Management Tips

To Telecommute or Not to Telecommute—That is the Question!

by Ann Connor

Working from home is trending in the workforce today. And it’s a tempting trend, no less; one you’ve undoubtedly already toyed with. But it’s easy to see why—the benefits of working from home have been touted far and wide for both employer and employee alike (No commutes! Save money! Higher productivity!). And while these are all very well and good, it might be best to weigh these pros with their often-forgotten cons to see if telecommuting really is best for you or your company.

Manage Your Business Before IT Manages You

by Ann Connor

Managing a Business

Managing a business is time consuming and often stressful. Exhaustion looms over the day and causes many business owners to allow their businesses to dictate their schedule, their mind, and even their life. Understanding how to properly manage your business before it manages you should be the number one focus before any other fundamentals can even be addressed.

Organization can help you to manage your schedule each day without error. Once all managerial tasks are categorized and easily accessible, less mistakes will be made. With less mistakes comes less stress. Upholding the duties left to the manager in a manner conducive to production, one can combat stress and focus on priorities.

Did you Finish 2019 with a Bow Instead of a Bang—All Wrapped and Ready to Go?

by Ann Connor

If you’re a bit concerned about how you finished 2019 and how you can start strong now that the New Year is here, we don’t blame you! With 2019 behind us, it’s important to have all your ducks in a row to make sure that the upcoming year can be your best yet. That’s why we’ve compiled this can-do list to make sure your small business is ready, set, go for 2020.

Setting Clear Expectations for Your Team

by Ann Connor

Clear Expectations

It is vitally important to whatever business endeavor you are pursuing that the team you have around you understands their mission clearly. Clear expectations at the outset of a project, be it a new product launch or building a new department in the company, provide a solid guideline and should form a cohesive vision for everyone involved.

To ensure success in any given project, it can be valuable to present a set of behavior expectations or work on one with your team. One way to develop this is a “team charter” or contract upon which all members agree. This code of conduct can help to guide the team through its growth, reminding members to be respectful of colleagues, contribute their opinions when they are solicited, and addressing conflicts personally on a one-to-one basis.

Did she really recommend that I procrastinate?

SOMETIMES PROCRASTINATION IS “GOOD!”

by Carol Williams

Let’s be real. Do you procrastinate?

If “yes” then welcome to Being Human. There is NOTHING wrong with you. (Can I stop reading now?) Procrastination is our way of avoiding something unpleasant. Our bodies and minds are saying, NO! My challenge to you is, why is it unpleasant? This question equals,

“why am I procrastinating?”

Ask yourself:

1. What is your expectation?
2. How did you establish said expectation? Did it come from childhood? Teachers? Supervisors?
3. What might happen if this expectation did not exist? That you CHANGE it to another one?

Picking Productivity – how to dull the shiny objects by Carol Williams