The Modern Observer Group

Nov152019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Ease Your Employees Into Change

Change can be scary. But the best leaders smooth over the transition by supporting their teams and advocating for them. To foster this kind of environment, try these three things: Create a "safe" space. Individuals should feel comfortable bringing up any conflicts, emotions, and stresses related to the change. In these conversations, give everyone's ideas serious consideration. Be honest, admitting when you've made a mistake or you don't have an answer.Protect your team. Shelter them from interference, stand up for them to get the resources you need, and show courage in sticking up for your people.Manage workload. Overwhelmed employees will have more trouble handling change. Effective leaders are masters of pacing work. Prioritize tasks to minimize confusion and chaos.

Nov132019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

How Can You Increase Employee Loyalty

Featured, Improvement

Your employees are your company's greatest asset. Your customers won't be engaged if your employees aren't engage. Everything your company does flows out from your employees. So what can you do to build loyalty among your employees? Here are some tips: Provide Support: Employees will appreciate opportunities for relevant on-going education to show that you want them to succeed. Recognize achievements and contributions and offer incentives for improving job performance. Provide mentors for departmental questions and comprehensive support that includes coping and problem-solving skills. When possible, offer health benefit and retirement packages. Most of all, be approachable so your employees feel like they are working for a person and not a machine.Manage Your Workplace: While you cannot be present every moment of every day in every department, you can manage…

Nov112019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

The Enemy Of Success Is Fear

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

There are always obstacles to success, but the biggest barrier is one that people put up for themselves. In many cases we know what needs to be done to achieve our goals, but we let fear dictate what we do. Fear of losing what we already have, fear of failure, fear of ridicule, the list goes on but it all boils down to being afraid. While fear is a useful as an alarm for danger, letting it decide your actions is almost a guarantee of failure. It's okay to have fear, but you can't give it control. THe first step in dealing with your fear is identifying it. What exactly is it that scares you? When you identify your fear you find it is not as scary as it seems.…

Nov82019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Structuring Your Business Plan

Featured, Improvement, Process

When starting a business, a plan is a great starting point to make sure you understand all the elements of your business. Once you are in business, it is a great exercise to do every few years. This lets you examine where your business has gone and the changes that have occurred. To keep your business plan simple, here is a structure to follow. Executive Summary If you had two minutes going down an escalator with a potential investor, you should talk her through your executive summary. This should answer questions such as: What is your company’s mission? Why is it important to you? Why do you think your company can make money pursuing that mission? What is your track record of winning? How much money do you need? What…

Nov62019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

5 Actions of Power Networkers

Communication, Featured

Networking is a key activity in building your success. Whether you are a business owner or an employee, networking is an important way to build a referral base, find a new job, move up in your career, and build your personal brand. Networking doesn't come naturally to most people, so here are five tips to follow to supercharge your networking. 1. Do your homework. Utilize all the resources at your disposal to determine which events are relevant and interesting to you, given the topic as well as the people attending. After determining which event to attend, map out a plan to make the most of your time there. Leverage existing relationships for introductions to individuals who are attending whom you'd like to meet. Let your social networks on Twitter or…

Nov42019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

4 Signs That You’re An Entrepreneur At Heart

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

It hits everyone at one time or another. The idea that you should leave your job and start a business of your own. IS it a momentary whim or are you really an entrepreneur? Entrepreneurs have certain traits in common. Before you jump off into your own venture, see if you match these traits. They are not the end all and be all of being an entrepreneur, but having these traits is a good sign that you can be happy as an entrepreneur. 1. Entrepreneurs are passionate, inside and outside of work. Whatever they immerse themselves in, entrepreneurs typically invest fully and passionately. This extends beyond business building into many aspects of life outside the workplace. 2. Entrepreneurs are committed to building businesses, not just coming up with great ideas.…

Nov12019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Make Your Meeting More Effective By Following Up

Featured, Process

It’s easy to think that your work is done when you walk out of a meeting. But the decisions made in the room will only be effective if you carefully follow up. Start by writing a succinct summary note, describing what was discussed and clear action steps. Attach any notes from the meeting. Draft this in a way that allows others to forward your message to anyone who missed the meeting or who cares about what occurred. Record any task due dates in your calendar so you can make sure they’re completed. If there’s someone who has a particular stake in the meeting outcome, such as your boss, follow up in person to make sure they’re aware of the decisions made and next steps. Finally, spend some time reflecting on…

Oct302019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Balancing Mindfulness

Attitude and Mindset, Evaluate, Featured

Mindfulness is sweeping corporate culture. It's the hot buzzword of the moment. It's practice brings great benefits. However it is not the ned all and be all. It needs to be balanced in order for you to succeed. What does this mean? Let's start with what mindfulness is. Mindfulness is the act of being in the moment. It is focusing on what you are doing right now. In practice most people focus on their breathing to clear their minds, but you can focus on any activity you are doing. It is about being aware of yourself, your activity and your surroundings in that moment. It is a great way to resent your mind and stay focused. What do we mean that it needs to be balanced. Like most things, people…

Oct282019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

The Diversity Trap

Featured, Improvement

There is a lot of talk about hiring for diversity. Having a diverse workforce has great advantages. However, many companies are falling into the diversity trap. Here's what it is and how you can avoid it. The diversity trap happens when companies limit their idea of diversity to race. Hiring managers tend to hire people that they feel an affinity for. This generally means hiring the same type of people. When you diversify hiring by race, but nothing else, you still end up hiring the same type of people. Different jobs require different types of people. This means hiring people with different skill sets, different attitudes and different personalities. This is where analysis software like that offered by The Modern Observer Group comes in. This allows you to enter a…

Oct252019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

To Build Resilience, Write Down What You’re Grateful For

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

When it comes to building your emotional resilience, nothing does more good than maintaining a positive outlook and regularly expressing gratitude. These two actions have been shown to decrease anxiety, reduce symptoms of illness, and improve the quality of your sleep. But it’s not enough to be optimistic and say “thank you” a lot. You can increase the effect of these activities by keeping a record of your positive interactions, events, and memories. Maintain a simple list of things you’re grateful for or are looking forward to in a paper notebook, or enter them into a spreadsheet. There are even digital gratitude journals you can download and use. Find a regular time — say, first thing in the morning or at the end of the workday — to review and…