The Pursuit of Positivity in the Workplace: Q&A with Happiness Expert Shawn Achor
How do you define happiness? How do you think it relates to the productivity of your team? Are your employees and coworkers happy? These answers affect more than just day-to-day emotions and interactions. They affect revenue and the culture of your business. As we try our best to free ourselves from distraction and conduct endless research on how to achieve an advantage over competitors, we forget about the biggest productivity enhancer and competitive advantage of all: a positive work environment. We spoke with Shawn Achor — happiness author, GoodThink Co-Founder and CEO, and TED Talk speaker — about the importance of happiness in the workplace and how positivity is scientifically proven to impact a business. Read the full Q&A below: 1. How do you define happiness? Does this definition change as we grow older? We need to redefine what happiness means. The ancient Greeks defined happiness as “the joy we feel striving toward our potential.” This changes the way we pursue happiness. Joy is something you can feel even in the ups and downs of life, even when things are not pleasurable. And joy is something we feel that moves us toward our potential or growth. We get closer to our potential when we grow in our relationships, or in our understanding of the world, or as altruists and compassionate human beings. The opposite of happiness is not unhappiness. Unhappiness can encourage us to make positive changes. The opposite of happiness is apathy, the loss of joy in our life. To me, this definition doesn’t change over time. 2. How can we distinguish between long-term happiness and temporary bouts of pleasure and success? Having traveled to 51 countries over the past five years, I’ve learned two things: everyone has a different definition of happiness, but what creates happiness is universal. As we measure happiness, we allow people to use their own definitions. Just like with pain at a hospital, there’s no pain-meter we can hook you up to. The same is true for happiness. You are just as happy as you feel you are. But what creates happiness is universal. Social support and connection are the greatest predictors of long-term happiness. In my research, I've found that there’s a 0.7 correlation between happiness and social support (which is incredibly high) — stronger than the correlation between smoking and cancer! Happiness, universally, is a choice based upon how we perceive the reality we find ourselves in. Which is why some people can be happy living in poverty and some affluent people are miserable. The United States is good about realizing that we need to seek happiness instead of just success, but the US has a long way to go to match the happiness of some less economically developed countries who realize that real social connection, physical exercise, being out in nature, not playing the materialism game, are crucial to happiness. I am hoping that, for schools and companies, we can stop using the "if you’re successful then you’ll be happy" formula, because that formula does not work. Rather, we need to realize that happiness fuels the success of a nation and individuals alike. [inlinetweet]"Everyone has a different definition of #happiness, but what creates happiness is universal" via @shawnachor @wrike[/inlinetweet] 3. What barriers keep people from experiencing happiness? The biggest barrier is most people think they can’t change. Most of the public thinks you’re either born positive or not, and that you cannot change. This understanding is 20 years behind the actual science. We now know that yes, genes seem to predict levels of happiness, intelligence, and success on average, but that is because the average person does not fight their genes. We rarely break free from our genes by creating voluntary habits designed to train our brain to act differently. If you look at the same research that “proves” genes matter, you’ll see outliers all over the place proving that genes do not have to be the end of the story. This is the research we need to share with the world. We can escape the tyranny our genes and environment have over our happiness. Happiness can be a choice. 4. What 3 tips would you give someone who struggles to find long-term happiness? 1. Practice gratitude on daily basis while you brush your teeth. Researchers have found that finding three new things you’re grateful for every day can move people dramatically on the optimism scale. 2. Write a positive note or email each day praising or thanking someone. If you make this a short note, less than two minutes, this is a daily routine that we have found dramatically raises your social connection score. Researchers have found that social connection is as predictive of how long you will live as obesity and smoking. 3. 15 minutes of cardio a day or three times a week for 30 minutes is the equivalent of taking an antidepressant. [inlinetweet]"15 min of cardio a day or 3x a week for 30 min is the equivalent of taking an antidepressant" via @shawnachor @wrike [/inlinetweet] 5. If happiness leads to success (and not the other way around), how can we take action in the workplace to improve the overall happiness of employees? The summary of my Harvard Business Review article is this: the greatest competitive advantage in the modern economy is a positive and engaged brain. The human brain at positive has an unfair advantage over that same brain at negative or neutral. When we are positive, we show 31% increase in productivity, 40% increased likelihood to get a promotion, 23% fewer stress-related symptoms, 37% higher sales — the list goes on and on. In my book Before Happiness, I describe the X-spot research which shows that we accelerate toward a goal the closer we perceive success to be. For a business example, think about a coffee shop that offers a card where if you buy 10 coffees, you’ll get one free. That strategy works much better if you help the customer feel that they’ve made great progress. So you have to buy 12 coffees, but you get two stamps free. In the first, you start out 0% toward your goal. In the second, you are 18% on your way. So as you set sales goals, product goals, or even make checklists, make sure you are already indicating progress. Each bit of perceived progress acts as a success accelerant for the brain. The X-spot in a marathon is 26.1 miles into the race. That's where they put medical crews, because your body gets such a huge rush of neurochemical accelerants that some people cannot take it. We obviously don’t want people having heart attacks, but this shows how powerful perceived success can be. At work, we can use some of those accelerants to propel growth. Happiness is a choice, but leaders and companies can make that choice easier by providing education on how to raise positivity in the workplace, creating social engagements, and authentically praising individuals. My job is to use the science to convince companies that the greatest competitive advantage in the modern economy is a positive and engaged workforce. Those that realize that, focus on helping cultivate positive work environments which results in the happiness advantage. [inlinetweet]"The greatest competitive advantage in the modern economy is a positive & engaged workforce" via @shawnachor @wrike[/inlinetweet] 6. What's a big new trend that you see coming that people aren't paying enough attention to? Genes and environment will define your happiness, unless you make conscious changes to your mindset and habits. If you do the latter, your happiness will no longer remain under the tyranny of your genes, childhood, and environment. Happiness is not the belief that we don't need to change, it is the belief that we can. How do you help boost positivity in the workplace? Share your experiences and ideas in the comments. Bio: After spending twelve years at Harvard University, Shawn Achor has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. His research on happiness made the cover of Harvard Business Review, his TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with over 8 million views, and his lecture airing on PBS has been seen by millions. Shawn has worked with over a third of the Fortune 100 companies, and lectured in more than 50 countries speaking to CEOs in China, senior leaders at the Pentagon, schoolchildren in South Africa, and farmers in Zimbabwe. His Happiness Advantage training is the largest and most successful positive psychology corporate training program to date in the world. Shawn is the author of New York Times best-selling books The Happiness Advantage (2010) and Before Happiness (2013), as well as Ripple’s Effect and The Orange Frog. Shawn was published in a top psychology journal last year for the work he did at UBS in partnership with Yale University to create a more effective stress training, and he recently did a two-hour interview with Oprah discussing happiness research and perception of success.
5 Strategies for Keeping Employees Happy
Recognition is crucial to ensure that your employees are happy and engaged with their work. In fact, according to an OfficeTeam survey, 66% of workers indicated that they’d leave their jobs if they didn’t feel appreciated. Here are 5 strategies for employee recognition.
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10 Tips to Build a Top-Notch Sales Organization
Over one trillion dollars are spent annually on sales organizations. That's a 13-figure number, and no small matter for our economy. With so much money going into the field, shouldn't we make sure we're putting in every effort to ensure our sales teams are equipped to do their best work? We asked sales and business leaders for their tips on building a top-notch sales organization. Read on to see what they had to say and learn how you can help lead your sales team to success. 1. Sales boils down to People, Processes, and Systems Sales operations and management are all about putting the right combination of elements together to make your organization successful: people, processes, and systems. The interaction between your sales talent, technology, and management expectations can make or break your goals. As a sales leader, you hire sales people who are goal-oriented, hungry, have great communication skills, and can represent your products and company appropriately. Then you hand them a compensation plan and technology tools to drive and manage their behavior. —Cassie Dennis, Director, SocialRaise 2. Build processes for every possible situation your team will encounter The most important part of building a leading sales organizations is creating systems and processes. You not only have to be able to scale, but you also have to know what is working. You cannot have 10 people selling your product in 10 different ways. You have to build out systems for everything from sales process to handling objections. —Adam Dailey, CEO, funlyevents.com 3. Hold people accountable with KPIs You must have metrics to hold people accountable. You have to establish easily-measured KPIs that the entire team understands and follows. —William Bauer, Managing Director, Royce Leather 4. Continually coach & support your reps Sales management has to be able to oversee what is happening in the sales process to coach and focus the rep's efforts. Creating a system that supports and enables your sales people AND processes can make all the difference. —Cassie Dennis, Director, SocialRaise 5. Address the elephant in the room: fear Fear must be addressed. It is the single most-discussed issue relating to sales reps. The fear of rejection, failure, cold calling, contacting the Upper Crust buyers and sellers, and much more. It keeps salespeople from picking up the phone and going out to connect with buyers and sellers. —Jonathan Kendall, CCP, CPS, CMCT, President & CEO, PopUpSelling.com 6. Teach your salespeople how to develop relationships with customers In the new economy, selling requires individuals that understand they are in the marketing business, can control the discussion, and build a relationship. Customers are smarter today and have more access to information. Today’s sales individual has to be able to develop a relationship, since 88% of consumers will only work with people they know and trust. —Drew Stevens, Ph.D. 7. Show reps how to sell to customers from varied backgrounds and situations Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers are naturally motivated to buy (and in the case of the sales team, sell) in very different ways. The one-size-fits-all sales and training methodologies, and the singular revenue-based sales management style, are outdated. The sales person needs to be led and taught to connect and sell to everyone, in any generation. —Jonathan Kendall, CCP, CPS, CMCT, President & CEO, PopUpSelling.com 8. Train reps to suit their learning style, not yours You need education that is focused on the learning style of the sales person. If the person is visuals-focused with a hard-charging, aggressive sales attitude, a touchy-feely approach will not work (and vice versa). In fact, it might demotivate them. Too many programs do not modify the process to meet the exact needs of the individual. Most are too focused on soft skills and the "I'm OK, you're OK" approach. Customization to the personal modalities of the individuals' brain is critical to the success of the program. —Jonathan Kendall, CCP, CPS, CMCT, President & CEO, PopUpSelling.com 9. Recognize the success of individual sales personnel using a great CRM tool Successful salespeople want to be compensated for closing sales, but they also want to be recognized. It's not just about how much they're paid, but about the thrill of victory and recognition. To make the most of this drive, you'll want to have a top-notch system where performance can be tracked. The challenge here becomes how to attribute team accomplishments as well as individual accomplishments. You want to enable people to take ownership of their achievements without being too territorial. It's important to set up a dual set of metrics to encourage pride in the team alongside pride in individual accomplishments. Good CRM software is crucial to managing this kind of information. It enables a company to clearly track involvement in different stages of the sales process, and enables you to reward employees accordingly. —Marc Prosser, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Fit Small Business 10. Automate repetitive tasks Don't do your own busywork. Use a third party tool to automate or hand off your repetitive tasks, such as building a list of leads, gathering contact information, researching potential clients, cleaning up CRM data, running drip campaigns, etc. —Joe Leon, Co-Founder, Steward More tips on building a sales team primed for success If you're serious about improving your sales team, the learning doesn't stop here. Read these posts next to see how you can turn your sales team around: 15 Stats You Should Know to Improve Your Sales Team How the Best Sales Teams Collaborate to Get Better Results 5 Challenges Sales Operations Teams Face Today Better teams use better tools Thousands of sales organizations rely on Salesforce to manage their client relationships — but how do they manage relationships with other departments? The Wrike + Salesforce integration allows your sales reps to communicate with other internal teams without leaving Salesforce. See how sales teams are already using Wrike + Salesforce, and then start your free 2-week trial of Wrike.
Collaborative Work Management: The Ultimate End-to-End Marketing Solution
Marketing teams need a centralized work management system that will consolidate the martech stack, streamline bloated processes, and consolidate information to create a manageable go-to-market workflow. The solution is collaborative work management.
Stop Playing Nice! The Stoic's Guide to Managing Workplace Conflict
"Where all think alike, no one thinks very much." — Walter Lippmann Collaboration and conflict are not opponents: they're partners. So let's banish the notion that high-performing teams are made up of smiling people who always get along. Teamwork should be messy, and being a good manager isn't about creating a fake-happy work environment where you're more concerned about keeping the peace than doing good work. Think of the rivalry between sales and marketing, or the competition between your top-performing sales reps. That healthy tension fuels success. But how do you keep conflict productive? You need to be able to recognize when healthy tension is in danger of turning disruptive, and step in to prevent things from devolving into toxic workplace territory. When a member of your team is at odds with a colleague in another team or department, what can you do to help them get through it? And how do you create a work environment where conflict drives progress and achievement? Turn to the timeless wisdom of one of history’s greatest leaders, Marcus Aurelius. Who is Marcus Aurelius? Perhaps one of history’s greatest rulers, Marcus Aurelius is widely regarded as the embodiment of the ideal leader. Aurelius, who you may know as the wise old Roman Emperor from the movie Gladiator, ruled from 161 to 180 AD. No stranger to conflict, Aurelius spent the final years of his rule fighting the growing threat of Germanic tribes. He also grappled with his personal conviction that his only son, Commodus, was an unfit successor. It’s during this time that he wrote Meditations. Now considered one of the greatest works of philosophy ever written, it's a collection of Aurelius' personal thoughts and ruminations on Stoic philosophy. Stoicism focuses on accepting what’s not within your control and mastering your emotions. Stoics respond to conflict with reason and logic rather than emotional outbursts. Winning an argument is pointless — virtue and character are all that matter. But Stoics aren't pushovers. The approach isn't about letting people say whatever they want to or about you, because in the end it doesn't really matter. It's about recognizing what's truly important and what isn't so that you don't let temporary problems distract you from doing your best work and being your best self. Egos, politics, office decorum, "how we do things around here" — that is what Stoics seek to ignore. A Stoic's Approach to Conflict Resolution How do you apply 2,000-year-old advice to the modern workplace? Dealing with conflict is a task many managers struggle with, or even avoid at all costs. In fact, 85% of executives have concerns with their company that they are afraid to raise because of the conflict that would ensue. But conflict is an unavoidable part of the workplace. Aurelius' Meditations offers sage wisdom for today's managers looking for strategies to use that conflict to drive success. Conflict is Inevitable Conflict doesn’t always happen because people are being difficult… but sometimes it does. Egos, bad attitudes, and office politics are a fact of corporate life. Like it or not, there are people who will make your life difficult simply because they’re only concerned with making theirs easier. Start your day with the expectation that you’ll encounter some pushback, and it won’t rile you as much when it does happen. Anticipate that others will question your decisions, waste your time, and take advantage of your willingness to help. By expecting this behavior, you can mentally prepare, learn how to avoid getting sucked into time-wasting tasks and discussions, and be able to justify your decisions when questioned. And if things go better than expected, you'll be pleasantly surprised. This Too Shall Pass One of the foundational tenets of Aurelius' philosophies is that, in the grand scheme of things, nothing lasts. To quote a very different kind of philosopher, "Life moves pretty fast." This isn’t meant to be depressing — in fact, it’s meant to be liberating. Why waste precious time and energy getting upset over things that don’t truly matter? The CMO criticizing your campaign idea is not important on a cosmic scale, although it can feel absolutely vital in the moment. A dose of perspective can keep you from getting worked up over issues that will only distract you from things that actually matter. Agonizing Over Conflict Only Makes It Worse Anger only makes a bad situation worse. Getting ticked off that someone talked down to you during a meeting doesn't help—it just agitates you more. Not only that, it prolongs the situation. What should have been a minor blip on your radar suddenly becomes a fixation, as you relive the moment over and over. The next thing you know, you've made zero progress on your work because you're too busy stewing... or worse, complaining. Anger only hurts one person: you. Whose Opinion Really Matters? Who cares if Janice from design thinks your Powerpoint deck looks like it's from 1986? So what if Paul from performance marketing says your ideas suck? Why does it matter if Laura from content marketing keeps erasing your copy edits? At the end of the day, you answer to only a handful of people. Why does it matter what anyone else thinks? Instead of letting it rile you, draw confidence from the fact that the people whose opinions truly matter — yours and your manager's — are confident in your performance. Criticism Does Not Equal Conflict Don't create a conflict out of a critique. Nobody is perfect, and nobody does perfect work. Honest self-reflection is a vital part of improving, and you should welcome all kinds of feedback from all kinds of people. If someone points out a flaw in your work or thinking, don't automatically see it as an attack. There's no need to dwell over your shortcomings or feel insecure about them; take the opportunity to recognize and do something about them. Make criticism constructive. Conflicts Arise When People Care Which would you rather have: a group of apathetic "yes" men? Or a team of people who passionately argue for what they truly believe is the best course of action? Being a good team player means challenging others to uncover flawed thinking and processes. But not everyone is going to agree on what those flaws are. You’re supposed to be in conflict with certain teams, because you’re each advocating for different things. Finance is going to support the most economical solution, while marketing will argue for the most responsive. These are both valid considerations: cost effectiveness is just as important as optimization. Other people aren't disagreeing with you because they don’t like you, or because they’re an argumentative person, or because they’re flat out wrong. They’re simply doing their jobs. The best thing you can do for your team is address these underlying tensions head on. Normalize them. Bring them to the surface so that they can expect conflicting viewpoints and understand where they’re coming from. Next time you're headed into a meeting, tell your team: "Expect Lucas to argue for the fastest solution, in spite of the expense, because meeting the deadline is one of his top priorities." Remind your team that you're all fighting for the best solution. Make team building exercises a regular part of your team's work week, and research virtual team building ideas to include everyone. Conflict Can Drive Innovation If you're in conflict with someone and it truly is becoming a roadblock or preventing you from accomplishing what you want to achieve — then find another way. Use it as an opportunity for creative problem solving. Adapt. Download the full list of quotes and tips for inspiration when friction pops up on your team. Encouraging Productive Conflict Helping your team deal with office conflict all starts with your leadership. Your team needs to know that you're there to listen when they encounter conflict and help them out. It's not something they should keep to themselves or stew over in silence. To start, don't shield your team from conflicts or disagreements. Be transparent about discussions and debates happening at the executive level, especially about decisions that concern them. You don't need to air any dirty laundry, simply explain how different perspectives factored into a new decision. In your daily teamwork, encourage dissenting opinions and those who question assumptions. Show your team that disagreeing doesn't mean they'll be seen as poor team players or difficult employees. Instead of yelling and finger-pointing, foster the kind of conflict that improves thinking and results. Sources: RyanHoliday.net, Harvard Business Review, 99u.com, daringtolivefully.com, wikipedia.org, philosophybasics.com, TED Blog
For Brand-Defining Marketing, an Olympian Emerges at Speedo
Denise Teti, Director of Marketing + Sales Promotion for Speedo USA, is our Manager-X Award winner for Predictability in Planning. We spoke with Denise about how she manages to cut through the chaos and lead her team to excellence.
Lessons in Office Politics from Game of Thrones
Office politics are a fact of life — it’s human nature and basic sociology to have power dynamics within a group. Despite the negative association, however, office politics don’t have to be cutthroat! Making and using workplace connections to get things done, secure the resources your team needs, and gain visibility for your contributions isn't a bad thing, and oftentimes, it's just plain necessary for advancing your career. Below, our 13 tips for winning at office politics without turning into this guy: Dos and Don'ts of Winning Office Politics 1. Don't: Pretend office politics don't exist or affect you. Rather not get involved in office politics at all? You're certainly not alone. But burying your head in the sand (or snow) only puts you at the mercy of people who are willing to use office politics to further their ends. Remember that engaging in office politics doesn't necessarily mean selling your soul: the ability to see what motivates others and positively influence them are also key traits of a good leader, and skills you should be actively trying to develop. 2. Do: Forget the official org chart — how do things really work? Take the org chart and redo it according to how you see the company actually working. Who has influence and well-respected opinions? Who mentors or supports whom? Who’s doing valuable work that’s not getting proper recognition? Once you understand the behind-the-scenes, you can start making connections that will yield positive results. 3. Do: Make note of social networks. Who eats lunch together? Who asks whom for help? How do different departments socialize? Make your own relationships with a wide variety of people across multiple departments, especially those you wouldn't ordinarily interact with on a daily basis. Just choose to befriend people you genuinely like and respect — don’t be fake or rely on empty flattery. Remember, it’s not just the power players that have valuable support to give; the goodwill and respect of average employees goes a long way, especially when it's time for promotions or assigning team leaders. 4. Don't: Spread gossip or rumors. It’ll come back to bite you. Nobody's perfect, and sooner or later you'll make a mistake you'd rather not have spread through the company by vindictive colleagues who are happy to watch you flounder. 5. Do: Use your network for the greater good. Use your connections to gain visibility for your team’s overlooked achievements, attract opportunities to excel, address widespread problems that have gone unnoticed, and contribute to improving the company overall. 6. Don't: Fail to think ahead. Odds are, you've been tempted to fire off an angry email reply or make a flippant remark at some point in your dealings with others. Before you act on impulse, watch the situation play out in your head all the way through to the end. Does it turn out the way you’d like? Taking a beat and considering the consequences will help you check any impulse reactions that could backfire big time. 7. Do: Contribute to overarching objectives, instead of just focusing on personal goals. Never say, “That’s not in my job description,” or, "This isn't my responsibility." Keep the organization’s interests top of mind, instead of putting your own self-interest above that of your team or the company as a whole. If the business is struggling, you're not going to succeed either. Besides, if someone asks for your input, it’s for a reason — they think you have something valuable to contribute, or it’s crunch time and they need all the help they can get. 8. Do: Pay attention to those with informal power. Get to know those people you see as influencers: they may not be a C-level executive, but when they speak, people listen. Ask for their advice and opinions, observe their habits and how they interact with others, and learn everything you can from them. 9. Don't: Get sucked into other people’s problems and arguments. Office politics can quickly devolve into the kind of drama and backstabbing you haven't seen since high school. Learn how to gracefully bow out of toxic situations, pick battles that really matter, and recognize what you can control — and what you can't. 10. Do: Learn to make allies. When you're at odds with a colleague, look past “Me vs. You” to “How can we make this a win-win?” Examine the situation from the other person's perspective and try to see what their motivation and goals are — or simply sit down with them to discuss how you can work together. Take the opportunity to turn a possible adversary into an ally. 11. Don't: Make disagreements personal. You’re going to disagree or butt heads with someone somewhere along the line — it’s inevitable. Just keep it professional, deal with them directly and openly, and focus on the objective facts instead of devolving into personal attacks or insults. Remember, your goal is to create allies, not enemies. And even if your work results are undeniable, you’ll have a hard time getting promoted if it's well known that you're difficult to work with. 12. Do: Stay focused on the end goal, especially in the midst of conflict. By redirecting everyone’s focus to the organization’s best interests and goals, you’ll develop a reputation as someone who can transcend petty interpersonal squabbles and just get sh*t done. 13. Don't: Be an office zombie. People are people! Show warmth and personality. Look for opportunities to help others and show gratitude to those who help you. Stay late to help a colleague, remember to thank someone who shared a helpful tip, get two coffees during your morning stop and offer the extra to someone who could use a pick-me-up. They'll remember, and you can never have too many people speaking well of you. Don't be a Leader from Hell! Watch our video to learn from classic management mistakes and keep your team happy and productive. Sources: Mindtools.com, Lifehack.org, Forbes.com, Monster.com, Wisebread.com Game of Thrones images, titles, and associated names are the sole property of HBO. This article may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for comment and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107.
Startup Launch Checklist: 22 Steps to Success (Infographic)
Starting a business is an exciting idea, but pretty daunting when it comes down to logistics. If you're stumped on where to start when it comes to launching your startup, check out our latest infographic for a step-by-step roadmap on how to go from concept to thriving business. Share this infographic with fellow founders with this embed code: Infographic brought to you by Wrike Read next: 30 Startup Founders Share Their Entrepreneurship Advice 2015’s Hottest Industries for Tech Startups Dos and Don’ts of the Startup Pitch: Expert Advice from 5 Famous Investors
6 Ways to Make Sure Your Remote Workers are Productive and Happy
A major benefit of remote teams is the ability to hire the most talented people, regardless of location. Once you've assembled your A-team, the last thing you want is to lose them because they're isolated and disengaged from their colleagues. Distance doesn't have to be a barrier, especially given the tools and technologies available to facilitate communication and connectivity. Keep your remote workers engaged, productive, and happy with these six practical tips. 1. Support Professional Growth Understand what excites and motivates your remote team members by getting to know them on a personal level, beyond project expectations and due dates. Just as you do with on-site team members, check in with your remote workers to discover their goals, and help them learn new skills to advance their careers. Budget funds for tuition reimbursement, conference attendance, and certifications, so they're incentivized to expand their skills. 2. Create Connections Between Teammates As manager, you likely have regular calls scheduled with your remote team members to touch base, answer questions, and provide support. In addition, regular communication should be happening between the whole team, about both work and fun. Video hangouts, instant message chats, and other real-time communication channels provide important outlets for fun and friendship, not to mention collaboration. Connect colleagues who share hobbies or common interests, and partner someone who's new to a task or project with an experienced co-worker. 3. Prioritize Face Time & Prevent Isolation Even if your remote workers are connected to the rest of your team through instant messaging or video chat, they may still feel isolated. Combat loneliness and burnout by building a yearly, in-person company event into your annual budget, or provide some funds for remote employees to join a co-working space in their local area. Exposure to new people and ideas is still a key ingredient for creativity, and there's no substitute for face-to-face interaction. 4. Keep Work Fun To bridge the gap between annual in-person events, plan virtual events to build camaraderie among your team. For example, during March Madness, the Olympic Games, or the World Cup, schedule a 30-minute break to hop on a video call and watch or stream the event together. Other ideas here: Ultimate Guide to Team-Building Activities That Don't Suck 5. Recognize Accomplishments Remote workers may feel like many of their contributions go unnoticed, and local employees may wonder "what they do all day" if they aren't directly impacted by their colleague's work. Make it a point to highlight remote workers' achievements for the rest of the team. Start meetings by recognizing important projects or successful results for all members of your team, particularly if they're remote. 6. Support a Healthy Work-Life Balance When your home and office is the same place, it can be tough to avoid workaholic patterns or effectively "switch off" from work mode. Encourage flexible schedules and designated time off: pay attention to how often your remote employees request vacation time, gently remind them of the PTO they've accrued, and make sure they know they're encouraged to take it. More Tips for Keeping Remote Team Members Engaged Boosting remote team morale doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. Try out these easy ways to have fun with your virtual team: 5 Ways to Show Your Remote Workers Some Love.
Employee Retention: The True Cost of Losing Your Best Talent
How do you spot a great manager? It’s someone who fosters a culture of productivity and excellence. Someone who’s fun to work with, and connects with their teammates on a personal level. Someone who knows how to inspire and lead their team to success. In short, someone who makes people want to show up — and stay. Low turnover on your team may make you feel like a successful manager. After all, if you only lose a handful of people on your team each year, you must be doing something right. But what if that high employee retention rate is actually a negative—an indication that you’re failing to challenge employees and creating a culture of complacency? What if the few people you’re losing are actually your best and brightest? Employee turnover already costs US companies $160 billion a year. Replacing an employee can set your company back as much as 2x their annual salary. And with high performers delivering approximately 400% more in productivity than the average employee, losing even a few of your star workers can have an astronomical impact on your bottom line. Not only do high-performers cost more to replace, new research by SAP and Oxford Economics shows that less than half of them are satisfied with their jobs, and 1 in 5 say they're likely to leave in the next six months. Source: HBR It’s time to redefine successful employee engagement and retention. There are many questions to consider when it comes to employee retention, especially when using professional services to hire: are salaries direct costs for professional services firms? Do professional services have to provide proof of workers' compensation? Let’s examine the true cost of losing an employee, beyond the obvious hiring expenses, and uncover the real reasons high-performers and high potentials leave their jobs. Got $13 Billion? The Real Cost of Employee Turnover According to the US Labor Department, the number of Americans who quit their jobs is now the highest it’s been in nearly a decade: 3.1 million people voluntarily left their jobs in January 2017. That employee turnover is expensive. From advertising and recruiting to training and lost productivity, costs add up quickly for organizations that fail to actively invest in their workforce. Hiring costs: Between advertising open positions, screening applications, and interviewing candidates, the recruiting process alone represents a significant expense for companies. It costs $4,000 and takes 52 days on average for US businesses to fill an open position, to the tune of $13 billion a month. Onboarding costs: On average, businesses spend the equivalent of six to nine months of an employee’s salary to locate and train their replacement, not including valuable time spent by management and supervisors during on-the-job training. Lost productivity: These "soft costs" are trickier to quantify, but still have a significant impact on a business' bottom line. New hires simply aren't as productive as the person they’re replacing, and may take a year or two to get to that level. Not to mention potential errors made by new employees who are unfamiliar with your company's processes, tools, and policies. Poor engagement: When a teammate leaves, the rest of your employees are bound to wonder why, and may even consider leaving as well. This ripple effect can lead to a significant uptick in disengaged employees, which costs US companies up to $550 billion a year in lost productivity. To put these figures in more relatable terms: for a salaried worker earning $60,000 a year, your company will likely spend $45,000 to replace them. Warning Signs Someone is Ready to Quit Just as a poker player's “tell” hints at the content of their hand, a team member's behavior can tip you off that they're looking to leave. A new study by researchers at Utah, Florida, and Arizona State Universities defines a set of 13 “pre-quitting behaviors” that managers can use to identify those at risk for turnover—and possibly intervene in time to convince them to stay. These behavioral cues include: Decreased productivity A reticence to commit to long-term timelines Dampened enthusiasm for the organization’s mission Less willingness to act as a team player Stereotypical signs of an employee's impending departure, like wearing a suit to a casual office or a sudden rise in the number of doctor's appointments, did not show as strong a statistical correlation with employees who quit soon after. Researchers have also found that job hunting jumps by 6% around an employee’s work anniversary, increases 12% around birthdays, and spikes to 16% around non-work-related gatherings like school reunions, when people are more inclined to reevaluate the state of their life goals. With these figures, it’s tempting to accept employee turnover as a fact of life. But many of the reasons employees quit are surprisingly simple, even for high performers, and managers who fail to ask why their workers want to go may be needlessly losing people who are costly to replace. The New Employee Retention Model While competitive pay and benefits packages remain an important part of the equation, it’s no longer enough to retain your top talent. Recent years have brought about a significant shift in the employee/employer relationship dynamic: today’s young professionals expect to work for many companies over the course of their career, and require a sense of purpose and personal growth at each stage. This shift belies a need for a new employee retention model that begins with hiring, and extends to creating an enriching work environment. Effective employee retention strategies start with hiring the right person. One of the most common reasons people leave their jobs within the first 12 months is a poor fit, so don’t oversell the position to candidates. Be honest about what the job really entails and how success will be measured. Lori Goler, Global Head of People at Facebook, shares her favorite interview question with The Wall Street Journal: "'On your very best day at work when you go home and you think, I have the best job on the planet, what did you do that day?' I want to be sure that whatever job or role the person is coming into is something that has a lot of whatever that is in it. That is how you get someone to play to their strengths from the very beginning." Job fit isn’t the only thing to consider when hiring; culture fit is more important than ever. Millennials now represent over half of today’s workforce, and the who of their daily work matters to them just as much as the what. They want to work alongside people they like and enjoy collaborating with. And if they’re not finding that at your company, they’ll look for it somewhere else. So how do you create that culture of camaraderie? In an article published on LinkedIn Pulse, Josh Bersin, founder of Bersin by Deloitte, urges managers to apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when cultivating a vibrant workplace culture that meets high-performing employees' expectations. Once people are “safe” (paid well) they want their work to be meaningful, apply to their personal skills and interests, to feel appreciated, and to work for a company they're proud of. Recognition and rewards remain an important and practical way to create a positive culture, so raises, promotions, and public recognition for your star employees are critical to keeping them engaged. As Jean Martin and Conrad Schmidt explain in an article for Harvard Business Review, “Even employees who haven’t been dubbed high potentials work harder in a place where good things happen to those who deserve them.” While public recognition remains a key element of a thriving company culture, high performers also require more frequent feedback and recognition from their own managers. 50% of high performing employees expect at least a monthly sit down with managers, but only 53% say they are getting the feedback they want from their superiors. Busy managers must make the time for frequent one-on-ones with their top team members, or risk them feeling that they're under-appreciated or stagnating in their careers. Another crucial aspect of a company culture that retains high performers is that of ongoing education—which is not only a benefit for your workers, but good for your organization. High-performers and high potentials represent future company leadership, and that process should start early in their careers. But it’s no longer enough to send people to conferences, workshops, or 3-day certification programs. Today’s top employees demand continuous learning opportunities, delivered through innovative platforms that fit their individual schedules. Ongoing education must be woven into the everyday priorities and schedules of your best performers. Even managers with limited funds for training can frame new projects and assignments as learning opportunities to keep high performers engaged. Implementing all of the above employee retention ideas doesn't guarantee that you'll retain your top talent, however. At the end of the day, people simply won’t stay with a company where they feel stuck. Even after controlling for factors like pay, job title, and industry, a study conducted by Glassdoor found that workers who stay longer in the same job without a title change are significantly more likely to move to another company for the next step in their careers. Keeping your best employees means giving them clear paths to advancement, and acknowledging them as future leaders early on. One large company profiled by Glassdoor solves this problem by giving high achievers access to exclusive online discussion boards, led by the CEO, that are centered around the company’s most pressing challenges. High achievers share their solutions and volunteer for new assignments, which not only ups transparency and involvement, but gives the executive team a direct line to the company’s rising stars. Solutions to Employee Turnover Companies are now experiencing a shift towards what Deloitte terms the “new organization,” characterized by highly empowered teams and workers. To retain top employees and stay competitive, companies must go beyond traditional engagement strategies like competitive pay and benefits packages. Smart managers will recognize the need to create an engaging workplace based on a strong learning culture, and define a new model of leadership and career development for their teams. As Josh Bersin writes, "High-performing companies serve their employees just as well as they serve their customers."
31 Quotes About Launching a Startup (Infographic)
Launching a startup is no walk in the park. Once you decide to follow your dreams, it's a long marathon to success. Luckily, you're not the first person to take on the challenge. Read these inspirational quotes from well-known founders and CEOs for actionable startup launch advice. They cover everything from finding your niche to the most dreaded topic: money matters. Want to inspire other startup founders and hopefuls? Share this infographic on your blog using our embed code: Infographic brought to you by Wrike Let us know which quotes fired you up in the comments below. And if you have other inspirational quotes that you turn to when launching a startup seems like a race you'll never win, share those too! Related Reads: 30 Startup Founders Share Their Entrepreneurship Advice Launch Your Startup in 22 Steps (Checklist + Resources) Dos and Don'ts of the Startup Pitch: Expert Advice from 5 Famous Investors 3 Ways Bootstrapping Strengthens Your Startup: Advice from GoPro
The Right Ways to Risk at Work
Typically, the words “risk” and “work” don’t particularly fit together. It’s widely believed that the best kinds of employees are those who keep their heads down and just go with the flow. There’s nothing wrong with that if you’re both happy and doing your job well. But there’s definitely room for some risk in the workplace. Here are the four best ways to risk at work: 1. Take charge of meetings How you act in meetings largely shows what kind of employee you are. Again, if you simply want to show up to your meetings, jot down notes on what you need to take away, and call it a day, that’s fine; but if you want to set yourself apart, try and shake things up every once in a while. Bring your own ideas to the department meeting, including ideas on how the meetings should be run. Do you know how to make meetings more effective? Maybe you’d like to run a meeting yourself someday! Talk to your superior about your ideas. If nothing else, they’ll see that you’re looking to improve the bigger picture, and that’s how you go from a good employee to a great employee. 2. Ask for a raise the right way If you deserve a raise, ask. Asking for a raise can definitely feel like a risk for a lot of people — they don’t want to rock the boat if things are going well at work, or maybe they just don’t like asking for things. But if you’re doing stellar work and the company is benefiting from your efforts, you should ask. Back up your request with hard data and a professional proposal. Go into the meeting with concrete reasons as to why you deserve the raise. Print out numbers and come prepared with specific examples of how you help the company grow and succeed. 3. Help out coworkers you don’t necessarily need to help out Even if it’s not in your job description to lend a helping hand to people outside of your department, it doesn’t hurt to help a coworker when you have the time. You never know when you might need someone to vouch for your work ethic or return the favor. Generally speaking, the more people who like you, the better off you are. Adding to the positive atmosphere and helping to keep up office morale are two invaluable qualities not every employee can possess. 4. Abandon your ideas when they’re not working out It’s important to stick to your guns when you know you have an idea that will help the greater good of the company, but it’s imperative to know when to let go as well. Consider what is a contingency plan in project management — a strategy to deal with potential scenarios that could ruin your project. You may have planned for certain eventualities in your contingency plan, but when unexpected ones crop up, it can be difficult to admit defeat and change direction. Listen to your coworkers and bosses, accept criticism, and view your work with an unbiased eye. It’s extremely challenging, but try to remove your ego from the equation. When you really need to examine something you’ve been working on, don’t think of it as a reflection of who you are as an employee, but rather just as another project a coworker completed. Is it still good? Author Bio: Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com. MyCorporation is a leader in online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, providing start-up bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent, DBA, and trademark & copyright filing services. MyCorporation does all the work, making the business formation and maintenance quick and painless, so business owners can focus on what they do best. Follow her on Google+ and on Twitter @mycorporation.
The Next Wave of Technologies is Almost Here (Win a Book!)
Photo by Clark Little I met Phil Simon, the author of "Why New Systems Fail: An Insider's Guide to Successful IT Projects" about a month ago. He told me that he was working on a new book that will be focused on Enterprise 2.0, cloud computing, SaaS and other next-generation technologies that are much talked about, but are not yet understood by everyone in the corporate environment. I found the idea appealing and thought that it would be valuable for you to get to know Phil’s point of view on these popular topics here at the Project Management 2.0 blog. Later on, I plan to review Andrew McAfee’s “Enterprise 2.0: New Collaborative Tools for Your Organization's Toughest Challenges” in this blog, so it will be even more interesting to compare the two viewpoints. Andrew: Tell us a little about your professional background. Your second book, "The Next Wave of Technologies", features lots of detailed descriptions of software system implementations and deals with various aspects of deploying new technologies. Where did you get this knowledge? Phil: I’m a recovering consultant and recently published author. I started working on enterprise applications back in 1995 while in grad school. After a brief career in corporate HR, I started moving into technology- and system-oriented work. In 2000, I became a consultant and started working as an independent in 2002. Over the course of the last 15 years, I have seen many organizations struggle with many types of technologies and applications. For years, I have spoken with colleagues about their technology-related challenges. Also, I learn a great deal from the guests on my podcasts. Finally, I do a great deal of reading on the intersection between people, organizations and different technologies. Andrew: In your book, you say that when using the term “Enterprise 2.0” you mean something slightly different from the classic definition by Andrew McAfee. Could you please give your definition of this term and say why you were unhappy with what Andy McAfee proposes. Phil: Sure. I’ll make it relatively quick. I look at intranets, e-mail and nascent attempts at ERP, CRM, BI, etc. as Enterprise 1.0. Of course, no one calls anything 1.0 at the time, right? I’m pretty sure that no one called it WWI in 1917. Only after the second did the first become WWI. It’s not that I was unhappy with McAfee’s definition. I just thought that it was incomplete. Take BI, for example. Many organizations rolled out some type of BI initiative in the 1990s, and in fact, I was able to work on a few projects of that ilk. Much like ERP and CRM success rates, however, many BI endeavors did not do what senior management initially conceived. So, to exclude things such as open source BI, mobile BI or In-Memory BI seemed incomplete. Many, if not most, organizations still have no BI tool, and early adopters are finding ways to improve their ROI on earlier BI efforts, including using BI Competency Centers (BICCs). I would just say that my definition of Enterprise 2.0 is a little broader than McAfee’s. Andrew: I see your point, and I also wanted to share my point of view on McAfee’s definition. As far as I remember, McAfee’s definition of Enterprise 2.0 focuses primarily on software systems. In my view, it’s also important to account for changes in organizational culture and practices that go hand-in-hand with the adoption of these tools. This is one of the most important aspects to consider when thinking of deploying new software. You’re a consultant, and your job in many cases is helping executives to see what and where they need to change. How would you identify the need for change in an organization? Let’s say there’s an organization where an Enterprise 1.0 system works quite well, and workers feel like they are happy with it. Do they still need to innovate? Phil: The need for change fascinates me. At times, it’s completely apparent. At other times, it’s less clear. Let’s look at the first scenario. In “An Executive's Guide to Information Technology: Principles, Business Models, and Terminology,” Robert Plant and Stephen Murrell define a legacy system as one that can no longer meet an organization’s needs. I have seen many people very happy with their homegrown systems or legacy apps because, in their view, it works quite well and they like it. That’s a far cry from saying that it meets the needs of the business. It’s hard to argue that today a clunky 1980s app without adequate reporting, e-mail, etc. meets an organization’s needs. Now, let’s look at a more contemporary system with a decent number of bells and whistles. Is the organization “set”? I’d argue that it’s hard to say. What if a SaaS-based or open source equivalent can meet the same business needs at a lower cost (both out of pocket to the vendor and in terms of employee salaries)? Isn’t the organization beholden to at least investigate what’s out there? So, with respect to innovation, the answer is a qualified yes. Enterprise 2.0 and Web 2.0 technologies allow for so much innovation that I don’t see how you can say, “We’re set.” At the same time, though, innovation for the sake of innovation isn’t a great idea. It all comes down to whether the current apps and technologies can meet an organization’s needs. Andrew: Right. In your book you say that there are important issues that people who choose to adopt Enterprise 2.0 will face. Can you say more about this and why you think that these issues should not scare executives away? Phil: Absolutely. Let’s take two white hot technologies at the moment: social media and cloud computing. Social media makes many organizations uncomfortable because they lose control of the message. As Jay Miletsky points out in the chapter, allowing others to create content related to your brand, organization and products takes many people out of their comfort zone. Miletsky writes that "negative comments, of course, are visible and available for anybody on the network to see -- not exactly the kind of notoriety that most organizations want to be made public." With regard to cloud computing, organizations no longer have their data within the fire wall. Amy Wohl does a great job of explaining some of the security, technical and political issues that organizations face when their data resides elsewhere. Wohl writes that that "early adopters (of cloud computing) will want to make certain that the clouds they choose offer the level of security and governance they require." You’re right. These issues shouldn’t frighten CXOs. Digital music scared the record companies. Open source scares Microsoft. The point is that these vast technological changes are taking place. You can deny that they are happening, or you can understand them and how they can potentially help your organization. In a sentence, that’s what “The Next Wave of Technologies” is all about. Andrew: A considerable part of your book is dedicated to the role of IT in Enterprise 2.0 implementation. Could you please summarize the main roles the IT department should play when a company adopts a new technology? Do you agree that Enterprise 2.0 is a user-driven technology? Phil: Yes, there’s a chapter on IT, and it’s a recurring theme throughout the book. In general, business and IT need to break out of their comfort zones. IT needs to understand more of the business and, quite frankly, many business users should understand more about the role of IT and specific technologies. With respect to IT, the department and its employees are typically in a unique position: they interact with many pockets of the organization and, as such, contain a great deal of institutional knowledge. Applied correctly, IT can use this information to be more of a true partner with the lines of business. It’s hard for me to call Enterprise 2.0 completely user-driven, and I don’t think that it should be. Imagine the chaos resulting from everyone doing everything on their own. I will say this: Look at collaborative tools, such as Yammer. Like many companies, Yammer operates on a freemium model, allowing for mass adoption of the tool within organizations. In other words, IT need not to follow its traditional “top down” procurement and roll out the process for certain technologies. Adoption of a tool such as Yammer can be more organic, more “bottom up.” To that extent, yes, Enterprise 2.0 can be user-driven. Andrew: This is close to the more generic idea of blending top-down and bottom-up approaches to management. I wrote a post on it before with a main thesis revolving around the fact that an organization needs both bottom-up knowledge and top-down guidance to become adaptive and more competitive in the present economy. In my opinion, the main advantage of the Enterprise 2.0 systems is that they make organizations more transparent. I guess this is the core change that Enterprise 2.0 brings to organizational culture. Do you believe that technologies can change the way business is done? In other words, do you think that the change in technologies involves changes in processes and in the way people act at work? Phil: It’s folly to assume that a transformative technology will always leave current business processes untouched. I’ve seen organizations cling to, let’s say, “less than current” methods because that’s how they did things around there. They didn’t know another, better way. As a result, they were unable to successfully utilize their new systems and applications. Take collaborative tools, such as wikis. They have made working on international projects easier by an order of magnitude, as Jason Horowitz points out. "Wikis are an outstanding way to work remotely...allow[ing] individuals to make changes to documents on their schedule while building on the work of colleagues in other locations." Foolish is the organization that doesn’t ask fundamental questions about how Enterprise 2.0 technologies can help improve the current business processes. Andrew: Phil, thank you for sharing your point of view. It was a pleasure to talk. For our readers I’d like to note that, if you liked Phil’s ideas and want to find out more, you are welcome not only to take a look at his upcoming book "The Next Wave of Technologies: Opportunities in Chaos"; but also win a copy of it by leaving a comment on this post! The author of the best comment will get a book with Phil's signature.
How to Leverage New Technologies for the Success of Your Business: Win a Book and Find out!
, a recognized technology expert, about his book, “The Next Wave of Technologies." However rapid technology development is, Phil does a great job in keeping up with its pace and considering all the latest trends in his works. In his third book, which was published a couple of months ago, Phil took a look at the emerging technologies from the small business perspective. The title speaks for itself: “The New Small: How a New Breed of Small Businesses Is Harnessing the Power of Emerging Technologies.” What are “the new small businesses” and how do they leverage the opportunities brought by new technologies? Phil shared his point of view on these questions when we met to discuss his new book. Read our conversation to learn more. Phil, congratulations on the release of “The New Small”! According to the subheading, the book is focused on “the new breed” of small businesses that successfully leverage the new technologies. What exactly is this “new breed”? This new breed of small businesses is open, experimental and curious. They are constantly pushing the envelope and refuse to manage by routine. You’ll never hear “that’s not the way we do things here.” They’re a dynamic bunch of companies that, as you see in the book, are doing some amazing things. The owners of these companies inspired me a great deal. They weren’t afraid to break away from old tools and techniques that have worked for them and taken them to a certain point. In the first chapter of the book, which is available for free preview at your Web site, you call the present situation “the era of constant technological change.” In your opinion, is there a difference between the way large enterprises and smaller companies respond to it? If so, what are the main challenges that small businesses face? For political, legal and financial reasons, big companies often cannot get away from technologies that no longer work for them. Small companies don’t have that problem. The world is their oyster. Yet that very freedom can easily become chaos. Fortunately, the New Small is able to strike a balance, getting the benefits of amazing new technologies in the process. What about globalization – is it a threat or an opportunity for the New Small? Both. If you think that you’re safe as “the local provider of X” services, unless you’re a plumber, you’re in for a rude awakening. Why do you think the emerging technologies, such as social media or cloud computing, are a perfect match for the needs of small businesses? Can you share a specific example of successfully harnessed new technologies? For one, the advantage of new technologies is that they scale quite easily. No longer does a business need to predict “just how much” technology it will need. Second, success begets success. You can dip your toe in the pool before you jump in. Finally, with the freemium model, you can test-drive technologies before making the jump. There are many case studies that prove all this. For instance, I can think of Skjold-Barthel, the law firm that threw all of its data and apps into the cloud, reducing its IT costs by 75 percent. That’s just one example, but the book is rife with them. I can’t agree more with you regarding the significance of scalability. In my opinion, it is one of the key things that decide whether a solution is efficient for a company or not. Teams grow, and they have more and more data to organize. The system they use should be able to accommodate as much data as needed and still remain productive and comfortable to use, kind of like the social networks that we use daily. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who have just started or are planning to start their own business? The impact of new technologies isn’t necessarily the same across the board. Different companies still have different needs; one size certainly doesn’t fit all. So don’t be afraid to experiment or fail. Einstein said something along the lines of, “If you want to increase your success rate, fail more often.” This couldn’t be truer today, particularly with respect to small businesses. Also, get away from technologies that no longer meet your needs. Whether it’s ERP, CRM, a content management system (CMS) or whatever, see if there’s something better out there. Then try it out! Do you have any tips for managing projects in the New Small? Yes, and the main one is – go agile. The companies that inspired me do not use Waterfall-based methods. They can’t wait a year to see if something is conceptually sound. Throw something against the wall and see what you like and what you don’t. Also, don’t reinvent the wheel. See what open source and off-the-shelf tools exist. Use existing APIs and modules to extend functionality. Thank you, Phil. It was really nice talking to you. Some good news for my readers – if you have enjoyed this interview just as much as I did and wish to know more about “the new breed” of small businesses, you have a chance to get Phil’s book for free! Share your point of view in the comments to this post. The author of the most interesting comment will win a copy of “The New Small.”
15 Stats You Should Know to Improve Your Sales Team
As a driving force in our economy, a lot of research has been done on the world of sales. What do sales orgs need to do to drive profit? What leads to a successful sale? When is the best time to call someone, and how many times do you have to call? If you're trying to improve the performance of your sales organization, check out these stats on what works (and what doesn't) when you're trying to close a deal. If you want to learn more, check out this post: 26 Sales Process Statistics & Best Practices. 15 Statistics to Help Improve Your Sales Performance What have you done to improve your sales team? You can't only rely on stats and figures if you want to improve your sales org. You also need experience, and a knowledge of how other departments can help your sales department, including how to interpret what are leads in marketing. Share how you've improved your sales team in the comments below, and we can all learn from one another.
10 Best U.S. States for Launching Your Software Startup (Infographic)
If you’re ready to found a software startup, you might think a move to Silicon Valley is inevitable for your organization's success. But soaring rental rates and a high cost of living may make you and your team wary of picking up and moving to the Bay Area. Luckily, San Francisco isn’t the only place you can find venture capital, an entrepreneurial culture, and opportunities to grow. This infographic shows hubs of innovation sprouting up all over the nation. Take a look at where software startups and other fledgling businesses are thriving: Top 10 U.S. States for Entrepreneurs (and VC dollars raised) California ($3.27 billion) Massachusetts ($798 million) New York ($648 million) Washington ($279 million) Texas ($213 million) New Jersey ($174 million) Arizona ($145 million) Illinois ($144 million) Colorado ($142 million) Pennsylvania ($105 million) Take a look at the full infographic to find out which industries are claiming the most VC dollars in these top 10 states, the major players in cities across the US, and the average age and working hours for entrepreneurs in four big cities. Source: Intuit Read next: 7 Ways to Fund Your Startup The Ultimate List of Legal Resources for Startups Top 10 Reasons Startups Fail