Effective Change Management -- 10 Ways to Encourage Greater Commitment

Spanish: A Necessary Language to Open the World

By: Alex Najarro | 12/12/2009
It was not so long ago that the Spanish speaking population became the biggest minority in the United States. Since then, businesses across the country have started to change their main focus in the way the conduct business on a daily basis. Marco Piagini, owner of Italian-American restaurant "Bello Paese" located...

Lost in the Business Startup Maze? Use Your Goal to Find Your Way

By: K. MacKillop | 11/12/2009
Starting a business, especially for the first time, can be a complicated mess. There is so much information available, and much of it in conflict, that it can be difficult to determine where to start and what to do next. In addition, "starting a business" can mean very different things...

Business Resources Your Business Can’t Do Without

By: Frank I Locust | 11/12/2009
As your small business continues to grow moderately, your daily tasks will mount slowly but surely. If you’ve been handling the daily routine all by yourself, you may want to consider adding additional resources, both technology and human.

Boutique Christmas Display Ideas

By: John Garvey | 11/12/2009
Ideas for boutique Christmas promotions and marketing. Simple garment rack decorations or putting garment racks out for a sidewalk sale.

Keep the Christmas Spirit in Retail

By: John Garvey | 11/12/2009
Tips for boutique owners and retail workers trying to stay sane through the holiday season. Keeping clothing racks or your clothing rack straight can help.

Successful Boutique Christmas

By: John Garvey | 11/12/2009
Tips for having a productive Black Friday & Christmas season in your boutique. Tips for positioning garment racks and garment rack arrangement to reduce theft.

Dress Up Your Boutique

By: Ron Maier | 11/12/2009
How to use mannequins to sell more than you ever imagined in your boutique. Your mannequin display may be the focus of your plan after you read this!

Gridwall and Slatwall Systems Can Help You Save Space

By: Ron Maier | 11/12/2009
Using your gridwall and slatwall to your advantage can save you on rent and power, but can also make your store or boutique easier to shop in. Grid wall and slat wall panels are so versatile that you won't believe what they can do for you.

Giving Positive Feedback – 7 Ways to Make It Meaningful

By: Barbara Brown, PhD | 07/07/2009 | Leadership
When you give employees positive feedback, you want them to know that you value their performance. You also want them to repeat that performance. One way of doing that is to make sure your feedback is meaningful. This article offers a three-step approach for giving meaningful feedback and seven examples of ways to apply the approach.

Implementing Change – 3 Questions To Increase Employee Buy-In

By: Barbara Brown, PhD | 01/07/2009 | Leadership
When you introduce change in your company, you want employees to feel committed to doing their best to make the change a success. One way to do that is to explain how the change will benefit the staff, not just the company. Use the three questions in this article to manage the change discussion and gain buy-in.

Want Better Performance? Try Focusing On What Employees Want Reduced

By: Barbara Brown, PhD | 30/06/2009 | Leadership
One way to encourage better performance is to link improvements to things employees want fewer of. These might include fewer customer complaints or fewer meetings. This article provides 10 things you can use to explain how performance improvement can lead to reductions in something employees want.

Motivating Employees: Use People Interests When Making Assignments

By: Barbara Brown, PhD | 24/03/2009 | Management
Some employees like working alone while others crave a crowd. So why not use these “people” likes or dislikes as a motivation tool. How? By consciously looking for opportunities to allow employees to work with the numbers of people they desire. This article gives you four options for making such assignments.

Jumpstart Your Career By Using A Big Picture Approach

By: Barbara Brown, PhD | 03/03/2009 | Career Management
As you move up the corporate ladder, you want to demonstrate your personal competence and your organizational knowledge. This article shows you how to accomplish this by making a few small changes in what you say. It contains four strategies you can use to jumpstart or advance your career by showing superiors that you understand the Big Picture.

Increase Goal Commitment by Focusing on Positive Results for Employees

By: Barbara Brown, PhD | 28/01/2009 | Management
If you have started the New Year by setting or reaffirming some workplace goals, you need your employees to embrace those goals. One way to accomplish this is to show employees how doing what you want will help them achieve what they want. This article offers three ways to explain the benefits of embracing workplace goals.

Employee Negativity – 3 Ways to Discuss Personal Impact

By: Barbara Brown, PhD | 21/01/2009 | Management
Even employees who constantly complain about work or workers care about certain workplace issues. Why not use those issues to encourage fewer complaints? This article gives you three ways to explain the personal impact of negativity.

Employee Performance Discussions – 4 Ways to Keep Focused on Work

By: Barbara Brown, PhD | 17/11/2008 | Management
Sometimes you have to talk to employees about what they say as well as what they do. You want to keep such conversations focused on performance issues, not personal perceptions. This article offers four types of performance discussions and ways to handle each.