Change: Can Money Buy Happiness?

Humans are very sensitive to change: When we get a raise or commission, we really enjoy it — but we adapt at incredible speeds to our new wealth.

Some studies have shown that in North America additional income beyond $75,000 a year ceases to impact day-to-day happiness.

“Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants,” Ben Franklin — who was born 307 years ago today — is often (mis-)quoted as having proclaimed. 

In asking what you would do if money were no object, Alan Watts echoed Franklin as he advocated for liberating creative purpose from money-work.

Small businesses will benefit from an IT consultant's expertise

Running a small business often means time and budget are tight. You probably don’t want to spend hours filtering through online resources to find the best methods or solutions.

Because the first year of a new business tends to be the “make it or break it” moment, sitting down with someone who understands IT can help you avoid startup pitfalls and technical glitches that can hinder your company’s growth.

Small businesses can benefit from hiring an IT consulting firm for a number of reasons.

Buying help
When you hire an IT consultant, you can gain insight into which servers, programs and other hardware can meet your needs and your budget according to your business plans. Without spending time on IT purchasing decisions, you’ll be able to focus more on the core of your work.

• IT consultants with experience know the best methods that will help you meet your goals.
• IT consultants can advise you on purchasing decisions so you don’t overspend or get a product that won’t accomplish what you had in mind.
• Better, faster and cheaper solutions with proven success will save you time and money.
• IT service providers stay up to date on the latest in tech and understand which products are not worth the cost.

Access to a team
Hiring a single IT employee may seem to be the best idea, but hiring a consulting firm provides more support and information than one individual can.

You also won’t have to worry about benefits, salary or training that come from the employment of an in-house IT specialist.

• You’ll have access to a team of specialists that can provide support on the latest and greatest in IT without additional training on your end.
• When hiring an IT consulting firm, you get a flexibility that doesn’t come with an individual. On-demand support is a bonus when unplanned events occur.
• Through a partnership with a well-established IT consultant, businesses can have the benefits of priority (and sometimes discounted) access to various technology vendors.

Increased productivity
If you hire an IT consultant, you and your employees can spend less time worrying about the office network and more time getting the job done.

• Effectively planned and executed technology can ensure your company faces less downtime and fewer glitches.
• Gain peace of mind knowing that whatever problems you face, you have an IT support system that can provide insight and solutions.
• Because you won’t be the one focused on making sure everything tech at your business is running smoothly, even if a hiccup does occur, you can continue focusing on what’s most valuable: growing your business.

As a company expands, bringing in an IT team may be the best route. Or, you may want to stick with the methods you’ve been using.

Small businesses can benefit from hiring an IT consultant, but it’s truly up to you to determine if this is the route you want to take.

Ubiquity of the “Impostor Syndrome”

Discussing complicated intellectual subjects with others often involves area’s of knowledge in which we feel uncertain or inadequate.

You and I would not be the only one to have a sense of not belonging when caught in such a situation, even when we are in fact experts in that particular field.

This feeling of being found out as an impostor who talks nonsense despite the fact that we are well schooled on the subject, is a widespread phenomenon called The Impostor Syndrome. Although a rather benign sort of mental aberration, it can severely hamper our confidence.

The Cambridge professor of physics Athene Donald has broached the subject eloquently in a blog post, discussing her experience of the phenomenon in the world of academia.

She noted that it seems mainly an issue woman seem to talk about openly, but she has now followed up with a second article showing there are also plenty of men experiencing these feelings, although they seem less inclined to identify them as genuine instances of Impostor Syndrome.

If you share the feeling of inadequacy in the presence of peers or when speaking as an authority in academic or other capacity, it may pay off to read the articles and realize that this is pretty common. It’s not unlike the notion of feeling our looks, smells or physical behaviour is inadequate compared to others.

Whilst in most cases, others share these feelings, probably at the same time.

The spiritual opposite of the Impostor Syndrome is called The Dunning-Kruger effect. This effect comes down to an obliviousness to our inabilities, causing those with minor to no skill to be unable to detect their lack of competence and hence value their ability much higher than it in practice is.

If you and your colleagues all wonder how how that supremely incompetent and dislikeable manager got that position in the fist place, it may simply be the Dunner-Kruger effect in action.

The person may lack the self-consciousness and skill to realize his or her capacities are minor and hence prances around with the confidence of kings, which can translate eventually to promotion over more skilled, but far less confident, collegues.

In short, the Impostor Syndrome shows us that even the most competent of people, academics of fair repute, experts in their field, can constantly have the nagging feeling they are inadequate compared to others.

All of which brings us to a wonderful quote from the great British philosopher Bertrand Russell:

“One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision”

Collaborative Consultants - a rare breed?

Companies who are more cynical about the use of business consultants should consider making a fundamental shift in the way they think about management consulting.


The current preference is for expert-based “knowledge,” meaning that consultants present themselves as acting as trusted advisors to clients, providing outside diagnoses of problems.

Unfortunately, in many cases, these consultants’ suggestions are based on a well-defined body of academic and third-party research, but not necessarily on firsthand experience with the challenges faced.

The consulting approach of “knowing” is more hands-on, involving close cooperation with the client company. One of the advantages of this method, is that information about a given business, industry sector, or project is not merely transferred from consultants to clients, but rather created or learned, during a process of mutually beneficial or active collaboration.

When problems crop up the collaborators have a mutual incentive to solve them — an approach that ultimately spreads more information, accountability, and knowledge throughout the entire team.

Conclusion
Organisations will experience greater benefits if management consultants shift their focus away from the traditional expert-driven, learn-as-u-go approach and instead explore more collaborative and mutually beneficial, client–consultant projects.

Laid-off! Oh No! What now?

Crystal Balls

The USA reported that 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, with 524,000 axed in December alone. Unfortunately, the situation isn't expected to be any better in Europe in 2009. People who invested years of hard work, loyalty and dedication have been shown the (back) door. Now they find themselves out in the street, left wondering what their futures hold.

Discard Pride and take Courage
The newly unemployed can't afford to miss a beat. Yes, the economy has deteriorated. Yes, more layoffs are coming. Yes, it's harder to find a job now than it was a year ago but while some will react badly, smart job seekers will get tough and get going. They'll brush up their résumés, hit the job boards, work their social networks and polish their interview skills . Remain calm, collected and focused on finding the next opportunity.

Resting for the Hunt

Finding a new Job is Your Full-Time Job
You might not be fully employed, but you do have a job. Your job is to find a new position. Remember, you have been released from you current commitments, you have not been granted permission to take time off and lick your wounds.

Some people may feel they have enough savings to live off for a month or two, before they throw themselves back in the market. Sadly, if you let yourself slip into the "let's call it a break" mentality, you seriously risk losing your edge and when you do decide to actively pursue a job, it'll be that much harder to get back into the working harness and the pace of things.

Job hunting race
Secondly all your colleagues are now running ahead of you in the job hunting race. You may even find that you have competition from some of your old colleagues, the ones that are not being laid-off. These are the 'jump before you're pushed' brigade. The ones that have seen some scarey writing on the wall near to them and this has provoked them into finding a more secure company to work for.

If you start to pursue a new position immediately, you'll be much more fit and prepared to seek out and find the right opportunity. You will still be hot from the fight. Your readiness will show in your interview attitude, from the way you present your résumé, to the way you conduct yourself while under scrutiny and in your ability to negotiate, confidently.

Slainte!

Keep Your Spirits Up
This is not a license to drink more whiskey, not that I want to discourage you. Being laid off in today's economy can send any level-headed person into a panic. That's why it's important to keep your priorities in check, preferably a reality check. Keeping your spirits high keeps you motivated to get back out there with the level of enthusiasm you need. Did you ever walk over hot coals? as part of a team-building course. Well, if you did then remember the state of mind you assumed at that time, face forward, focus and take that first step.

Step up out of the trench
Professionally speaking, your layoff could be a big blessing in disguise. You know that you felt unappreciated, stifled or bored in your old job! The company politics were dragging you down! So, now is the time to stop whining and find your true calling. Take advantage of this time for expansion, self-discovery and growth. Re-build, renovate and re-invent yourself.

Find a job or position that really challenges you in new and exciting ways. We are all the sum of multiple characteristics and talents that grow and change with knowledge and experience. Look at the different aspects and elements of your complex character. Train and develop some of these and allow others out for some exercise and experience. Try something new. Pick up on an activity that you used to enjoy, something you already know and can expand.

Hail! Friends Countrymen!

Network, Network, Network
When the going gets tough reach out to everyone you know and maybe some that you don't.

Looking for a job is no shame on you and you, like everyone else need to be supported.

Clearly, people don't like to talk about their sudden unemployment but remember that everyone knows the economy is down. Through no fault of your own, you find yourself in the growing army of newly unemployed people but YOU are one of a kind.

Tell your friends. Tell your family. Post updates on social networking sites. Let people know you could use some help, and ask them to put you in touch with people they know are hiring. Make sure everyone knows you are in the market, you are developing new skills and have something more to offer.

New Skills! New vacancies!

Recruitment agencies can help
Talk to recruitment agencies, whether you are looking for full-time or part-time employment. These agencies have already seen a noticeable increase in clients who have never used a staffing company before now. You can be sure that they have already planned for this increase in demand. It's their job.

Advice from friends is helpful, but staffing professionals know the ins and outs of local employment and can propose or suggest that you follow a new direction, one you had not been aware of or considered. Even more importantly, recruitment agencies have established good relationships with local companies. Listen to what they say.

Skills Gap Analysis
Recruitment agencies are also a good source of information regarding what key skills are most sought after, by the market. If you have good current skills they will be able to tell you how to package and market them. If your skills are out of alignment with the market, they can give you good advice as to how to change or tune your approach to a better fit.

No Demand for Zeppelin mechanics!

Take it on the chin if they say you need to re-train entirely and get out there to find the cheapest smartest way to do this. The web is a good source of free online tuition and again your friends and network can help you here too. Seek out the one's that have current skills or work with others who have them.

Consider working for FREE for a short introductory period.

It would be a great advantage to you to find work as an intern or assistant with a company who have, and use, the key skills you need to learn or develop! Remember there has to be value on both sides or it won't work. So you need to have something to offer them. You will short circuit many of their reticence and objections if you offer your time and experience for FREE! In return you get some valuable training or much needed exposure to a new skill, methodology or application.

Clearly working for nothing is a short term activity and you cannot allow it to continue for long. You need an income and you have only a small window of opportunity before you go broke. So, once you are in-situ, you need to learn as much as you can, gaining real hands-on experience and as quickly as possible. Poverty is a great motivator!

You never know what might come from this and it will keep your morale high, maintain your social interaction and extend your network. 3 very important considerations but beware of abusive persons that will try to exploit your position.

Social Networking helps
Don't hesitate to put your professional face online. Make sure you are on LinkedIn and your profile is up to date. Your online presence is often the first place potential employers will look. If run correctly, your social network could be that extra boost your résumé needs. Exercise caution and restraint, because, depending on the content, it could also be detrimental. Post articles you've written or details of a project you're particularly proud of, not the pictures of you mooning your mates on last year's trip to Cancun.

Consider Contract work and Consulting
Although you might be leaving a full-time, "permanent" position, don't rule out the idea of consulting. Many workers overlook the option of consulting because they don't like the relative insecurity and the idea of impermanence.

The use of Contractors and contracting
In fact, many cautious employers now are showing great caution when taking on new staff. They don't want the long term commitment in such a dynamic marketplace. They want to be able to grow and shrink as the work dictates. They do this by using contractors and they manage the uptake of contractors by issuing short 3 month contracts in the first instance, with the 'potential' to extend.

From my experience it will take you 6 weeks to settle into a new company and it will be 3 months before you will become truly confident and start taking the initiative in that position. From your side, you are set to go. From the employers side, they know who they are dealing with and they have assessed your worth. They can now decide whether to 'extend' you for a more agreeable period of time e.g. 6 months or 1 year, to completely 'domesticate you by offering a Permanent contract or to 'release' you back into the Wild.

If you dismiss contracting as an option, you could be slamming the door on your career.

Once you are established as a contractor, it is not uncommon to stay with a company for 2 years or more. Years of relative security and certainty, the same pay and benefits. Remember that a short consulting assessment is often the only way into and organisation but could potentially lead to a (semi-)permanent position.

Go Girl Power!

Cultivate Suppleness and Flexibility

Consulting also has a number of benefits you won't find with a permanent position. It provides a vehicle for flexibility. That may be the flexibility to spend more time with your family, or open up that business of your dreams. Consulting usually generates a higher salary than a permanent position. It can also stimulate you business sense in a way that a more sedintary position does not.

Just say 'No!'
As an independent consultant, you always have the option to say 'No' to a project if it doesn't appeal to you. Can you imagine saying "no thanks" to your last manager? (out loud). There are a huge array of jobs available to contractors. This makes it possible to not only choose where and when you work, but what you're doing and how you do it.

The Postman earns more than you do, now
A contract or temporary position with a company keeps some income flowing while you search for a more permanent and satisfying position. It could be the key to keeping you and your family fed and healthy.

Benefits? What Benefits?
Do remember that temporary workers and contractors do not have access to the same benefits within organisations. No health insurance, no pensions, no sick pay, short notification of termination periods, etc. So, its not all plain sailing and lots of money but its something you will know in advance and can deal with. Remember what your Grannie told you, save up and put aside something for the leaner days.

With grim determination and a willingness to grow and open yourself up to new experiences, you will not be a Statistic very long!

Expanding your career in a shrinking market

It is the aim and nature of all professional people to develop themselves to the maximum. The mantra states; we must maximize our potential and grow our careers.

To do that you have to achieve better results than those around you and without 'over' achieving. Although, this last point is more a problem for older more mature employees.

Remember there is a tiger at the door; So you are in direct competition with everyone else in your company

Consider some simple techniques to help you get more recognition and better results for your efforts.

1) When the bell rings, come out fighting.

• Be the first to arrive and the last to leave.
  
• Be sure to be caught working all the time you are at work.
  
• Start the day with the most important, onerous or the most difficult tasks.
  
• Do not surf the Internet, make personal calls, read the newspaper or make small talk with the 'losers'.
  
• Check your list of activities for the day,
  
• Focus on establishing priorities and get on with it.
  
• Start knocking down those skittles!
  

2) Fill your day with achievements.

• Always be the one that contributes positively at meetings and in face-to-face interaction.
• Ask your boss and yourself, what you can do to provide the greatest contribution to the organisation.
  
• Let everyone know that you are willing to go the extra mile or kilometre.
  
• Do more than the basic minimum, more than you are paid to do.
  
• Be seen to be the one that puts in more effort than the others.
  
• Look for solutions, methods or tools that will allow you and therefore the organisation, to be more effective.
  

3) Set a scorching pace.

• Your career is not a quick sprint or dash across the hurdles.
• It is more enduring like a marathon:
  
• Some runners sprint off at the beginning and get out way ahead of the pack.
  
• Most will be happier running with the pack, safe in the middle, un-noticed, unseen
  
• There are many who are less fit and not really motivated. They are content to be in the race at all but they are clearly seen to be struggling and lagging behind the pack.
  
• Your place is up amongst the leaders, being in the right place at the right time. Excel in hitting targets, achieving goals and milestones.

Take control of your life, your day and yourself. Start each working day with a list of planned activities carried over from the previous day. These will be organised by their priority, so you can address each task as the priorities dictate.

This is a life discipline not just an office routine and will make you more efficient, targetted and better directed as a person. This, in itself will make you stand out from the ambling, gasping crowd and when all around are losing their's, your career will soar.

If you are looking for promotion, assume the position

Candidate references

Who should I choose as my referees?

Almost 60% of employers claim that they have had to withdraw an offer of employment after receiving poor references about successful applicants.

So, you have managed to wow your future employer at interview stage. Cometh the hour, cometh the man and you have convinced them that you are that man i.e. the best person for the job. The last hurdle to hop over is supplying some references. This does not mean that you can get away with being sloppy and provide poorly prepared references.

References are significant and act as a third party endorsement. They are used by hiring managers as reassurance that you are who you say you are and will do for them what you claim you have done for your previous employers.

Therefore, given the high number of rejections at the reference phase, it is important to prepare your references properly. Here are some useful pointers.

Don't include any details
Don't give the names and contact details of your referees on your CV. You should simply state that ‘References are available on request'. Employers will ask you for details if and when they are ready to offer you a position. After all, you wouldn't want your current employer being asked if they would re-hire you when you haven't even told them you're leaving!

Protect your referees
Amazingly, I have had 'unprofessional' recruitment companies approaching my references without permission, to request information on not only myself but also using the approach as a prospective sales call. They started asking if the executive could provide information about other employees in the organisation who may be interested in using the services of a recruitment agency. Not to be content with this, they went on to ask if the organisation would be interested in engaging the recruitment company for its own recruitment, as an aide de HR?

Needless to say they did not get a very positive response and I was extremely embarassed when I heard what had happened. My referee was very magnanimous about the whole incident but as a very busy senior executive in an international organisation, he should have been treated with more respect. Not to mention violating my trust!

What kind of information will my referees be asked to provide?

Nowadays, hiring managers can only request;

• Length of employment
• Previous job title
• Brief details of responsibility
• Overall performance
• Time-keeping and attendance
• Reason for leaving

Employers can also ask your previous company if they would re-hire you, should you apply for a position there in the future.

Choose your referees carefully
85% of employers will check at least one of your references when offering you a position. Typically this will be your most recent employer. So it is important that you choose the most appropriate and responsive people to support your application.

Its all relatively simple

Personal references are not advisable because they are more likely to be complimentary and positive, so it is best to avoid them. Having Grandma Doris saying what ‘a lovely lad' you are isn't going to hold much weight, unless she has a connection to royalty or is married to the CEO.

Remember that it is not written in stone that you have to use a former employer as a reference. Business acquaintances, customers and organisation leaders can all make good references, too. If you don't have much in terms of work experience, you're advised to use one of your tutors.

What are they saying about you?
Under the Data Protection Act, you have the right to see what comments your old employer has made about you as part of their reference in much the same way that you can access your medical records.

If there are comments included that you don't agree with it may be too late with this particular job offer, but you may wish to find out, diplomatically why these comments were made. Simply to make sure that this particular reference doesn't harm your next application.

Believe me, it is a mistake to suggest that your Parole Officer will provide a good reference for you. No matter how true and well intended this may be.

Downsizing Checklist

The Layoff Checklist

Staff movement and layoffs are a fact of life, whether you are in a large or a small organization. The downsizing process is never simple and often unpleasant, especially if it is badly planned, managed and implemented. Your local HR department will have the most relevant experience and knowledge on how to do this, in the most professional and humane manner. The short checklist provided here is more concerned about the methodology rather than the reasons behind it. The checklist covers the main topics that every manager should know and understand prior to terminating one or more employee(s).

The CHECKLIST

□ If its possible, communicate with and prepare your staff for the possibility of layoffs in advance. No termination should come as a complete surprise to an employee under any circumstances. They need time to consider or imagine the possibility.

□ Put your rationale in writing as well as explaining your decisions to upper management if necessary. Puting it in writing provides clarity and negates ambiguity and doubt.

□ On a practical level, establish a detailed plan for handling the workload after the layoffs have occurred, given that there will often be a period of low morale and disruptions.

□ Make a list of key files any employee may have, and arrange for their transfer.

□ HR are your touchstone, so check with them often. There will be defined procedures to follow; get the paperwork right, collect keys and badges, etc. HR people can give you helpful advice on dealing with the more emotional aspects of a layoff, and often provide supportive techniques for delivering the bad news and dealing with the reaction..

□ Keep everything on a safe legal footing. There may be specific things that you must, or must not, say. It is a time when you can easily leave yourself and the company open to litigation.

□ Put in place IT & Security policies to cancel access privileges immediately (within a few seconds) after terminating anyone. Angry or disgruntled ex-employees can and will, do significant damage to your systems the moment they return to their desks. Do not underestimate the impact of this. There are many documented cases of this happening.

□ Establish, in advance with all parties concerned, what will happen before, during and after the termination interview, e.g. who will escort employees back to their work space, how long the laid-off employees will have to gather personal belongings and who will collect keys and badges, etc. Normally security will play a role here. They are less 'involved' with the staff than the management and can be very professional and objective.

□ Managing the guilt and emotional reactions of the “survivors” as early as possible, is essential. Arrange to meet with them to communicate what has happened and why. Then explain the new work plans, address their fears and answer their questions, no matter how difficult

□ Do not forget your own feelings and emotions in all this and seek some good advice from your HR department. They will be best placed to tell you how to deal with what is happening. You are also one of the 'survivors' and you will be expected to do more with less, once the downsizing operation is complete.

Use the Power of persuasion

Are you hunting for a new job or the next step up the ladder? Well, it may come as a small surprise to you to hear that one of your main objective is simply to be persuasive.

What are the most effective approaches?

• These days networking is sited as the most effective way of finding a new job. So firstly, you need to build your personal network and then persuade the loyal members of your network to introduce you to people who might connect you with someone who knows someone ..........who has a suitable opening for you to fill.
  
• Secondly, you need to get your CV read and acknowledged. So you need to persuade HR professionals and recruiters to not just read and discard résumé but to consume, digest and ruminate over it.
  
• Having got as far as the HR dept, you need to persuade the hiring managers that you're the perfect candidate for their organisations. The missing link they have been seeking, even if they didn't realise it themselves
  

Be convincing - Some people are easier to convince in your job search than others. Getting friends and colleagues to arrange introductions for you doesn't require much persuasive effort because they know you and some may even like you or owe you money. Therefore, they're willing to play their part on your behalf. After all if the circumstances were reversed, you would do the same for them. Your powers of persuasion over your friends should stem from your mutual friendship, natural charm, credibility and likeability, not from your rhetorical prowess or physical strength.

The Gatekeeper - The hiring manager, knows nothing about you, apart from the fact that he has seen your name in a pile of CVs that need to be filtered. He has to create a short list of candidates fit for interviewing and you must be on it. How are you going to stand out from the crowd and rise loftily above the other candidates. You have to think better and work harder to convince them that you're worthy of their time. In such situations, job seekers need the advantages gained from fully understanding the fundamentals of persuasion.

Easy as ABC
Effective persuasion combines equal parts communication and observation. It hinges on having good people skills;

1. being able to read people,
2. being a good listener and
3. being empathetic.

You need to be a keen observer of the person you're trying to persuade. Otherwise how can you match the tone and language you use in conversation to the other person's tone and language. Watch how the other person reacts to what you are proposing, either physically, through their facial expressions and body language, or in their tone of voice. If you notice a negative reaction, or discomfort, you should be alerted and quickly change or slightly adjust your approach.

Under your Influence - To be an effective influencer, you also need to be likeable, outwardly open and trustworthy. It doesn't matter whether you're selling an idea, a service or a product, people tend to buy from people. If I like you, I will listen to you. If I don't like you or your message, I won't listen to you. Getting someone to listen to you is the first stage of persuasion.

Persuasion isn't inherently difficult. To do it right, people just need to focus on listening to the person they're trying to persuade and adjusting their communication accordingly.

Whether you're seeking a new job, clinging to an existing one or out to climb higher, persuading people of your value is going to be your key to success, especially during times of low market confidence and recession.

How do you persuade others without appearing pushy and what about the dangers of steamrolling people into submission. The Hard Sell!

What is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to influence or persuade others?

One of the worst crimes you can commit is the lack of true or active listening. Far too many people only half-listen to other people who are speaking and the same people are equally unlikely to closely observe people either. We sentient humans have the capacity to think at four or five times the rate of someone who's speaking. Consequently, we can often listen badly because we're too busy looking ahead and formulating our responses while the other person is still speaking, or we're thinking about something else entirely, like shopping or the size of the other person's nose. We fail to pick up clues that indicate what the other person is really saying or thinking because we are not even listening.

Body Language

Observing body language is the closest we can come to mind-reading. If you make a statement, and that statement produces a grimace or a shift in posture of the other person, their body is telling you that something you said doesn't gel with them. It's a clue for you to change your tact or to inquire what it is that's bothering that person.

Negative pressure

Some individuals lack the level of people skills that are needed to persuade others. However, they can and are able to sway and influence their co-workers by taking a dominant posture. This is observeable, because they always have a response to a point or counterpoint. Their constant pressure exhaust others' patience and endurance, leading to submission. It is more like verbal tennis or squash than persuasion.

Is there anything wrong with this sporty method of persuasion if it accomplishes the persuader's goals?

Clealry. beating someone into submission is not good practice. It is not what we understand to be true persuasion. A truly persuasive person will not leave you in an exhausted state. The ultimate goal of effective persuasion, is that the relationship between the two people hasn't suffered, even after one has changed the other person's belief or behavior. There should be no 'losers' as there are in competitive sports.

Certain personality types are better at persuasion than others?

Extroverted people tend to be more persuasive than people who are prone to introversion. Extroverts are often in people facing jobs, such as sales or advertising, where they have to influence or persuade people to buy a product, take some kind of action or adopt a different lifestyle goal.

Introverted People will take jobs that are less people-focused and more facts and figures focused. They are the back-room people, often evry talented but lacking the self confidence that their knowledge should bring. Therefore, they have less experience of dealing with people than extroverts. Consequently, they don't develop the people skills that extroverts develop. It is a vicious circle that is not so easily broken.

Introverts can be good persuaders, when dealing with other introverts; people of their own type. Introverts have more difficulty in persuading extroverts because extroverts tend to speak louder and faster than introverts. Whereas, the introverts tend to conduct their interactions in a much slower manner.

Extroverts have similar difficulty in trying to persuade introverts. When you look at workplace disputes, some can be attributed to personality clashes between introverts and extroverts.

Logical arguments besides, just do it!

May I also postulate a theory that the extoverts are more emotionally open and accepting of emotive reasons for doing something. Whereas, extroverts may be less willing to expose their feelings to scrutiny and therefore take the safer option of discussions based on known facts. It is easier to dis-arm an introvert using facts and logic than it is an extravert. Discuss!

Is there a difference between persuasion and manipulation? Some people don't like the idea of having to persuade or influence others. It strikes them as unseemly, pushy or manipulative.

Persuasion is essentially about changing someone's perception, questioning their assumptions. You are trying to alter their beliefs and behaviour. Persuasion is really about moving someone from point A to point B.

Manipulation implies coercion. When we're talking about persuasion, you are seeking a win-win scenario, where both parties are happy. Manipulation implies that only one party is satisfied and the other is out-manouvred.

It's all about the approach

Manipulation is often synonymous with some kind of threat: If you don't do this, this will happen. Persuasion is a meeting of minds: You are persuading another to come around to your point of view. Ideally, no one gets hurt. You have simply changed a person's perception, not by coercion or threat.

It is better to have cross-pollination than a cross Polynesian

(old Hawaii proverb, alledgely)

Getting on top - Dominate your Credit Risk

Until recently, when debt became more expensive and harder to come by, companies generally had a blasé attitude toward managing their trade-credit risk. Most corporations, big and small, don't have credit risk procedures any more sophisticated than the sub prime lenders did. In which case you are flying in dangerous territory with your defenses down.

A simple tip but one that's been largely ignored until recently: Be more wary before extending credit to new customers. Make them prove their creditworthiness. Currently, companies take more a of shy unassuming approach to trade credit by quickly granting it to every new client that comes across their threshold. Once aboard they hope for the best and follow the client's payment performance over time.

Companies too often get into the habit of not asking for any financial information from their customers in favor of speeding up a much coveted deal. Suppliers have been doling out credit based on what little information may be available on their privately held clients, despite the fact that private firms have a higher rate of bad debt. Even after a credit account has been granted, the supplying company may shy away from asking for financial data because they don't want to offend a brand-new client. Clearly the banks have a part to play in all this because they too have been willing to extend credit lines far beyond reasonable doubt.

Companies should ask for customer and bank references up front. Although, that information may be biased and unreliable because of the struggling financial institutions. Will the bank and lenders be there in the long term for their customer? Are they going to provide financing or will they make a quick exit and leave the company with a liquidity shortfall, which may or may not cause the demise of the company? Are the financial institutes responsible for the ongoing viability of their clients, i.e. the corporate companies. What support and backup can they provide a struggling company when they themselves are in difficulty. These and many more, are all questions vendors need to ask themselves when looking over a customer's bank information.

Companies should request that all customers, new and old to fill out a one-page credit profile every year. The sheet should include the company's cash position and the most up-to-date contact information. A type of credit probe which may or may not provide the correct level of information in the right format, in a timely manner. This will lead to more overhead in the accountancy dept or with the business analysts, but if addressed properly, it may provide early warning of difficulties.

If there is any good news to be had during this economic downturn, it's that everyone is in the same boat. Your customers are asking their customers for more financial information. It's now become perfectly acceptable to ask about a client's financial status because everyone is being scrutinized by every supplier. Its a big global circle of accountants, checking each others assets.

If it's impractical to demand financial information up-front, then come up with a triggering number for when your company will demand it. A simple threshold or framework will suffice. If clients cross the established and agreed amount, then they must provide their trade creditors with financial statements to validate their credit. The type and level of the threshold can vary depending on client, industry, item value, uniqueness, development costs, credit exposure, etc. Its not a numerical value, its a way of thinking about and controlling your risk exposure.

Another way to improve your credit /risk management is to conduct a detailed assessment and calculate each customer's probability of default. With such precise knowledge you can price your services accordingly, and by showing your client the calculations, you can easily justify a premium rate. Cash has always been king and currently it is even more critical to companies health and financial welfare, but many companies have no idea who they're selling to, never mind who owns the company or their cash position. Its never been more critical to know your customer.

Moreover, suppliers can no longer rely on traditionally held views that big-name companies are safe from sudden and dire financial problems even if they don't have strong cash flow. Many of these companies have lived on extended credit lines for years and are not asset rich. Other companies can have negative cash flow and positive net worth. They're sitting on land or occupy buildings that no one's willing to buy. If their credit is pulled and they end up going bankrupt, the asset value won't cover the debts.

Experts also suggest sales and credit departments improve their communications between salespeople and the collections side. Your salespeople are trying to maintain the vendor /customer relationship at the same time as maximising their commission payments. This is a tightrope, and is a very dangerous situation for the company to ignore. It must be very, very tightly controlled. Don't allow salespeople to grant extended payment terms, without justification and authorisation, before checking in with their credit counterparts. Companies should use these negotiations to get more financial information out of their privately held clients and reprice future services if possible.

Moreover, salespeople may be able to offer the credit department more insight into a customer's financial situation. Therefore it is imperative that they have the influence, motivation and the time to actually get involved in credit and collections questions. Its a team effort and everyone better be on the team or the game is over.

The People Power Triangle

I have composed a simple diagram that illustrates the 3 most important things you need in life or business, to truly succeed. At the risk of patronising you, let me point out the message.

To gain Authority, People need Knowledge and Experience.
To gain Knowledge, we need Money to pay for our studies.
To gain Experience, we need to spend Time applying our Knowledge.