show the recipient that the award he will receive was made especially for him.

It's easy to give generic trophies and medals, especially when you're giving them out for a sports event where they are going to be receiving by an entire team of 12-15 individuals. If you want to value each person's contribution, however, the best thing you can do is have each award item customized for each of the recipients. This way, each of the individuals who will receive the medal will feel that he is special and that his contribution is invaluable to the success of the team.

Today, there are a good number of online trophy stores that provide high-quality award items for all occasions. Most of these suppliers offer free engraving when you avail yourself of their products. When it comes to trophy engravings, there are certain things you have to observe in order for you to get accurate results. You have to understand that most trophy suppliers today use state-of-the-art machines for engraving, which means once the engraving is done, it stays there and can't be reversed.

Here are some general rules to observe when having your trophies engraved.

• Keep the wordings simple and direct. When you're working on such a small space, the saying "less is more" applies best.
• Don't forget to include the date.
• Include the names of the sponsors if there are any.
• Include the title of the award. For instance, "Employee of the Year" if it's in a business setting, and "Most Valuable Player" if it's in a sports setting.
• Double check the details before submitting them to the supplier. Again, once it's engraved, it's always engraved, unless you're willing to spend some extra cash to correct any mistakes.

While most award items suppliers do not charge an extra fee for the engraving, some do, so make sure you inquire first before availing yourself of their services. Finally, make sure you only get your award items from reliable suppliers.

Standard Negotiation Process

The process of negotiation is very simple.Negotiation follows a four step path including:

• Preparation
• Information Exchange
• Bargaining
• Commitment

It is a kind of universal change that takes place over four stages of steps and for better and best results, both partners must be very well versed with this change.

The initial step that starts negotiation is preparation where you prepare yourself for negotiation considering the issues and goals that you want to attain at the end of the negotiation process.

Information exchange is the phase where both the parties get together to share and understand the concept of negotiating and then they decide what all issues and goals are to be discussed. After assuring the issues they put forward the point of their concern to the other party.

Bargaining: After putting all the concerned points together in front the parties settle for a mid way settlement that is normally known as bargaining. It is a process that gives a win win situation to both the parties as they settle for a particular goal.

Commitment: it is that form of the negotiation where both parties promise each other to provide them with what they have settled for. This is the last process of negotiation and it leads to the end.

Let us now examine the process of negotiation in detail and give stress on every aspect related to it.

Understanding each phase in detail

Preparation: This is one of the most important factors that need to be considered while negotiating. It involves preparation on following areas.

Information: You must be aware about all the aspects related to negotiation and must be well versed with the problem. You must have a clear idea about the problem and the solution that you think fits well according to you in the process of negotiation. Also try and get as much information as you can about your opponent.

Evaluation: You must evaluate your as well as your other party's leverage before you start the process of negotiation. While evaluating one must also keep in mind the points that are a concern for the other party as it might happen that what we evaluate at high point might be of least concern to the other or vice versa.

    Analysis
    Rapport with the opponent Evaluation
    Goals

Analysis: Understand about the issues that you think are the problems and find out what are the concern areas.

Rapport with the opponent: It is very important that you must have a good rapport with your opponent. A cooperative opponent will help you put forward your point positively or else you will have to employ a negotiator so that your point is well understood.

Goals: Goals are what you look for while negotiating and these are the things that you want to achieve at the end of the negotiation.

Type of Negotiation: A competitive or cooperative negotiation will make you understand the result that you are looking for. You must choose whether it is going to be a face to face negotiation or on fax or on telephone because the type of negotiation is very important in the process. You must also determine at the early stage whether you need the help of a negotiator or mediator.

Budget: It is again a very vital aspect of the entire negotiation process. You must determine what shall be the cost that you will be spending for this entire process in negotiating. You must be ready to share the burden with your opponent as it is two way process and if your goals are higher than his make sure that he pays really high to your goals.

Plan: What shall be your strategy? What do you intend to follow as your negotiation plan.

After going through in detail with all the points that are a concern at the initial stage of negotiation let us now understand the second phase of negotiation.

The bargaining with the other party

Just like the initial phase, this phase of bargaining also consist of many aspects that one should consider while preparing for negotiation. This is a very important phase which acts as a decisive platform for both the parties. It is one of the deciding factors of negotiation. This phase consists of the following:

Important points of second phase of negotiation

• Logistics
• Opening offers
• Related offers

The logistics: it considers all the aspects that are related to negotiation and answers the questions of when, where and how will you negotiate. If you are in a multi party negotiation it plays a very important role. What strategy you are going to adopt to convince the other party. How shall you negotiate with the other party and where will this negotiation take place so that both the parties are comfortable discussing.

Opening Offers: This implies to the offer that you have prepared yourself to present in front of the other party to begin the negotiation with. It all depends on the first offer remember, who ever makes the good and the first offer he is most likely to have chances of winning and making his point understood.

Subsequent Offer: This is the offer that you have in reserve in case if your first offer is rejected or it is the adjustment that you will make according to your opponent. You need to have a backup plan so that in case your first offer is completely rejected, you must immediately retaliate with the second plan.

• Your tactics
• Concessions
• Resolution

Tactics: You must emphasize more on the tactics that you will employ while negotiating. Also consider the point of tactics that your opponent will apply so that you have an edge over them.

Concessions: What are the concessions that you are ready to offer to your opponent and what strategies do you intend to apply in doing so. You must have a concession plan so that you can lure your opponent in listening to your conversation of negotiating.

Resolution: How do you think that problem or the issue can be resolved? What all are the possible ways of settling an issue that you have raised in the negotiation process.

After completing the second phase completely we must now work towards the closure of the process. This end phase will involve

• Documentation
• Closure
• Implementation

Documentation: You must check before closing your negotiation that whether you have covered all the important aspect of you goal and issue

Closure: This is the end result of all the negotiation that you have carried out so far with the other party.

Implementation: Remember it is not over until it is over. You must implement the strategy that you have decided during this process, so that a fruitful result comes out.

After reading the above discussion it is fairly understood that negotiation is a planned process and if we work closely on all the above mentioned aspects then we will get a sure short way to a successful negotiation.

Negotiation is not a one day process you need to plan it well in advance about the area of concern on both the parties related to negotiation, it is only then when the negotiation will reach its desired results and will be fruitful for both the people involved in the process.