News
10 Facts About Small Businesses
Feb 28th
Did you know?
- There are 28 million small businesses in the U.S. — which outnumber corporations 1162 to 1
- Small businesses employ 57% of the country’s private workforce
- Small businesses pay 44% of U.S. payroll
- It takes just 6 days to start a business in the US, compared to a whopping 38 days in China
- And it costs 6 times as much to start a business in India than in the US
- Only 50% of businesses survive five years — though most (70%) hit the two-year mark
- If a small business can’t resume operations within 10 days following a natural disaster, it probably won’t survive
- Small businesses create 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting companies
- A small business went bankrupt every 8 minutes in 2009
- 60 to 80% of all new jobs come from small businesses
According to Business Insider
Employee Engagement: Part One of a Five Part Series
Feb 4th
Perhaps the companies of old were on to something; long live the life long employee. Employee engagement is not a new buzz word or an old adage that is being revisited. Simply stated it is an approach to business and employees that is producing exceptional results. Unfortunately, a recent Towers Watson survey indicated that nearly two–thirds of U.S. employees are not fully engaged in their work and are less productive as a result.
This initiative starts from the ground up as employees alone do not drive engagement. The entire organization, its managers and its employees comprise the level of engagement. For engagement to truly “work” employees must be happy and productive. That’s a tall order. Managers must communicate and lead their employees toward the goals of the organization.
Research has shown that managers do not feel communication is a job responsibility, but this is not the case. Contrarily, organizations and leaders must identify clear visions and goals. They need to spearhead and encourage the communication of this vision throughout the company. And, simply having a mission statement or employee program does not fulfill this requirement. Proper training, marketing and support are mandatory for engagement to thrive in any corporate culture.
To address the many needs of employee engagement, NorthStar360 has developed a hands-on, 5-pronged approach to addressing each of the involved aspects:
1. Developing the Plan
2. Crafting a Working Environment
3. Supporting Employee Development
4. Coaching Employees
5. Maintaining Engagement
In upcoming newsletters and blog posts, we will outline each step in additional detail, a how-to guide for employers if you will. These steps together develop a more engaged, productive, happy and committed employee (and supervisor!). Stay tuned and salivating for the March NorthStar360 newsletter. And if you just can’t wait, contact us today for a custom-designed program for your organization.
NorthStar360 Presents at Conference
Feb 4th
Rick and Susan Riddering, founders of NorthStar360 will present at the International 360 Solutions Learning Conference taking place in Dallas, Texas later this month. Rick and Susan will share their training best practices with other trainers and speakers. The session features some of 360 Solutions’ most successful strategic partners, including NorthStar360.
“We are honored to be asked to present again at this year’s conference. We can share our strengths and best practices with other trainers and collaboratively learn from them as well,” explains Susan. “And all of this translates to higher quality training for our clients.”
This conference welcomes participants from over 20 countries and across the U.S. to learn about the latest research in training and development and how to make training more impactful for business owners and their employees. Hot topics this year include assessments, sales training, and emotional intelligence.
Rick and Susan Riddering join an outstanding lineup of speakers, including Roger Allen, author, consultant, executive coach, and co-founder of The Center for Organizational Design, Chip Wilson, founder and CEO of 360 Solutions, and Kevin Berchelmann, president and CEO at Triangle Performance.
This Valentine’s Day, Send Yourself a Valentine
Feb 4th
Chocolates, check. Bottle of wine, check. Card, check. This year, treat yourself to the best Valentine’s Day gift of all; loving yourself. That’s right. Let Cupid hit you with his arrow and take a long look in the mirror because loving yourself is a pivotal trait for success.
In these pressured times people rarely give themselves the credit they deserve. By making time to remind yourself of how far you have come in life, you pave the way for more abundance, joy and success. Loving yourself not only elicits a happier you, but also attracts success. Why?
A person who loves them self exudes confidence. This person appears happy, in control, optimistic, and a person you want to be associated with. All traits linked with success. For the world to love you and respect you, you need to love yourself and respect yourself too. Use with these five tips below as a refresher and reminder in loving yourself.
1. Respect – R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Before you understand how to love yourself, you must learn to respect yourself. Stop focusing on your negative aspects and focus on the aspects you’re good at. We’re all human and all of us have our own flaws and good sides, whether it’s seen by others or not. By only acknowledging the negative side, you’re forgetting the wonderful side that can actually be shared with others.
2. Believe in Yourself
Remember that old adage, ‘every long journey starts with a single step’. Focus on making little positive changes every day. It could be issues related to your work, health, or even your own personal dreams. Whatever they may be, be determined and pursue them with all your heart. By doing this, you’ll respect and love yourself a lot more.
3. Find a Role Model
You may not need a role model to understand how to love yourself, but it can be a great help in becoming a better person and have a focused dream. Do you look up at someone or wish you could be like them? By understanding the way they think or deal with difficulties in their life, it can give you the inspiration to learn and become a better person by following their footsteps.
4. Push to Achieve More
Every time you push yourself to achieve more, it makes you more confident of your own abilities. And confidence always draws awe and respect, which leads to self love. Bring positive changes into your life every single day. Even if you could spend just an hour every day on making yourself a better person, you would be able to see a considerable change in a month’s time.
5. Don’t be Overcritical
Learning to love yourself takes time and initiative. It’s a wonderful feeling to look good, be admired by everyone around you and loved by everyone including yourself. But it does take time. Never be too critical of yourself and expect immediate changes.
Give yourself some time, and wait for the good times to roll in. Take an initiative to change yourself one baby step at a time, you’ll feel happier and more loved than ever before, every single day. Happy Valentine’s Day, self.
Success Trivia … Back by Popular Demand
Feb 4th
Back by popular demand … let’s play another round of success trivia. Can you identify these successful leaders?
1. Who wrote his first computer program at the age of thirteen?
– Bill Gates
2. What famous general finished last in his class at West Point?
– General George Custer
3. Who is the only living woman who owns her own film studio?
– Oprah Winfrey (the other two were Lucille Ball and Mary Pickford)
4. This US Senator earned every badge while in Girl Scouts.
– Hillary Clinton
5. This queen of France could not speak French at the time of her marriage to Louis XVI in 1770.
– Marie Antoinette
New Year, New Goals, New You … Starts with One
Dec 26th
The countdown to 2013 brings a time for reflection and looking ahead to new beginnings. This time for reflection should not only include personal goals … dropping those holiday pounds, planning more time to spend with friends and family or finally ditching any bad habits. Let’s make a resolution for ourselves and our organizations. Is there a science or an art to achieving our goals? Is there something beyond wishful thinking and optimism that will increase our chances that our wondrous best self will flourish in 2013?
Yes. No. Sort of. Not exactly. Apparently. Possibly.
Stephen Covey, one of the godfathers of goal setting would suggest starting small; with only one goal in fact. Starting small and committing (really committing) to one thing to accomplish throughout the year will build confidence and strength to do more. It’s what he calls “baby steps.” Start small, keep at it, and stay consistent until you’re ready pick up the pace.
Keeping on this goal requires time and effort on a weekly basis. Every week establish where you are currently and where you’d like to be at the end of the week. Starting small and constantly working on your goal throughout the year will develop strength, confidence and capabilities to discipline yourself to achieve other goals.
Covey also suggests that you enlist the help of someone close to you. It’s important to have some support, encouragement and a system of accountability. You might even invite this person to set a small goal that you can encourage them on. Work together and create synergy to help each other.
Best wishes on your own personal journey in 2013. You have the potential for greatness in you! Go for it! Start small. Make a promise and keep it.
Is Your Workplace Elf-Friendly? 10 Reasons Why Employees Are Happy and Engaged in an Elf-Friendly Workplace
Nov 29th
Think that Santa’s elves are happy on the job? I do. And, I think that I know why, too. Some universal principles about how to create happy employees at work are operating on full throttle at the North Pole. Workplaces that emulate Santa’s workshop resonate with excitement, engagement, positive employee morale, and employee motivation.
Wouldn’t you like to create a workplace where employees feel happy about showing up in the morning? You can. Just create a workplace that is elf-friendly. Guaranteed great for making employees happy, too.
Why Elves Are Happy at Work
Elves are happy at work. At Santa’s workshop at the North Pole, people focus on creating a work culture that is elf-friendly, fun, and engaging. Here’s what they do to make elves happy at work; you can, too.
Santa’s elves have a purpose bigger than themselves. What’s not to like about providing all of the little boys and girls in the world with exactly what they want for a Merry Christmas? Bringing joy through your work, knowing that you are participating in an activity that is bigger than your small world, doing work that impacts millions in a positive way… Again, what’s not to like?
Elves have a customer intelligence gathering system that is admired and envied world-wide. How do elves know what their customers want? They ask them. See all of the Santas gathered in malls talking with customers? They’re listening to their customers and keeping track of exactly what they want. They supplement their mall intelligence gathering by reading letters to Santa and have a hundred other ways to stay close with their customers.
Ever written to the North Poll or to Santa? Thanks to the postal service, Santa and the elves got your letter – and you likely received a response. Santa’s Workshop and its elves are a customer facing and integrated organization that has no objective other than producing products that their customers need, want, and revel in. They have, not just happy customers, their customers are delighted and become word of mouth (WOM) evangelists.
Elves feel totally needed and secure in their employment. Elves have lots of customer orders – more than they can fill, for all of the good girls and boys. Since there are definitely more good girls and boys than bad, elves know that they will never run out of work. Job security is a desirable condition to create happy employees. Feelings of job security allow the energy of the elves to be invested in building, creating, sharing, and producing a helpful, supportive, happy work environment. No bad energy looms where elves do their jobs.
Elves have both a known mission and a vision. Elves know that they must meet the goal of presents delivered on Christmas. They must do whatever it takes to make that delivery happen. So, elves have a clear mission that guides their daily work: a mission based on customer feedback so integrated that it unconsciously shapes the mission. Yet elves are driven by their overall vision, too: to bring joy to all of the girls and boys – joy that stretches all year round. This vision is a higher calling that chills and thrills and keeps elves moving on the most cold and blizzardy winter day.
Elves are clear about the impact of their work. They know that they affect the lives of boys and girls worldwide. Not just during the holiday season, the impact of their gifts is felt all year long. Boys and girls play with toys and cherish memories of holidays with family and friends all year. And, pictures from the Christmas camera bring back moments that they might otherwise have forgotten. Happy employees know about the impact of their work on the lives of customers and coworkers. Elves know that they make a difference in millions of lives. That’s why elves hop out of bed smiling every day. They sing a variation of, “hey-ho, hey-ho, it’s off to work we go.”
The guy who manages the elves (the boss) is accessible, easy-to-talk-with, participative, fair, and fun. Santa’s merry laughter envelopes the workshop in an environment of joy. He doesn’t play favorites because every elf matters to get the work done. Every elf idea is seriously considered because the goal is happy children, not stoking the boss’s ego nor feeding his need to control.
Credit? Who needs credit? All of the elves work together, under Santa’s leadership, to pump out the toys for children. Elves are smart; they know what they’re doing. Santa knows that the best way to lead elves is with gentle encouragement. They don’t need micromanaging or to be told how to do their work.
Elves receive perks that make them feel cherished and needed. Mrs. Claus is famous for her cookies that she shares with joy in the workshop. Hanging out with reindeers, particularly a special reindeer with a bright red, glowing nose, is another opportunity not shared by many employees. And, the outfits. Well, let’s just say that the elf costumes, supplied by Santa, bring a smile to every child’s (and elf’s) face.
Elves have the opportunity to continue to develop their skills and abilities. Not only do elves learn about all of the new technology that affects new toys in the off-season, they cross train on the job every day. They can make a whole product or cooperate with other elves to produce a gift for a child. Promotions are not often available in Santa’s Workshop where a flat hierarchy rules the day. But, training, changed work responsibilities, and lateral moves are common, so elves can increase their skills and value.
Combating the boredom so often found in repetitive work is easy when elves have the opportunity to do different tasks each day. Staying up-to-date on innovations in reindeer food, the technology that powers the North Pole village, and the interworkings of Santa’s sleigh, rule the day. When engaged elves are learning, and keeping their skills up-to-the-minute, the future for Santa, the elves, and the holiday traditions for little children and big children worldwide, is secure for generations to come.
Trust and respect permeate the work environment where elves spend their day. Elves feel intrinsically valued. In Santa’s Workshop, the behavior and interaction of the boss and coworkers broadcasts a message of trust, respect, belief in, and value. Not spoken about very often, actions form the message elves believe in. Santa’s actions speak so loudly that he rarely needs to say anything about what he believes. Elves know.
Elves receive lots of positive feedback and recognition. Not only do elves receive droves of thank you letters from happy children everywhere, they receive positive feedback from Santa every day. In a work environment in which every employee is happy, recognized, and the recipient of positive feedback, there is more positive feedback available to share. Elves have no need to compete for positive attention, in a work environment that provides lots. So, happy employees recognize their coworkers and help them feel appreciated. This is why elves are almost always smiling.
Not the only factors that make elves happy at work, these are the basics, though, for your success with employees. If you’ve implemented these factors that make elves happy at work every day in your workplace, you’ve gone a long way toward creating an employee-friendly culture. Elves know.
By Susan M. Heathfield, About.com Guide
http://humanresources.about.com/od/fortheholidays/qt/happy-employees.htm
Your Organization Can Encourage Learning Transfer
Nov 29th
We all know that employee training and development is important, crucial to an organization’s success. But how can we ensure that it is effective? How do we know if training affects actual job performance? Training professionals have coined the term learning transfer to describe the learning that takes place after the training, the kind of learning that is translated into doing.
Many experts agree that a supportive work environment can increase learning transfer. There are many things an organization can do to support learning. A few common threads include:
Encourage learners to create goals
Talk with learners about how the training will affect job performance
Explain the new skills obtained in the training will improve job performance
Learners should create goals that directly impact their job behavior
Follow-up is essential
Learning transfer occurs after the training ends, find opportunities to keep the focus top of mind
Coaching has a direct impact on learning transfer
Learning buddies help to share new knowledge in a more social atmosphere
Mentoring allows someone other than a direct supervisor to help with learning transfer
Find creative, social ways to reinforce learning – picnic lunch, bulletin board, electronic newsletter
Space out learning opportunities
Learning takes time to apply, be sure to give enough time and attention on reinforcement and integration of the material
Learning happens in the everyday interactions after the formal training workshop has occurred. Creating an environment and culture that is receptive and encouraging to the learning that happens will encourage actual learning transfer – which impacts job behavior and performance.
Saying Thanks, One Note at a Time
Nov 29th
This time of year is full of reminders for thankfulness. Spending time with family and friends, enjoying a holiday feast, and being thankful for a meaningful job. But what about the daily grind? How many times do you say “thank you” from 9-5? When is the last time you wrote a thank you note? The notion of a hand-written note may seem old-fashioned, but it is one of the most important communication tools that can be utilized throughout your professional career. In addition to it being a common courtesy, you are conveying the value of another person’s time. However, expressing appreciation has seemingly become a lost art in day-to-day business dealings.
For many of us, our first memories of thank you note writing took place at the dining room table, thanking family and friends for a birthday gift. When did get we get out of this thoughtful habit? Let’s reconnect with the thank you note. Make a commitment to send one thank you note a day, either via email or a hand-written note. Keep note cards handy – in your portfolio, on your desk, or in your glove box. When you have a free moment (ok… a less busy moment). Pull out a notecard and say thanks. It’s simple.
- Dear so-and-so:
- Thank you very much for (insert what action you are thankful for)
- It made a difference to me because … or it was important to me because …
- Warm regards, your name
You’ll be surprised at the response you’ll receive. In business, we rarely take the time to say “thanks” so when you do, it will stand out. Your thank you note may prompt a new client, acknowledge a thoughtful gift and strengthen a relationship. It will definitely make the recipient feel valued and important.
Success Trivia: Did you Know?
Nov 29th
Some of the most successful leaders in history we not always … well, successful. Napoleon Hill said it best, “Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.”
1. Who was sent home from the 3rd grade because he was too slow to learn, and who later struggled through thousands of experiments before being awarded over one thousand patents for his inventions?—Thomas Alva Edison
2. Who flunked the first grade and went on to become attorney general?—Robert F. Kennedy
3. Who didn’t learn to talk until he was four years old but ultimately changed how we view the laws of time and space?—Albert Einstein
4. Who was told at an early age that he had no talent for music but whose name is synonymous with musical masterpieces?–Ludwig Van Beethoven
5. Who was told by a prominent Hollywood producer that he would not make in films because his Adams apple was too big?—Clint Eastwood
6. Who was told by a newspaper owner to pursue another line of work because he didn’t have any creative or original ideas?—Walt Disney
“I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.” – Benjamin Franklin