Oftentimes, when business leaders attempt to implement process improvement initiatives, they are overwhelmed by the associated costs. They often think that in order to successfully implement a change program or process/performance improvement program they must build unique software applications to revamp how they do business.  The costs associated with requirements generation, application development, testing, and deployment can be overwhelming.  The thought of these costs may be enough to cause business leaders to avoid seeking out performance or process improvement initiatives.  Before spending enormous costs on the development of custom applications, business managers may simply look at what tools are readily available first.  

Hello,

How many times do leaders and managers ask their employees to conduct research, which involves contacting other individuals or business units, but also conduct the same research themselves?  For example, Manager A asks Supervisor B to determine production goals for the following month.  While Supervisor B is researching this information, Manager A either asks someone else to do the same research and/or conducts the research himself/herself.  This can be a very frustrating process, but it does happen.  This is frustrating for the employee conducting the research as well as the business units and personnel involved with providing the answers. 

Oftentimes managers don't feel confident in their employees' abilities and therefore find the answers themselves.  This can cause inefficiencies within organizations.  When this happens, the business units and personnel involved must answer the same questions twice, which may slow down progress.  Additionally, this type of situation can be very frustrating for the employee doing the research because he or she may feel that management lacks trust in the company staff or employees.

Another problem with this type of situation is that it does not empower employees to seek out increased responsibilities and it causes leaders and managers to spend time doing what their employees can do for them.  Effective leaders often know how to delegate tasks and responsibilities, which may help to foster and cultivate future leaders within the organization.

Best Regards,

Adaptive Leadership Systems, LLC
"Situational Awareness for Effective Business Leadership" sm
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.com

Our Products / Business Management Software:
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.net

Hello,

Hello,

How often do busy business owners or managers search for the perfect employees and when they finally find them, they don't take the time to properly train them?  Oftentimes we become so wrapped up in running our businesses or departments that we don't take the time to properly train our new employees.  Instead, we may assume that they will learn by osmosis.  On the job training does have its place in today's organizations, but if we want our employees to learn quickly it may be beneficial to have some type of training plan or curriculum in place to make their transition faster.  

Training can be accomplished by creating short tutorials that help qualified employees take their prior education or experience and put it to use in the new business environment.  Many employees' skill sets today can be applied to many different businesses, but they must understand the specific business to successfully apply these skills.  By taking the time to prepare employees may pay off in the long run.

Best Regards,

Adaptive Leadership Systems, LLC
"Situational Awareness for Effective Business Leadership" sm
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.com

Our Products / Business Management Software:
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.net

Hello,

One effective way leaders and managers can improve their organizations is to learn from their past successes and failures.  By recording these successes and failures, they can learn and reuse some of the previous techniques and processes.  By maintaining a database to tap into leaders and managers may be able to improve their organizations.  One organization that has developed a product to track lessons-learned is Secutor Solutions, LLC.  More information on the company's products and services can be found at www.secutorsolutions.com .

Best Regards,

Adaptive Leadership Systems, LLC
"Situational Awareness for Effective Business Leadership" sm
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.com

Our Products / Business Management Software:
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.net

Many times business owners and managers seek out new technology with the hope that it will help improve their business' effectiveness and boost productivity and profits.  They often spend a lot of money, but ultimately they end up with technology that is difficult to understand and adds more time to their employees' job functions.  In most companies there are easy-to-reach solutions that are right in front of us, but we just have to realize what they are.  Here are some suggestions for business leaders that may help them to find ways to increase productivity and efficiency.

Use the Tools You already Have Access To:  Many times business leaders already have technology they can use in a different way that will solve problems.  For example, many of us already use MS Excel to perform business management functions, but there are a lot of untapped areas in Excel that a lot of people don't know about.  From sales tracking and chart presentation to calculations Excel has many functions that business managers can utilize to improve their company's effectiveness.

Office Layout:  Oftentimes work spaces are set up without a lot of thought towards functionality and efficiency.  Computers, printers, and desks are sometimes organized according to what seems logical, but in fact, many times a little reorganization can save time and boost productivity.  Managers can consider moving printers closer to desks where the work is performed.  Alternatively, printers could be moved to a central location so employees each have the same approximate distance to travel to get to the printer.  This may seem trivial, but in businesses where a lot of printing takes place throughout the day this could potentially save time and increase efficiency.

Electronic Storage:  Oftentimes businesses produce a lot of wasted paper.  How many times do we print documents and file them, when an electronic copy could have sufficed.  Provided businesses have adequate electronic backup storage devices, and documents are in fact backed up, by saving electronic copies rather than printed copies could save businesses a great deal of money.

Process Steps:  Business leaders and managers may want to examine the steps within their business processes to determine if there is any waste that could be cut out.  By reducing process steps, tasks completion times may be cut, which could help to improve productivity.

Employee Input for Improvement:  Managers may want to receive input from their employees.  Oftentimes employees know how processes can be improved and they may have ideas for cost-savings.  However, if management doesn't get them involved, these ideas may never be implemented.  Companies that provide an atmosphere of collaboration and idea-sharing may realize that there are untapped areas for improvement.

Today we are experiencing some challenging economic times and finding ways to improve efficiency and increase productivity may help to offset rising costs.  Adaptive Leadership Systems, LLC has created an automated tool called the Adaptive Leadership Systems, LLC Manager's Information Center (MIC).  The MIC is an automated tool designed in MS Excel that helps business owners, managers, and leaders to track sales, income, expenses, and profit/loss.  Additionally, it helps determine the effectiveness of marketing and advertising techniques.  Users only need to know how to enter data into cells within MS Excel.  The program does the rest, displaying managers with a useful "Dashboard-Style" display of how their business is doing.  Please visit our website or call us to learn more.  Whether you use on of our tools or any of the techniques mentioned here, by exploring ways to increase efficiency and productivity may help to improve business effectiveness.

Best Regards,

Adaptive Leadership Systems, LLC
"Situational Awareness for Effective Business Leadership" sm
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.com

Our Products / Business Management Software:
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.net

Hello,

Hello,

Many leaders and managers are well-trained and have a great deal of experience in their fields.  One critical quality that affects how effective leaders and managers are is integrity.  Integrity may mean different things to different people, but overall it may be conceptualized by thinking of it as the act of being truthful and honest, and sticking to one's word.  Leaders and managers may have plenty of integrity, but it may help their credibility if they consider how their employees view their level of integrity.  Oftentimes leaders and managers with the highest levels of integrity must make unpopular decisions.  The decisions may be for the overall good of the company or the customer, but to employees it may appear that the leadership staff's integrity is in question. 

Leaders and managers should strive to make the right decisions and to be honest and consistent.  If they are truthful and honest with their employees it may help their credibility with employees, even when making unpopular decisions.  By explaining to employees and team members why decisions are made and by not hiding the truth, it may help leaders and managers gain leverage with those who matter. 

In the Marine Corps it is often discussed that Officers exist in the Marine Corps to support their enlisted Marines.  Without Marines there would be no need for Officers.  While Marine Corps Officers are involved in high-level planning and decisionmaking, one of their main duties is to take care of their junior Marines.  A high level of integrity, including setting the example, is required of them to gain credibility with their subordinate Marines.  This type of honesty and leadership can be emulated by leaders and managers of many organizations and it may help to improve organizational effectiveness. 

Best Regards,

Adaptive Leadership Systems, LLC
"Situational Awareness for Effective Business Leadership" sm
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.com

Our Products / Business Management Software:
www.adaptiveleadershipsystems.net

Hello,

Lean Six Sigma programs may be helpful to define and fix problems within processes and may also be used to help reduce waste within an organization.  Ultimately, by reducing waste and improving efficiency, expenses are reduced which leads to increased profits.  Most companies are interested in improving their bottom line, and Lean Six Sigma programs may be useful in defining improvement areas for increasing profits.  One method for helping with Lean Six Sigma efforts is to gain feedback from employees.  Employees use the processes that are put in place by management staff and they are typically the ones who know how these processes may be improved.