Bullies; those who intimidate and employees who get off on power will push hard to try to break you. After all, where you come in is on what they perceive as their territory And it is territory which they have seized from weak management, even though they themselves are either not up to that responsibility or find it much easier to he

With my background in a similar business, I have faced this several times.

In fact there was almost always an underlying individual who seemed to 'run the place', in spite of there being a manager before me! The challenge was to wrest control back and manage myself. And deliver the results which had been missing on every occasion.

Over time, I found a distinct pattern which went as follows:-

1. Build Relationships

   From day one start building relationships with every one of your team. By getting to know them, showing a keen interest in who they are as real people, you will forge genuine alliances which will help your case (checkout this article to help accelerate this).

2. Agree Business Standards

   By working directly with the people in the business, agree the standards of how your business operates; identify absolute priorities that everyone clearly understands, in order of value to the business and that you authorise them to behave in this way.

3. Deal with Facts

   When you are trying to get control back, you may be faced with a lot of hearsay and a lot of exceptional behaviours of one or more people. So it is vital to have hard factual evidence around performance and non-delivery of objectives. Being woolly will hold your case back here, so take the time to be very SMART about what you expect.

4. Be Transparent and Consistent

   By having standards around people which are rigorously the same for anyone, including yourself, there will be a lot less wriggle room where those trying to undermine you will try to make gain. If everyone is treated fairly and equally, more will come onside with you and make your position far stronger.

5. Stick to Your Guns

   Bullies; those who intimidate and employees who get off on power will push hard to try to break you. After all, where you come in is on what they perceive as their territory And it is territory which they have seized from weak management, even though they themselves are either not up to that responsibility or find it much easier to he

   Build a Strong Brand Identity for Your Small Business
   Your brand identity communicates a promise from your company to your customer. Your brand identity consists of your logo, business card, letterhead, website and all other marketing and advertising collateral. When a customer looks at your brand identity, what do they see? What is their perception of your company?You may run your business from your dining room table, be a company of 1 or only work your business part time. Whatever the scenario, your brand identity is still important. When a client looks at your business card or your website, they should never be able to tell or even get the perception that you work from home. What should stand out for them is how professional, trustworthy and stable you look
   time, I found a distinct pattern which went as follows:-
   1. Build Relationships

      From day one start building relationships with every one of your team. By getting to know them, showing a keen interest in who they are as real people, you will forge genuine alliances which will help your case (checkout this article to help accelerate this).

   2. Agree Business Standards

      By working directly with the people in the business, agree the standards of how your business operates; identify absolute priorities that everyone clearly understands, in order of value to the business and that you authorise them to behave in this way.

   3. Deal with Facts

      When you are trying to get control back, you may be faced with a lot of hearsay and a lot of exceptional behaviours of one or more people. So it is vital to have hard factual evidence around performance and non-delivery of objectives. Being woolly will hold your case back here, so take the time to be very SMART about what you expect.

   4. Be Transparent and Consistent

      By having standards around people which are rigorously the same for anyone, including yourself, there will be a lot less wriggle room where those trying to undermine you will try to make gain. If everyone is treated fairly and equally, more will come onside with you and make your position far stronger.

   5. Stick to Your Guns

      Bullies; those who intimidate and employees who get off on power will push hard to try to break you. After all, where you come in is on what they perceive as their territory And it is territory which they have seized from weak management, even though they themselves are either not up to that responsibility or find it much easier to he

      Thoughts On Managing People
      Without people you are never going to run a large business and without the right people you are never going to own a successful one. Employing people is not like buying a piece of machinery; as they do not come with money back guarantee or an instruction manual. You can’t just switch them on when you need to, or run them continuously for 24 hrs a day and then trade them in for a newer model at will. However employing the right people for your business can truly take you forward ahead of your competition. But before you decide whom, you need to decide should I?Take Billy he is a self employed electrician and a very good one. He has spent 20 years working for large companies and had previously decided to set u
      ee Business Standards

      By working directly with the people in the business, agree the standards of how your business operates; identify absolute priorities that everyone clearly understands, in order of value to the business and that you authorise them to behave in this way.

   6. Deal with Facts

      When you are trying to get control back, you may be faced with a lot of hearsay and a lot of exceptional behaviours of one or more people. So it is vital to have hard factual evidence around performance and non-delivery of objectives. Being woolly will hold your case back here, so take the time to be very SMART about what you expect.

   7. Be Transparent and Consistent

      By having standards around people which are rigorously the same for anyone, including yourself, there will be a lot less wriggle room where those trying to undermine you will try to make gain. If everyone is treated fairly and equally, more will come onside with you and make your position far stronger.

   8. Stick to Your Guns

      Bullies; those who intimidate and employees who get off on power will push hard to try to break you. After all, where you come in is on what they perceive as their territory And it is territory which they have seized from weak management, even though they themselves are either not up to that responsibility or find it much easier to he

      Starting Your New Employees Off Right
      You may not realize, but when you bring a new employee into your business you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Research confirms that a poor (or lack of) induction is a major contributor to how engaged that person is. The more engaged they are, the harder they will try and the more effort they will put in.The best companies have standardized induction processes that can span several weeks, involving building tours, meetings with key individuals, training programs on company history, introduction to systems and so on.Starting a new job can be an anxious time. Not only are you unsure of yourself, you also have yet to truly evaluate the company now employing you. Day 1 is an employer
      dence around performance and non-delivery of objectives. Being woolly will hold your case back here, so take the time to be very SMART about what you expect.

   9. Be Transparent and Consistent

      By having standards around people which are rigorously the same for anyone, including yourself, there will be a lot less wriggle room where those trying to undermine you will try to make gain. If everyone is treated fairly and equally, more will come onside with you and make your position far stronger.

   10. Stick to Your Guns

       Bullies; those who intimidate and employees who get off on power will push hard to try to break you. After all, where you come in is on what they perceive as their territory And it is territory which they have seized from weak management, even though they themselves are either not up to that responsibility or find it much easier to he

       Managing Change: Unintended Consequences
       Leading a change programme is a risky business, for the leader and the lead. The law of unintended consequences applies in full as change involves people. People see the the starting and finishing points and the intention of change from their point of view and act accordingly.At a micro level, people have a unique ability when communicating to filter the inputs based on their environment, their mood, their upbringing and the degree of trust in which they hold the communicator. At a macro level this means that people as groups will understand change very differently to what was intended.At a simple level, the use of performance indicators often leads to unintended consequences. Calls centres are partic
       o make gain. If everyone is treated fairly and equally, more will come onside with you and make your position far stronger.

   11. Stick to Your Guns

       Bullies; those who intimidate and employees who get off on power will push hard to try to break you. After all, where you come in is on what they perceive as their territory And it is territory which they have seized from weak management, even though they themselves are either not up to that responsibility or find it much easier to heckle from the sidelines.

       Personal story? I once worked in a retail business where the amateur leader kept shifting a merchandise display where I quickly decided that I didn't want it.

       Early on, I asked her to move it, which she didn't, so I asked her again and advised her that I wanted it doing immediately. It still didn't happen, so I took her on onside and explained that I was the manager and that I made decisions, was there anything she did not understand about that.

       She did not argue and she moved the piece of fitting. It seemed a tiny thing to be pedantic about, but it was a metaphor for far greater battles, but my stake was in the ground - and step-by-laborious-step, I succeeded and made the business viable. The first step was the most important though.

   12. Praise Success

       In everyone, whenever you can. Including anyone who might not seem to be on your side. If you do this consistently and when it is justified, everyone will stick by you. Actually just saying thank you works, it's just that most managers fail to realise the power of it.

   13. Tackle Underperformance (and other things)

       Once your standards are clear, many of your people will welcome that clarity. But if these rules are broken, then you need to act to make them stick. By being firm at the start, using whatever disciplinary processes are appropriate, then the message gets home quickly. Do not be afraid if this includes anyone who might have been a problem for previous management.

       Don't pick on them unfairly, just equally.

   14. Seek Acceptable Solutions

       When all else fails, it is sometimes necessary to subtly offer solutions that will work for those who don't fit any more. This comes out of them failing to achieve clear standards and objectives and a focused way of reviewing these. Firmly making it clear that this is how it is and that your resolve is consistent, there may be a moment for a discussion around whether they will be a