Three Ways to Become a Better Leader

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StrategyDriven Management and Leadership Article |Leadership|Three Ways to Become a Better LeaderLeaders are made and not born. That’s a saying that has stood the test of time and is true whether on the sports field or in the boardroom.

If you don’t consider yourself a natural leader but need to find ways to inspire your team on towards success, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we take a look at three great attributes of a leader, attributes you can learn as you go.

Step out of your comfort zone and start making a real difference to your business.

1 Get Organised

With your time, with your paperwork, with your approach and with the details, such as appointing your business immigration attorney. Seeing someone in control and on top of the details shows your team that you take them and their roles seriously.

Not being up to speed on their annual leave requests and so on, sends out a signal that you’re not interested or don’t care about the small details that mean a lot to them.

Instead, show them that you’re the kind of person who leads by example. Who is able to prioritise and who pays attention.

2 Lead, not Boss

This is where so many managers fall down. Quite simply you will get the best from your staff if you lead them, if you’re in the thick of it with them. Gone are the days of the boss sitting several floors up in a glass office away from the hub-bub. Now, you need to be available and to be involved.

Demonstrate your tenaciousness by driving forward sales and working to the best of your ability but also back your team. It’s true to say that sometimes things go wrong and people get things wrong but that doesn’t mean you then have to start throwing your weight around along with blame.

Instead work together to look for solutions and to move the situation forward. This is the kind of behaviour that will inspire loyalty and hard work.

3 Respect Boundaries

When work is over for the day, it’s over. Your team members should see you leading the way by leaving work at a consistent time and making it a priority to spend time with your family. Respect the home lives of your team members too and try to avoid having them spend too much time working late but instead encourage a healthy work/life balance.

You might even give them the option to work from home when childcare is an issue or the trains are not working as they should.

Being in charge is a tough role and a lot of responsibility lies on your shoulders, so give yourself time to grow and relish the role of becoming a leader. Treat your staff as your best asset and find ways to motivate and inspire them as they give their all and help you to achieve your business goals.

As you grow into your leadership role, your team will respond with even greater good will, so work together and become the leader you know you’re capable of becoming.

5 Ways HCM Can Improve Talent Recruitment

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StrategyDriven Talent Management Article |HCM|5 Ways HCM Can Improve Talent RecruitmentThe right talent is essential for the success of any organization. However, sometimes it can be difficult and even time consuming and expensive to find the right people to work for you. Choosing the wrong person for the job can ruin your reputation and bring your profits down. Thus, no matter what it takes, you have to do your best to find the right talent. One of the steps you can take to make the recruitment process more successful is to use a human capital management (HCM) system. Such a solution can be helpful in five key ways

Job Posting

An HCM system can simplify the process of sending out job posts or Ads. With most systems, you can share the post to job forums and even social media directly from the platform. You will also get an option for employee referrals. Referrals from your employees have higher chances of turning out right because they are like recommendations from people you know. However, you still need to do thorough screening for the referrals, just like you would for the other applicants.

Applicants Experience

Another key benefit of using an HCM system is that it can give the applicants a great experience during the entire process. As a business, you should strive to build a good reputation, not only with your customers but with potential employees as well. You can make a good impression on potential employees by providing a smooth application process and proper communication after one has submitted their application. When you offer something short of that, applicants will have a bad impression about your business and may leave before completing the application or getting feedback. By investing in a good system, you can avoid losing top talent along the application process.

Timely and Personalized Communication

Generic messages aren’t good for both the employees and the applicants. With a good system, you can send personalized messages to all your applicants. A personalized message shows that you appreciate the effort of your applicants. And with such appreciation, the applicant may be disappointed if they don’t make it but they are less likely to walk away bitter.

One Dashboard

Another benefit of having an HCM system is that you can track everything from one dashboard. With one dashboard, you can avoid duplication and repetition. Also, when everything is being coordinated from one centralized place, there will be better collaboration among the parties involved in the hiring process.

Background Checks

HCM software (also referred to as human capital management) includes background checks. Examples of checks you can complete using the software include criminal record checks, identity, and employment checks. However, note that while these checks are useful, they may not be comprehensive. You will have to do more checks by yourself before making a decision to hire someone.

With the right HCM software, you will be able to recruit and hire the best talent without spending so much time or going through so many struggles. However, it is important to remember that not all systems have the same features. The benefits you get will depend on the features of the system you choose. Thus, check the features well when shopping for software for your business.

Wondering How to Get Your Team Motivated? Here Are 5 Helpful Tips

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |how to get your team motivated|Wondering How to Get Your Team Motivated? Here Are 5 Helpful TipsFor some people, motivation is a difficult thing to possess on the job. As a business owner or manager, there will be many times that you need to get your team motivated.

Getting your team ready and motivated to work together is a skill you can learn and practice along the way.
Keep reading for our five tips on how to get your team motivated.

1. Set Goals and Celebrate Them

One of the best ways to get your team motivated is to set goals and have a way to celebrate them. Have a meeting with your team and see what your big goals should be. You can then come up with a reward for reaching these goals as well whether it is a personal reward or something that they all get at the end of a quarter.

OKRs are a great way to set goals and track them along the way. They can help you to figure out what your objective is as well as the key results. This is an awesome program you can use in many different areas of your business.

2. Lead By Example

As a business owner, all eyes will be on you so make sure you’re leading by example. This means that you should do your best to promote productivity and happiness in the workplace. When your team sees that you’re a motivated and productive boss, then they will be more likely to be motivated as well.

You also need to come into work every day with a smile on your face even if you don’t feel like smiling. No one likes to be around a negative Nancy so try and make aspects of your day good. Even when there are downfalls in business you need to try and put a positive spin on them so your team doesn’t get bogged down by the negatives.

3. Good Communication

Another way to get your team motivated is to communicate with them and see what they need. Good communication comes from both ends so as a business owner you need to make sure that your team knows you’re willing to communicate with them.

Sit down in a small group or one on one and ask your employees what they need to stay productive and do their job well. It could be that they need an extra day off for some self-care, or maybe they feel like they aren’t getting paid enough. Do your best to try and fix any issues that they have.

4. Recognize Your Team

As we mentioned earlier you can’t focus on the negatives so make sure that when someone does something good on the job you recognize them for it. This could mean just saying ‘thank you’ in person to recognizing them for their hard work in a meeting.

One of the best ways to get people motivated is to appreciate them for the work that they’re already doing. When employees know that they’re appreciated for the work they do, then they will want to continue doing as best as they possibly can.

5. Don’t Micromanage

As a business owner, you may be more tempted to micromanage your team but this is the worst way to get them motivated. You have hired each of your employees based on their skills so you should know that they can do the job.
Try to take a backseat when it comes to big projects that your team is completing. If they ask for your help, then you’re more than welcome to assist but try not to butt in when not needed.

How to Get Your Team Motivated

When it comes to figuring out how to get your team motivated there are going to be a lot of trial and error. You will just need to figure out what works best for your team when it is time to get them motivated.
If you’re interested in learning more business strategy, then sign up for our newsletter for more advice.

Mixing Work with Pleasure: 5 Tips to Help You Plan an Awesome Business Party

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Business Party|Mixing Work with Pleasure: 5 Tips to Help You Plan an Awesome Business PartyDid you know happy employees are 20% more productive? Productivity at the workplace is more than just one’s skills and commitment. It also depends on the person’s mood, physical health, and mental state. Therefore, ensuring that your employees enjoy their time working for the company is very crucial in the growth and success of the business.

One great way to increase enjoyment in the workspace is to throw a party and reward your employees for their hard work. Hosting a corporate EOFY function in Sydney gives all the members of your business some time to unwind and reflect on everything that happened throughout the busy year. It’s also important because it shows the employees that you care about them as much as you care for your company.

Inasmuch as the objective remains the same, how and where you plan your End of the Year or EOFY party is very significant. Wondering how to hold a perfect business party for your company? Not to worry! In this guide, we’ll go over corporate event planning tips.

1. Plan the Party and Save the Date

Try and start brainstorming for your business party up to four months beforehand. One mistake that many people make is commencing their plans when it’s too late. This makes them quite desperate and will be forced to accept whatever comes their way in terms of venue, food, and other related resources. However, starting things early enough will give you time to research caterers and different conference centers.

Ask for help from other creative employees to help you plan the party. This way, you can share the planning responsibilities.

Find out from your guests of honor when they are available for the party. Once you know what dates are free, pick one. You can send out save-the-date invitations in advance so people can mark it on their calendar.

2. Choose a Theme

To make your party fun and exciting, consider picking a unique theme. Yes, you’re obviously celebrating a successful year, but without a definitive theme, everything will be dull and boring. Therefore, make sure you have something to base your celebrations on. You can decorate the venue according to the theme you choose.

You can host a costume party or throw a breakfast event. Throw a luau party in the middle of winter to boost office morale. If you know your employees like trivia or bingo, you could host a game night. Of course, it would be wise to do something in which most of your employees will be interested to participate. You can gather this information either by going through every member’s hobby or conducting a survey.

Once you have this information, be sure to pick something that won’t be too expensive for you and your business. If you need help and have the budget available, call an interior decorator.

3. Pick a Venue

What space you choose will depend on the number of attendees and who you’re celebrating.
If you only have a small gathering, you could throw the party at a worker’s home or the office.
For a fancier gala, book a local hall.

4. Food and Drink

If you’re serving food at the event, you’ll want to hire a caterer.
Find out from your employees what kind of food they prefer. You should also find out if anyone is a vegan or if they have any allergies. You want there to be food choices for everyone to enjoy.

With your planning team, talk about if you’ll offer alcoholic drinks at your event. Find out if there are any local liquor laws for a business party. Your company could get in trouble if someone gets hurt because they misused alcohol.

If you decide to offer alcohol, hire a responsible bartender.

They will help watch guests and make sure minors don’t drink. Some caterers even provide this service with their food.

5. Hire Entertainment

You can hire entertainment for a large-scale event.
Choose from a comedian, singer, or a master of ceremonies. Make sure you approve the material beforehand.
Check out these corporate event ideas for more inspiration.

Now You Know How to Plan a Business Party

We hope this guide on planning a business party was helpful. Make sure you plan ahead of time and work with another employee.

Don’t forget to bookmark our site. This way, you won’t miss out on any of our resources.

Building A Strong And Successful Retail Brand Image

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Brand|Building A Strong And Successful Retail Brand ImageWhen it comes to attracting customers to your retail business, again and again, there are several areas that you could focus on to make a real difference. Having good levels of a varied choice of popular products will help you to a broad extent. However, having a recognizable and memorable brand will make sure that your company sticks in the mind of your customers and will help them to remember and choose you in the future.

A Visually Recognizable Store

A recognizable storefront help to create a lasting impression in the memories of your customers. This means having a bold logo that represents what your brand is all about. While you don’t need to have anything literal in your logo that shouts about the type of products you sell, if you’re a new company or your name gives no indication of the type of products you sell, this may be a helpful option.

Hire a graphic designer to create a logo and signage for the front of your store. Having well-designed branding will make a big a big difference when it comes to creating a lasting and professional impression.

But branding should not just be on the front of your store, you need to remind your customers where they are when they are inside your store. Branded signage can be used around till points, shelve-edge graphics, branded point-of-sale, posters, and if possible, on your product packaging. Using branded carrier-bags, till receipts, and promotional material will also help.

A Team That Meets Your Brand Standards

Branding is not just about your logos, store fit, and promotional material though. Your team should also represent your brand in both their appearance and how they approach your customers.

Having a distinctive image for your team is crucial as it will make your team identifiable. Whether you want your staff to wear a uniform is up to you, however, if you choose to allow your team to wear their own items of clothing then you should set some standards to ensure that they meet your brand expectations. Consider getting custom lanyards to let your customers know who is a team member.

Setting out your customer service expectations is crucial. This means working out how you want your customers to view the service experience. Instilling your ethos in everything that you do is important. If your brand wants to stand for value, quality, great service, or its ethical stance, then you need to pick the message that you want to put across in your branding.

Social Media

Your business needs to think about how the brand is represented on social media. Having a presence on the major social media sites is crucial if you want your business to thrive. When you use these sites, you should make sure that you are maintaining a standard of communication that is in keeping with the message that you want to put across to your customers. This will mean deciding the type of tone that you want to communicate using, as well as the types of posts and interactions that you will be providing.