Is Your Bad Boss Killing You? [Infographic]

May 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” Nelson Mandela

Hopefully this infographic doesn’t apply to you. The leadership in an organization is crucial to its success. Its also important when it comes to building employee loyalty and maintaining employee satisfaction. If you’re the boss, you don’t want your employees worrying about you firing them constantly. If you’re the employee, you don’t want your boss to be stressing you to the point of shortening your life. Check out the infographic below to learn more about how much damage a bad boss can really do. 

If you think you might be one of the bosses on the list you should check out our Leadership Lessons from Yoda, make you a better leader they will. Also, be sure to share your thoughts in the comment box below and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Bad Bosses, Comfortable OFfice Chairs, Comfortable Office Furniture, Infographics, Leadership Tips Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Insight From THE Branding Expert

May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Have you identified the core values of your brand? Do you consider your brand with every decision your company makes? What makes your business different from your competitors? Have you developed a tagline that sticks and a trueline that means something to your organization? Best-selling author and branding expert Marty Neumeier helps identify some of the key questions that need to be answered when building a sustainable and irreplaceable brand.

Marty authored a series of three “whiteboard overview” books, titled THE BRAND GAP, ZAG, and THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY, which have been hailed as breakthroughs by Fast Company, BusinessWeek, and Harvard Business Review. ZAG was recently named one of “The Top 100 Business Books of All Time.”

In 2009, Neutron merged with Liquid Agency, where Marty now serves as Director of Transformation. His recent DVD, called MARTY NEUMEIER’S INNOVATION WORKSHOP, offers a peek at how he works with Liquid’s clients to drive organizational change. Marty travels extensively as a speaker and workshop leader. More about Marty

If you’re looking for more tips on branding check out our 5 Ways To Build An Unbreakable Personal Brand or our tips on Branding In Your Own Back Yard. 

Filed Under: Brand Building, Brand Consistancy, Brand Loyalty, Branding, Marty Neumeier Interview Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Why Your Process Is Killing Your Productivity

May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Business Process

Every organization has rules and processes they live by. Some have been around so long that no one remembers who or why they were established in the first place. If that’s your organization you have a big problem. Doing things the way they’ve always been done simply because that’s the way it’s always been done is a lot like sabotaging yourself. If you don’t believe us take a look at the list below to see how you may be slowing yourself down.

1. Giving more responsibility without giving more independence. – Giving someone more to do isn’t a positive thing if they have to get permission on several levels to follow through with their projects. All you’re really doing is wearing out your employees while telling them you don’t trust them. How many of your workers can work on a project from start to finish without having to stop to get permission?

2. Your leader is focussed on the process you’re following instead of the people you have. – Your process should change based on the resources you have, especially your human resources. Every person has a different set of skills and you should be working to create a process that leverages those skills instead of ignoring them. If a company only cares about the process it tells the employees that it only cares that work gets done, not how well it gets done and definitely not if it can be done better.

3. You have way too many meetings. - This signals that politics have taken precedence over productivity. Teamwork is encouraged but don’t allocate more time for meetings than you do for actual work. Instead of having your teams talk about working together, let them actually work together.

4. You don’t know where you’re going. – Employees need to feel like they’re playing a role in the desired growth of the company. If they don’t know where the company wants to go they don’t know what they need to be doing and they’ll settle for just getting their work done. Find a vision full of meaning and make sure everyone from your executives to your janitors understand it and work towards it.

5. Your management is killing the creativity but saying “No” too often. – If your employees feel like their ideas will never really be heard, they won’t share them. Make sure your management team isn’t executing any ideas before they even have a chance to be considered. This signals a lack of perspective and openness.

Not sold yet? Read more on Fast Company. 

If you found this helpful click here for our Productivity Cheat Sheet.

Filed Under: Being Productive, Business Strategy, Improving Business Processes, Office Chair Supplier, Office Furniture Supplier Tagged With: , , , , ,

Motivating The Unmotivated

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There are times in every person’s life when they find themselves unmotivated. Some people are able to give themselves a swift kick in the rear to get going again but some people need someone else to be the kicker. Unfortunately, the literal kick in the butt doesn’t work. You need a little finesse and a lot of strategy. You also need to consider that not every person is motivated by the same things. Below are some of the best and most effective practices for motivating the different types of people you may work with. .

For the Analysts – Sometimes you need to explain exactly how the project is going to play a role in the bigger picture of things to get an analytical thinker to really care. They need to know that their time is going into something that has a definite value associated with it.

The Scatter-Brain – We don’t mean this in a bad way, but there are some people who aren’t as structured as others. For these individuals, explain how the project or task is going to help the entire company. These workers also like to receive their praise in written form and sooner than later. Let them know they did a great job via e-mail and they will feel good about working hard and remain motivated to keep up that same standard of work.

The Socialite – These people place a high value on your relationship with them so keep it personal. Show interest in the role that they played in the project and let them know how important it was. In this case, face-to-face time with you is all they really need as a reward for hard work.

The Innovators – Your idea people need to be sold on the cause from the start. From there they can motivate themselves. Your job is to paint the big picture clear enough for them to want to get there. Do something creative or original to reward them for their efforts.

Read more here. 

What do you do when you’re feeling unmotivated? Share your thoughts in the comment box below and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Business Leadership, Comfortable OFfice Chairs, Comfortable Office Furniture, Ergonomic Office Chairs, Ergonomic Office Furniture, How To Motivate, Motivation, Office Chair Supplier, Office Furniture Supplier Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Teamwork 2.0

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

You used to be able to go to work and know exactly what to expect. You knew who you’d be working with and, most likely, what needed to get done. Things have changed. Instead of teams with a group of people with similar disciplines and backgrounds focusing on one specific goal we have teams of different people with different skills-sets working on bigger picture projects. In the video below, Amy Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor, describes how to manage intellectually diverse and geographically dispersed groups.

Would you rather work in a team or on your own? Share your thoughts in the comment box below and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

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Simplifying Your Purchasing Decisions

May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re at the store. There are thousands of brands to choose from and each one is fighting to win you over. What most people overlook is how many of their favorite brands are owned by bigger brands and then even those brands are owned by larger conglomerates. For Example: Skittles is owned by Wrigley which is owned by Mars. Check out the brand map below to figure out who’s really getting your money.

What are some of your favorite brands? Share your thoughts in the comment box below and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Business, Business Leadership, Business Strategy, Comfortable OFfice Chairs, Comfortable Office Furniture, Customer Loyalty, Ergonomic Office Chairs, Ergonomic Office Furniture, Infographics, Mesh Chairs, Office Chair Supplier, Office Furniture Supplier, Tips for Small Business Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Easy Ways To Green Your Office

May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Going green doesn’t have to be a big chore for your business and it doesn’t  mean you have to break the bank. Even if you’re not making an effort to be part of the ‘Green Movement’ there are little things that every person or organization can do to help take care of the environment. Here are a few easy things you can do right now.

1. Get some plants – Adding a living element to your office has positive effects on both the morale and health of your employees. The plants help to filter the air and add to the general well-being of your entire office. If you really want to get in to the office garden idea, try putting together an herb garden for your employees. They can enjoy fresh basil in their salads or cilantro on their sandwiches.

2. Stop using disposable silverware – Invest in reusable utensils for the office. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of washing dishes, at least consider buying biodegradable items. You’d be surprised at how much waste you can actually save by making a simple change like this.

3. Invest in recycling bins – Ideally you would provide a small recycling bin next to each trash can under each desk. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for your employees to recycle, so they will actually do it. The other part to this is letting your employees know about the recycling effort and encouraging them to player a bigger role in the greening of your office.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to take this project on by yourself. Work with your entire office to come up with realistic ideas and goals and figure out who’s going to be in charge of which aspects of the process.

More ways to green your office. 

Has your office done anything to be more green? Share your thoughts in the comment box below and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Inspiration For Innovation

May 1, 2012 By 1 Comment

It’s hard to carve out your place in a crowded marketplace without a little innovation behind you. This is especially true with smaller businesses who have to compete to get a piece of the market. A common misconception is that you need to be a big business to really innovate. Small businesses are developing innovative ideas, processes and products every day, so what’s your excuse? Here are a few ways to get the innovation ball rolling in your organization.

 Go Against The Current

If everyone in your industry is doing the same thing, don’t. Instead look for opportunities in the industry that your competitors aren’t looking for. It could be based on an improvement or adaptation to a product or it could just be satisfying a need that no one else knew your customers have. Take the time and find that opportunity first.

Embrace Change

Instead of nurturing an organization that’s comfortable doing what they’ve always done, drive an organization that thrives on change. Your ability to quickly adapt will open up countless opportunities. Your customers crave new and exciting things so be the only one in the industry who provides it for them. Your customers will love you for it.

Listen To Your Customers

If you feel like you’re struggling for that next great idea go to the source, your customers. You’re in business because of them and you’ll continue to stay in business only if you can continue to make them happy. Ask them what they want or what they need and let their answers serve as the basis for your next innovation.

Read more here. 

What small companies would you consider innovative?  Share your thoughts in the comment box below and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. 

Filed Under: Comfortable OFfice Chairs, Comfortable Office Furniture, Ergonomic Office Chairs, Ergonomic Office Furniture, Growing Your Business, Innovation, Innovative Companies, Leadership, Management Tips, Mesh Chairs, Office Chair Supplier, Office Furniture Supplier, Task Chairs, Tips For Entrepreneurs, Tips for Small Business Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What Managers Can Learn From The MLB

April 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Baseball season is in full swing. While some people take it as a sign to get out the grill and relax, managers should take it as a sign to pay attention. There are several lessons that can be learned from the MLB and directly applied to business. Here are a few of our favorites.

1. Fit matters as much as ability. – Having an incredibly talented person on your team doesn’t do you any good if they can’t work with anyone else. Instead of just thinking about how well the person can do the job, think about how they will fill the needs of your company and your team.

2. Money isn’t enough. - Everyone on your team needs to understand the vision of the organization as well as their role in it.  Last season, the New York Yankees spent over $200 million on player salaries–and weren’t able to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers spent just over $90 million and came within one game of winning the World Series.

3. The best leaders know how to manage the balance between micro-managing and passivity. – There are managers in the MLB that hold the reigns a little too tight and alienate some of their players and there are other managers who let the team run wild and lose any sense of control or direction they may have had. Your goal is to develop a structured environment that doesn’t require you to become the dreaded micro-manager.

Read more.

 Have you picked up any lessons from any other sports? Share your thoughts in the comment box below and don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. 


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Doing Your Own Thing

April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Tony Hawk is a skateboarding icon turned businessman and branded an empire. Entrepreneur Magazine recently posted this video with insight from the pro himself.

Skateboard icon Tony Hawk talks with Entrepreneur’s Teri Evans about the challenges of building his skateboarding company, starting in the early 1990s, through his early mistakes, and the ebbs and flows of skateboarding’s popularity.

His most humbling moment in business, he says, came in his 5-year-old son’s school report on what dad did for a living: “I’ve never seen my dad do work.”

 

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