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Tips for Productive Meetings

Carleigh Lowe — Wed, 11 May 2011 12:00:36 +0000

Meetings at the office can be major time and productivity killers. Read this article from American Express’ openforum.com to learn how to make the most of them. See excerpt below:

Many business meetings seem to be populated with people who derail and prolong discussion and who then wonder why nothing ever gets accomplished. Dealing with these offenders requires playing a strong offense, rather than relying on defense. Good meetings don’t just happen. They must be actively planned for and managed.

Before the Meeting:

1. Set goals

Whether it is a standalone session, weekly or monthly review, or one in a series covering an ongoing project decide what you want to accomplish.

2. Prepare an agenda

Ask key players if they have agenda items so that you can plan the meeting content appropriately. If urgent items mean that your meeting may be hijacked or diverted, revise your meeting goals and plan another session.

3. Send out the agenda before the meeting

Provide background information that participants need in order to engage in productive discussion. Give specific instructions on actions that participants need to take before arriving at your session—ask them to brainstorm ideas on a certain topic, gather information for presentation, or send reports for review.

During the Meeting:

4. Start on time

Explain the ground rules for discussion—limiting times on certain topics if needed—and remind participants of your desire to keep the meeting short but productive.

5. Identify those topics that need further discussion in another meeting

Interject that you or someone you nominate will plan a smaller-group session to explore these issues.

Click HERE to read the full article and to view all tips.

Best and Worst States for Business

Carleigh Lowe — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:12:55 +0000

Wondering where to start your business, check this list from an article on Cheifexecutive.net first. See excerpt below:

More than 500 CEOs considered a wide range of criteria, from taxation and regulation to workforce quality and living environment, in our annual ranking of the best states for business. The charts and articles in this special report show how each state fares on the factors most essential for a business-friendly environment—as well as what states are doing to attract and retain companies in the increasingly competitive battle to win site selection.

While the Lone Star State may not be perfect—many leaders would like to see improvements in its education system—it is Periclean Athens compared to California in the eyes of the 550 CEOs surveyed for Chief Executive‘s seventh annual report on the best and worst states in which to do business. It’s the seventh time in seven years running that Texas has led the states, and the seventh year California—to no one’s great surprise—ranked as worst state.

Top Ten States

Texas
North Carolina
Florida
Tennessee
Georgia
Indiana
Virginia
South Carolina
Utah
Nevada

See the full list and read the full article HERE.

Ideas for Brainstorming Names for Your Company

Christina Cornelius — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:00:21 +0000

While you could spend up to $80,000 to hire a firm to generate a name for your company, you can also rely on good old-fashioned, cost-effective brainstorming. But, how do you create the best name for your company without a branding specialist? One way to begin is to turn three simple, but powerful words into a focus statement; one that can define your company and guide you in naming it. A focus statement could look like this: (my company name) communicates that we are an elegant, artistic and reliable company. To determine the three words that your company name should communicate, answer the following questions using the list of words below.

Trustworthy

Reliable

Strong

Sincere

Genuine

Stable

Loyal

Solid

Skilled

Dependable

Affordable

Fast

Efficient

Expert

Intelligent

Artistic

Hip

Fun

Chic

Trendy

Cutting Edge

Innovative

Refined

Elegant

Classy

Classic

Pragmatic

Sensible

Down-to-Earth

Friendly

Personable

Maverick

Innovative

Excellent

Well-known

Famous

Green

Socially Responsible

Organized

Flexible

Global

Big

Small

Urban

Rustic

Perhaps all of these words apply and appeal to you, however, selecting a unique combination of three will give you your focus.

Here are the questions:

What do you intend your clients / potential clients to think when they first hear or see your company name. (Choose three)
Select three words that describe your dream office.
Select three words that describe your clients.
Select three words that describe your business or leadership style.
Select three words that communicate the qualities for which your clients will choose your business over others?
List three business names that have the same ‘feel’ you would like yours to have. What three words do these business names communicate to you?

Don’t worry if you have selected one or two words several times or if you end up with a total of 10 or 15 words. This is your short list. Use your gut instinct to make the final cuts, separating out only three words that most accurately and completely communicate your message.

Use your focus statement to create cohesiveness as you make the numerous marketing decisions you will face. Test your logo, office décor, and letterhead against your focus statement and you are well on your way to a basic, effective way to convey who you are and what your company has to offer.

101: Steps to Producing Your Own Company Videos

Michael Bell — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:00:07 +0000

Back in October I wrote an article announcing the launch of our video series here at Harvard. In this article I want to elaborate more on what it takes to produce a series of videos. Many of you have probably thought about doing this, but are not quite sure what it takes to produce a series of videos for your company. You might think it is as simple as setting up a camera on a tripod and sitting in front of it and pressing Record, but not so fast let’s take a moment and break this down because If you want to do it right you have to take it in steps.

Here are five easy steps that can help you to produce a series of videos for your company:

Sit down and brainstorm ideas for videos. Take a minute to figure out what makes you different from your competition, this could be a product, or service.
Set Intermediate, Short Term and Long Term Goals. Make sure these goals are feasible, you don’t want to set yourself up for failure.
Determine your time frame for both production and post-production. Keep in mind that the post production is where all the magic happens and takes time.
Determine how much money to budget for this project.
Interview and hire a production company to help carry out your goals.

Once you have followed these five simple steps you will have a library of videos to market your business to the entire world, much like Harvard.

Adding Value

Devin Scott — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:00:22 +0000

In business, are you adding value? Not just value in your product or service, and not just value in the company, although both of those are important. What I am referring to is adding value to the relationship itself. Adding value to the relationship means that every time you interact with the customer, that customer gets a feeling that you care, and knows that you will do everything you can do to help them. Eventually that feeling turns into loyalty and if they ever need anything else, they are coming to you. Every time you come in contact with someone you have an opportunity. Whether it is over the phone, in person, or even an email. You will either add value or devalue the relationship. In most businesses, this is important because you typically will speak with the same client many times. I think it should be everyone’s goal to add value to the relationship each and every time. It will impact the service you provide because when you make a conscious effort in each customer encounter to strengthen that relationship with the customer, it shows. They may have a question, they may have a problem, or they may be calling to place an order, but when you add value and strengthen that relationship, by letting them know that you care, they get off the phone feeling better about you, and better about your company. Remember, there is nothing more important to your bottom line than repeat customers and referrals.
Everyday at work we have a chance to truly strengthen our relationships with others. Albert Einstein said “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value”….Are you adding value?