Category Archives: Discovering Your passion

Should I separate my personal and professional values?

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into a business you love to run.

Today’s comment came from a busy professional.

If a business or organization asked me for web and reputation services should I deny to work with them if I do not personally agree with what they do? Example: I don’t believe in their business practices or the credibility of their product. On the other hand, I am running a business and need work to keep growing my business.

 

If you believe that this business or organization is the only show in town – then I see your dilemma. But we both know that it’s not.
On the other hand – we want to make sure you are discounting them for the right reasons and in the right way. One way is to clearly articulate your company vision and mission statement; as well as stating the kind of company that you want to work with. Try clearly itemizing the attributes of your target client. For example: I work with high-quality, high-integrity based corporations that focus on customer satisfaction. My clients succeed because they are ready for success.
If you clearly articulate your company mission statement – then you will attract clients of that caliber.
Once you make your goals and expectations known — and (for example) this same company that you say have credibility issues – still want to work with you, you now have a foundation or baseline to work from. You can now comfortably and diplomatically point out any discrepancy between what they are currently doing and what they actually want to be doing (because they have told you their company mission is the same as your company mission). You can help them achieve both your goals.
On the other hand – if this same company doesn’t want to work with you because of your mission statement and goals – then they are the ones refusing to work with you and not the other way around.

 

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

We’ve come to the end of this episode – Once again – this is Laura Lee Rose –  At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into the business you love to run.

Until next time – relax and breathe – everything is unfolding perfectly.

 

How to handle uncomfortable networking events

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I give people peace of mind.
Today’s question came from a busy professional interested in freeing some time and space to advance in his career.


We all understand the importance and value of business networking. How do we handle networking events in a proper and professional manner?

One of the best ways to break the ice at a networking event is to pretend or put on the persona of a host. Focus your attention on “your guests”. Put the spotlight onto them. Allow them to shine and talk about themselves. Most people are there to talk about themselves, anyway – why to against the flow?

  1. Ask them questions about “What brought them here tonight?” “What are they hoping to gain or what are their goals for this meeting?”
  2. If they share that they are looking for referrals on XYZ or people that they can work with on ABC – connect them to someone that you just met at the same meeting that shares those goals.
  3. Don’t stay too long with any one person. Like a host, make sure you mingle. You can say “I know you want to meet more people, and I want to respect your time. I would love to stay in contact, why don’t we exchange contact information and make plans to call each other on Thursday.   How does that sound?”

If you really want to stay in contact, take out your calendar and then move on.

But what if you are shy or is an introvert? Are there any other special tips for us?

Normally what makes shy people uncomfortable is having the spotlight shined on ourselves. So – much like the above advice, shine the spotlight on other people. Instead of worrying about what other people think about you – focus on learning more about the other person. People love to talk about themselves and it takes the pressure off you to carry the entire conversation.

Also, look around to see if anyone is sitting alone or hiding in the corner (make sure it’s not you doing the hiding as well). Then go up and visit them. They may be feeling uncomfortable, so be a good host and go up and introduce them to some other folks.

For additional articles and videos on tips for introverts, check out these artifacts:

 

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

What are the first steps you should do after returning from vacation?

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I give people peace of mind.

Today’s question came from a busy professional interested in freeing some time and space to advance in his career.

What are the first steps you should do after returning from summer vacation? Can you discuss the challenges of returning to work after summer vacation and offer some useful strategies to make the transition back to work easier.

We are often bombarded with an outrageous amount of emails, activities, and questions when we return from an absence; whether it’s a vacation, a business trip or an illness. The best solution for “planned outages or absences” it so actually plan ahead. Make sure you have well-trained representatives that can handle your regular activities in your stead. Make sure you have all your important procedures documented and published. Make sure you have your significant dealings completed prior to your leaving. Make sure you have your “second-in-command’ well versed in things that may pop-up while you are away. Make sure your email-autoresponders, and voice messages are properly announcing your “out-of-office” intentions and your backup contact.

I also recommend not giving anyone by your “backup contact” – your out-of-office contact.   Allow your designated representative to determine if/when there’s a need to contact you (and no one else). All information should be flowing through this person while you are away. Don’t sabotage his/her job by allowing people to go around him/her to get to you.

By doing the above, you will have paved you way to an easier entry back into the workplace.

Returning to work after summer vacation

  • Move all your emails to a “misc” folder and out of your inbox. The assumption is that everything has already been taken care of by your “second in command”. Therefore, there is no need to review the past unless it is relevant to the future. If it is relevant to the future, it will come up again. If it comes up again, you still have the information in your misc folder – but you don’t have to review it, unless it comes up again.
  • Focus on things that are relevant for this week. You want to be as productive as you can be, once you have returned to work. Therefore, don’t get bogged down with reviewing things that were completely accomplished while you were away. Many things that occurred will have no impact in the current items, and you will have plenty of time to review them LATER. Curiosity is the only reason to review these things now – but it’s not the best way to hit the ground running after summer vacation.
  • Don’t agree to deliver anything of significance for the next 2 days – use that time to catch up. I normally add 2 additional days to my vacation return date on my voice mail and email autoresponders. This setup of the proper expectations that no one will receive anything from me in those two days. Setting the proper expectation is key to returning to the workplace with ease.
  • Setup one-on-one meetings (via phone is fine) with each of your staff and managers within the first 2 days of returning to the office. Once again – only focus on the things that are relevant to the future, although a quick summary of the past is fine in these review meetings. Before ending each call, highlight any Action Items, Deadlines, and Owners on relevant projects.
  • Return only the calls on items that are still relevant. Don’t waste time on things that have passed. You have successfully done your job to assign a “second in command” and your second-in-command has done his/her job.
  • Update your Individual Development Plans (IDP) with your new goals. Review your Personal Business Commitments (PBC) to see if they are still accurate and up to date. Since you have scheduled this “catch-up” time and have not committed to any significant deliveries in the first 2 days of your return, use this time to review your business commitment performance. This is a great time to make sure your individual development plans and business goals are still on track.
  • It’s also a good idea to review them before you go on vacation – to allow your subconscious to work on your next role, your next promotion and the steps you need to accomplish to achieve those goals.   This sets up your subconscious to work on these ideas while you are on vacation. When you return, you revisit your IDP and PBC to update them accordingly.

In my Professional Development Tool online course and in my various coaching packages, we go over the IDP and PBC in more detail. If you would like to learn more about those services, setup a quick discovery call at https://www.timetrade.com/book/WFSFQ

The key is to have confidence in the team that you left in place to handle things while you were away. A highly effective professional makes sure things will run smoothly when they are away.

 

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

What’s in a job title?

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I give people peace of mind.
Today’s question came from a busy professional interested in freeing some time and space to advance in his career.


jobtitleWhat’s in a job title? How does one pick the appropriate job title? What does a title say about us?

A rose given any other name still smells as sweet. So – what’s in a job title anyway? How important is it?

If you had asked me this question several years ago, my answer would be very different. My answer would probably center on individual prestige or associated with the number of years and experience associated with a particular job role or responsibility. Today, my recommendations lean toward looking at what we are trying to accomplish with that title.

Today, I would go back to the company’s goal or the directive. If – for instance, your job is to influence high-profile, high-paying client – then your job title needs to be prestigious enough to warrant their time and attention.

A high-profile client may schedule time with a Director of Research versus a Software Engineer.   But having the owner of the company be the one to install the product at their test lab – may have the opposite effect. It may put unwanted exposure that you are a one-man show versus a long-established company. In that situation, you might want to underscore your founder/owner status and just state that you are here to install their new software.

An unhappy customer may feel better heard if the Customer Advocacy Manager is working with them, versus Tech Support Staff (even though the Tech Support person is handling all the customer advocacy issues).

The audit team might feel better talking to your Division Audit Officer versus your QE Manager (even though the QE Manager is also the one handling all the Audit and Process issues).

Since business cards are inexpensive and you can create your own, having several cards with different titles is useful. To avoid fumbling through which card to give out – have your goal and purpose in mind before the networking event or meeting. Then only bring those cards to the event.

So, in general – my recommendation is to directly associate the job title that will make it easier to achieve the results that you want. Don’t focus on the “years of experience” or “conventional title hierarchy”. Get creative in your job titles – and focus on what you really want to achieve with them.

If your target client values creativity and inventiveness, get creative with your titles. If your target client is more procedural and strategic, then more conventional titles would appeal to them. Focus on the goals and what would attract the target clients.

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

How can I keep activity/participation high around slower demand seasons like the holidays?

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into the business you love to run.
Today’s comment came from a busy professional.

The success of my mobile app relies heavily on the activity of users being high and consistent. We have seen a drop in participation which I believe is correlated to it being Thanksgiving weekend. I am predicting the same drop in activity around Christmas and New Year. What are some marketing techniques I can undergo to build up activity and keep my audience interested?

 

Without knowing what your “mobile app” does – it’s hard to give a specific answer. But one way is to provide apps for those specific holiday or natural slumps. For instance, if your target market are parents with small kids – providing a mobile app that tracks Santa’s activity level between Nov – Jan, incorporates the season’s activities.

If you mow lawns, offering leaf-blowing and snow shuffling for the fall and winter months (when the lawn is not growing) are some additional services designed for the natural “mowing-lawn” slumps.

If you own a greet card company, offering CARE packages (Congratulations, Appreciation, Recognition and Encouragement) packages for the slumps between busy holidays card-giving seasons is a way to up-turn the down-turn of business.

Once again – without understanding your target audience, it’s hard to answer this question. Let’s chat so that I can better understand your unique situation. Then I will be able to better recommend your next steps.  It’s really easy to setup an appointment directly into my calendar with this link: https://www.timetrade.com/book/WFSFQ

Are there career risks a person should never take?

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I give people peace of mind.
Today’s question came from a busy professional interested in freeing some time and space to advance in his career.

Are there any career risks that a person should never take?  These career risks may be on the job, during a job search, while networking, or some other aspect.

Everyone is different, so it’s difficult to say what absolute career risks different people should never take.  Career risks are relative to each person’s tolerance to financial security, family obligations, and debt/credit issues.
But there is the adage of “The bigger the risk, the higher the reward”.

The general rule of thumb is – if you are proactive with your risk-management activities, then no career move is off the table.  Take the time to do a risk analysis (determine the probability and impact of the risk) on your career decision. If the probability of it actually “falling apart” is low and the impact is insignificant, then simply go for it.
If the Probability of it “actually falling apart” is HIGH AND the Impact of the situation is significant/major – make sure you have a contingency plan in place.  If you have an appropriate contingency plan in place, it’s still a feasible path.

For example – What if you are considering giving your manager an ultimatum to give you a raise or you will walk?  What is the career risk of this action?

1) Since you have been the top sales person, was responsible for single-highhandedly responsible for 60% of the company’s profits, MVP for the last 3 year and is currently making lower than 10% of your sales – the probability of you getting fired is low AND the impact of moving on is low because you can easily find another job based on your past performance and client connections.  In this scenario – go for it.
2) But what if you are already being paid more than you bring in and are in debt (which is why you need to ask for a raise)?  At the same time, you have been getting Average and Below-Average performance ratings in the last 3 years. Well then the probability of you not getting the raise is HIGH and the impact of you losing your job (via this ultimatum)  is significant (because you are currently in debt and have not savings).  So – should you avoid asking for the raise? Is this a career risk that you can’t afford to take?  Not necessarily.

My recommendation is to find another way to accomplish your goal.  The real goal is to increase your income. Propose a change in position in the company that is salary based (versus sales commission).  It may be a better match to your talents, allowing you to get higher performance ratings and a higher, consistent income/salary.

So – take that time to do a risk assessment on your significant decisions, regardless of the situation (professional, personal and private).

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

How should a small business handle the holidays?

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into the business you love to run.

Santa1Now that the holidays are right around the corner – how does a small business prepare for it? Do they close their doors? Do they stay open as a differential to other businesses closing for the vacations?

Of course it depends on what type of business and industry, but the one thing that you do know is that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years happen at the same time every year. It’s not a surprise. Therefore, anything that repeats can be managed.

  • Make sure everyone has all their vacations identified early (by mid-year).
  • Make sure all your project schedules block out the vacation time.
  • Make sure that all your procedures, outstanding items, and possible issues that may arise during the holiday season is clearly documented and shared with those responsible for handling these issues during the break.
  • Make sure the staff has been trained on the outstanding issues.
  • Make sure your clients have been informed about the holiday schedule far in advance.
  • Make sure your clients provide you with all their requirements far in advance so that you can accomplish their goals before the holiday schedule take in affect.
  • Make sure you understand your client’s holiday schedule and plans

At the end of the day, be transparent with your holiday schedules with your clients, with your employees, and with your other stakeholders. Proper planning avoids chaos and snafus.

One last tip: Don’t depend exclusively upon email to notify your staff, client and other stakeholders. Pick up the phone to verify that they understand your holiday schedule as well as providing a personalized and individual holiday wish.

For more information on these techniques, contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info
phoneTake that first step and setup an appointment: https://www.timetrade.com/book/WFSFQ

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

Strategies and Tips on Being More Productive Each Day

Posted on by

I have written books and articles on this topic. “TimePeace: Making peace with time” has several strategies.

But some of the top 3 tips would be:

1) Be clear on the TOP 3 Things you want to accomplish today. Everything else on your to-do lists are “nice to haves”. Focus on your MUST DO Top 3. Although it might be nice to accomplish more, you will abandon the other items to assure that your Top 3 items get done.
2) Take control over your calendar. Block out time to work, Block out time to interact, Block out time to network. If you actually schedule the time in your calendar to do these things, then you don’t have to worry about having the time to do these things. Have a place for everything and everything in it’s place.
3) Get into the habit of allocating and announcing time limits on everything. For instance, make better use of 5 minutes. For example, when you want to get someone’s opinion, or someone stops you in the hallway or you want to make an appointment with someone — tell them upfront “Hey there. I would love to talk about this – and I only have 5 minutes”. This trains people to start with the bottom line (eliminating chit-chat). Act as if you are talking to a lawyer how is charging you by the minute. When you are talking to a lawyer, you get straight down to business.

One last tip. Be transparent in your goals. If you state your goals upfront, people will immediately align and you will be more productive in accomplishing the common goals.

 

You may be a micro-manager, if you ….

Posted on by

Often times, people think a micro-manager is someone that stands over the employee’s shoulders every hour. But that’s not totally true.   There are other traits to a micro-manager that you may be falling into without knowing it.

 

  • If you haven’t taken vacation, you may be a micro-manager
  • If you haven’t delegated the lead of some of your staff meetings, you may be a micro-manager
  • If you haven’t allowed your team to run the show, you may be a micro-manager.
  • If you are afraid of taking a day off, you may be a micro-manager.
  • If you are afraid of what will happens when you are not there, you may be a micro-manager
  • If you haven’t allowed your team to fail, you may be a micro-manager

 

Instead of being afraid of what happens when you are not there — allow things to happen by not being there. You may be pleasantly surprised.

If you don’t allow people to try these things on their own, you miss the opportunities for growth and excellence in both them and YOU. If you are too busy taking on other people’s responsibilities, you don’t have the time for your growth and promotions.

How to track remote employee’s activities

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I give people peace of mind.
Today’s question came from a busy professional interested in freeing some time and space to advance in his career.

 

What is a good CRM for remote employees that tracks what they are doing every minute

I have a remote employee on a significant base who works from home and road with android phone. I want to track their day.

I want an CRM web app that runs on desktop and android phone:
– Sends me a daily email report that
1) chronologically lists how previous day was spent including


A) work day start time,
B) calls outgoing and incoming
– start, end time, contact, result
C) emails reading & writing
– start, send time, contact, result
D) meetings
– start, end and result.
E) Other activities eg driving
– start, end, contact, result


2) Sales pipeline status changes and value in graph format.

This should be done as automatically as possible. Ideally with no typing by salesperson. Ie buttons only. Or only one word typing if req.

I apologize if this answer seems too blunt….but I think it will be easier to find a salesperson that you trust. Requesting an app that automatically shows you exactly what they do every minute illustrates a lack of trust in their capability and competence. It’s better to find the type of people that you will value and trust; people with the right work ethics, experience and talent — then to try to micromanage those traits into the wrong people. The right people will be turned off and quite. And the wrong people will find a way around your app.

Keep it simple. Simply focus on your required results.
If you have sales quotas and success metrics in place – and they are meeting the success criteria; why do you need to know what they ate for breakfast?

My recommendation is to do your best to hire talented and trustworthy people to begin with. Setup goals and objectives around those important metrics (like hitting at least 20 sales calls a week, making at least 5 sales per week, or whatever you deem necessary). Then allow them to fully express their talent and skills they way that best works for them – in regards to meeting those success criteria.

If they are not meeting their quotas, offer them additional training or fire them.
If they are meeting your quotas, don’t fix what ain’t broke.

If you still need this day-to-day checking; I recommend setting up a daily 5 minute call with this person or team. In the agile development (this is called a SCRUM meeting), where you meet daily for a very short time to answer the critical status questions. For you – you may want to have a daily status meeting to report their sales made, sales in the pipeline, expected sales closed dates for those items in pipeline, any roadblocks to closing on time and if they need any help in closing the deals.
Bottom line – It’s a waste of time to “big brother” everything your sales person does. Setup clear expectations in regards to number of sales, leads, and lead-to-sales ratios. Then track only the metrics that bring in the money. Don’t worry about how they get it done. Just focus on the results and treat your team like experienced and valued professionals.

For you would like more information on how to better manage your team or increase their performance, why don’t we schedule a short call. That way I will be able to learn more about your unique situation and be able to recommend your next best step moving forward.

We also have a Professional Development Toolkit ecourse available for self-study.

 Once again, I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes