Answer You - The High, High Price of Distrust

This article has been viewed 442 time(s).
Starting Your Own Business? Keep These Things in Mind!
Have you ever met someone who hears you have your own business, and immediately they launch into what they dream being a business owner is? Sleeping in, watching Springer, getting a tan, Shopping….. If only!Starting your own business Requires: 1. Guts. Everyone thinks of starting his or her own business one day. It takes guts to walk away from your “day job” into the uncertain waters ahead.2. Being open to learning. Since I have started my business, I’ve learned more about marketing than I ever thought I’d need to know. Marketing is so much more than printing up brochures or placing an ad in the newspaper.3. Dedication. Yes, it’s so much easier to wake up and decide you don’t feel like working today, stay in your jammies and watch TV. But in order to succeed in business, you need to be dedicated to your business. You have to work at it every day. Most of the time longer hours than you ever worked at your “day job.”4. Passion. When you talk to truly successful people about what keeps them going, what encourages them, why they do what they do, it all boils down to passion. Running a business will take alot out of you. In order to keep going and not give up, you must have passion for what you do. If you’re doing something because someone else wants you to do it or for the money, it will get old real quick. If you don’t truly enjoy what you’re doing, you will never achieve the level of success that is attainable.5. Desire to help people. Yes, everyone wants to make money. But in order to make your business a success, you must feel a need to help people. When you’re doing something because you want others to succeed, it makes you work that much harder, gives you that extra push, and makes you connect more to your customers. Customers are A paper manufacturer with over 300 employees once announced that it was planning to move to more spacious and attractive premises thirty miles down the road.

When staff members heard the news, they were very apprehensive.

Would transport be provided, so that they would be able to commute easily to the new factory?

What would workplace facilities be like in the new place - even if the plant itself would be bigger and brighter, maybe working conditions would be inferior?

And what about work schedules? Would some jobs become redundant? Or, maybe the opposite would happen, and they would land up with extra, unwanted, responsibilities?

At any rate, the company promised to move in six months. And that's about all the information that was forthcoming from the corporate big brass. Anxiety turned into passive resignation - for the time being. All the workers could do was wait and see.

When facts are slow, rumors rush in

The six months passed. But the only thing emanating from the executive office was a an uncanny silence. And of course, when facts are slow in coming, rumors rush in to take their place. Stories began to circulate that the company was in a difficult spot financially, and was looking for a buyer to bail it out of trouble.

Whereupon, the company president came out of hiding for once, but only to say that the rumors were false, and that purely technical problems were delaying the move a bit, but it would take place within a year.

For another year, management continued to insist that the move was imminent, while employees' moods alternated between nail-biting anxiety, denial of reality and mounting anger.

Finally, the charade ended. An official announcement confirmed that the company would be staying put, and hinted that a sale had fallen through.

Now, we can come to management's defense by pointing out that, quite likely, its motives were honorable.

Perhaps, the big wigs had reasoned that staff members just wouldn't be able to cope with bad news. They might all descend into a wild panic, which surely wouldn't do anyone any good.

The executives may have sincerely believed that they could turn the critical situation around in a relatively short time (although to attempt this without enlisting the cooperation of the work force, would have been a major error of judgment in itself). Why terrify our people with alarm bells, they may have nobly thought, if the crisis will, in any event, blow over soon?

If these explanations are correct, what was the company's reward for such "unselfishness"?

With any remaining remnants of credibility and trust between the company and its employees quickly evaporating, these employees started to vote with their feet. Within a year, the company had lost 35 percent of its labor force, and, given its two-faced reputation, found it no easy thing to recruit replacements.

Business psychologist Robert Rosen, who tells over this story in his book, The Healthy Company points out that trust either feeds on itself and grows, or fades faster and faster until it disappears.

As a rather perceptive company CEO once said: "Trust isn't handed over to you as a gift; you receive it on loan."

At the beginning of a relationship, both company and employees trust each other and have certain expectations. But as politicians know (or should know), if only from bitter experience: the higher the expectations, the harder could be the fall.

Obviously, as Rosen writes, if employees see blatant signs of distrust - such as hidden microphones in an office, video spy cameras, or capricious searches through desks and lockers - they know their trust is misplaced. But even where there is low-level behind-the-scenes distrust, as in our story of the paper company, people will become frustrated and disappointed, then grow angry and feel deceived and betrayed.

And then what happens next?

Productivity out the window

The author quotes philosopher Peter Koestenbaum: "One responds to betrayal with bitterness and cynicism, and with willing and stoic isolation. One builds a fortress and lives in it. One creates a moat and remains contained inside. One becomes armored like a turtle, protected like a cactus, and defended like a porcupine."

There's no middle path , it seems. Nature abhors a vacuum. We saw in our story that in the absence of reliable information, rumors quickly take over. Similarly, there's no stable condition in any organization called "absence of trust."

Either a positive quality of trust continually gathers momentum and grows like a giant snowball hurtling downhill, or its negative counterpart, distrust, spreads throughout the organism like a cancer.

And as hardened, unemotional, businesspeople, let's go straight to the bottom line:

What happens to productivity in a distrust-infected work environment? Most likely, it will go out through the window.

The disease also hits hard at a company's balance sheet in a number of other ways: elaborate employee manuals may become necessary, as well as employee polygraph tests; there may be legal fees to enforce employee contracts, and million-dollar golden parachutes may need to be constructed.

Yes, the price of distrust can be very high indeed.

Far too many executives and managers don't yet seem to grasp that trust is a business asset that has enormous clout. The problem is that it's as fragile as it's powerful. It needs to be carefully nurtured through conscious effort and well-planned strategies.

For homework, you might like to think about the following:

We've been talking about trust, or the lack of it, specifically in the context of the business corporation and the workplace. But has all this any relevance to our everyday lives and personal relationships?

Does the story of the paper company - and I'm talking to myself now - have any significance for me in my role as a husband and as a parent? Is there a lesson or two I can learn from it?

I can only speak for myself, but I think there is.

This article has been viewed 442 time(s).
Going Virtual, Way Cool
Anytime you call 1-800 anything you are calling a call center. Your call might be directed to Salt Lake City, to the Philippines or to India, but it is likely going to a brick and mortar facility at a great expense to the company at hand. A call center is any sort of telephony operation handling sales, customer service, inbound or outbound needs of a company. When a company forms and realizes it needs these services fulfilled, up until recently it had very few options.Forming one's own brick and mortar call center is a labor and cost-intensive program. Here are a few of the steps involved; renting the facility, leasing the hardware, insuring that hardware, hiring the workers and supervisors, training them, the list goes on. The process might take up to 3 months to even begin the operation with massive expenditures at stake.Companies like West Interactive realized this dilemma for businesses and created the first of call center solutions - the outsourced call center.Outsourced call centers gave new flexibility and ease of entrance because they took on the overhead, opened the facility, hired and trained workers. A company would call up and say, I need one representative answering calls from 9-5, handling sales and returns inquiries and transactions. West would say, we're happy to service you, send over the proper script and all other information to familiarize our worker on your company and we'll get them talking - for approximately $1.85 per minute.The most recent call center solution dawned with the advent of VOIP – voice over Internet protocol technology. VOIP allows for remote locations of Teleworkers, which means the ability of a home-based worker operation. With reduced long distance pricing and the removal of such overhead like the brick and mortar, savings are quite tremendous. For only $99 per moould have been a major error of judgment in itself). Why terrify our people with alarm bells, they may have nobly thought, if the crisis will, in any event, blow over soon?

If these explanations are correct, what was the company's reward for such "unselfishness"?

With any remaining remnants of credibility and trust between the company and its employees quickly evaporating, these employees started to vote with their feet. Within a year, the company had lost 35 percent of its labor force, and, given its two-faced reputation, found it no easy thing to recruit replacements.

Business psychologist Robert Rosen, who tells over this story in his book, The Healthy Company points out that trust either feeds on itself and grows, or fades faster and faster until it disappears.

As a rather perceptive company CEO once said: "Trust isn't handed over to you as a gift; you receive it on loan."

At the beginning of a relationship, both company and employees trust each other and have certain expectations. But as politicians know (or should know), if only from bitter experience: the higher the expectations, the harder could be the fall.

Obviously, as Rosen writes, if employees see blatant signs of distrust - such as hidden microphones in an office, video spy cameras, or capricious searches through desks and lockers - they know their trust is misplaced. But even where there is low-level behind-the-scenes distrust, as in our story of the paper company, people will become frustrated and disappointed, then grow angry and feel deceived and betrayed.

And then what happens next?

Productivity out the window

The author quotes philosopher Peter Koestenbaum: "One responds to betrayal with bitterness and cynicism, and with willing and stoic isolation. One builds a fortress and lives in it. One creates a moat and remains contained inside. One becomes armored like a turtle, protected like a cactus, and defended like a porcupine."

There's no middle path , it seems. Nature abhors a vacuum. We saw in our story that in the absence of reliable information, rumors quickly take over. Similarly, there's no stable condition in any organization called "absence of trust."

Either a positive quality of trust continually gathers momentum and grows like a giant snowball hurtling downhill, or its negative counterpart, distrust, spreads throughout the organism like a cancer.

And as hardened, unemotional, businesspeople, let's go straight to the bottom line:

What happens to productivity in a distrust-infected work environment? Most likely, it will go out through the window.

The disease also hits hard at a company's balance sheet in a number of other ways: elaborate employee manuals may become necessary, as well as employee polygraph tests; there may be legal fees to enforce employee contracts, and million-dollar golden parachutes may need to be constructed.

Yes, the price of distrust can be very high indeed.

Far too many executives and managers don't yet seem to grasp that trust is a business asset that has enormous clout. The problem is that it's as fragile as it's powerful. It needs to be carefully nurtured through conscious effort and well-planned strategies.

For homework, you might like to think about the following:

We've been talking about trust, or the lack of it, specifically in the context of the business corporation and the workplace. But has all this any relevance to our everyday lives and personal relationships?

Does the story of the paper company - and I'm talking to myself now - have any significance for me in my role as a husband and as a parent? Is there a lesson or two I can learn from it?

I can only speak for myself, but I think there is.

This article has been viewed 442 time(s).
The Best Business Opportunities
There are many business opportunities advertised on the internet, newspapers and magazines. Not all of them can really make you any serious money. I have listed below the business opportunities which I consider worthwhile and lucrative.Franchises – I would seriously entertain the idea of buying a franchise opportunity if you are not sure about starting a business on your own. It is a good idea to talk to existing franchisees to see how well they are faring.If most of the franchisees are making money then analyse why some are struggling and make sure you do not make the same mistakes. Do enter into a franchise where the majority of people are struggling to make any serious money. Buying a franchise business requires a minimum term of three to five years to make a decent amount of money. Make sure that the business you choose appeals to your lifestyle.Property Investments – A very good idea if you invest wisely and are prepared to invest for the long term. You can ride out the price fluctuation if you stay in the market for a minimum of ten years. If you are lucky it is possible to make very good returns in just a couple of years. Make sure that the rentals fully cover any loan repayments and other associated costs.Retail Outlets – You can make a decent business providing you find the right location where you get a lot of passing trade. The problem with retail outlets is finding one which satisfies the requirements of high passing trade with low rental! Many people make the mistake of assuming that if you choose a busy road then you are likely to have a busy shop. This only applies if cars have a place to park and stop.Fast Food outlets – It is possible to make good money from a take away as margins are high and space requirements are low. It is far harder to make a success of a restaurant as seatingll, or its negative counterpart, distrust, spreads throughout the organism like a cancer.

And as hardened, unemotional, businesspeople, let's go straight to the bottom line:

What happens to productivity in a distrust-infected work environment? Most likely, it will go out through the window.

The disease also hits hard at a company's balance sheet in a number of other ways: elaborate employee manuals may become necessary, as well as employee polygraph tests; there may be legal fees to enforce employee contracts, and million-dollar golden parachutes may need to be constructed.

Yes, the price of distrust can be very high indeed.

Far too many executives and managers don't yet seem to grasp that trust is a business asset that has enormous clout. The problem is that it's as fragile as it's powerful. It needs to be carefully nurtured through conscious effort and well-planned strategies.

For homework, you might like to think about the following:

We've been talking about trust, or the lack of it, specifically in the context of the business corporation and the workplace. But has all this any relevance to our everyday lives and personal relationships?

Does the story of the paper company - and I'm talking to myself now - have any significance for me in my role as a husband and as a parent? Is there a lesson or two I can learn from it?

I can only speak for myself, but I think there is.

This article has been viewed 442 time(s).
The Cost–Benefit Ratio Of Outdoor Signs, 4 Things You Need To Know
Pictures are worth a thousand words – you know that. The same holds true for an outdoor sign. Not only is your outdoor sign effective in bringing you additional footfalls, it is one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising a business. Let us take an example to illustrate how effective and cheap an outdoor sign can be:Cost of outdoor sign: $25,000Life of outdoor sign: 8 yearsFloating population walking and automobiles driving past your shop: 20,000/dayMaintenance: $100/month (maximum, including electricity)Dissecting the information above, we can figure out that the capital cost of the sign per month will be $260.40 ($25,000 divided by 96 months). Add to this the monthly maintenance cost of $100, so that makes the cost $360.40 per month.Now look at what a measly expense of $360.40/month giving you:You are reaching 600,000 (20,000 per day) people monthly – remember this figure excludes the passengers sitting in a car. Your cost of reaching 600,000 people monthly is just a super-economical HALF-A-CENT PER PERSON ($360.40 divided by 600,000). If that’s not cheap, what is!Ask yourself this question: Can you use any other media to such advantage? Can you ever imagine that you can reach 600,000 people using any other media by spending $360.40? You know the answers. The lower the cost of getting a customer, the higher will be the profit margins: This is an age-old economic adage. Your outdoor sign will stay put for years, developing goodwill for your business. And you don’t have to spend a dollar more than the cost you have already incurred and budgeted!For $360.40 a month, your outdoor sign will interact with passers-by, inform them that yer:1px solid #fff;background:#fff">

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This article has been viewed 442 time(s).
How to Start a Nursing Agency Business
Put Your Investments on the Right track!Starting a business is not as complicated as it seems. In fact, all you really need to get started is a positive attitude, and the desire to be self employed! The supply of something that's in demand, and money. For now let's focus on the second component of having a business, what's in demand?There is a continual need for nurses in this country as evident should you come across the health care classified sections of your local newspaper. And this will continue to grow as at the aging population continues to increase. needless to say, the medical field is a one. Therefore, careers related to the field are sure to be worthwhile.So what do nurses have to do with starting a business? As described above, nurses are in demand. The need for their skills is increasing, but the supply of nurses seems to be decreasing. As a result of this dilemma, companies are trying their best to seek out nurses, offering various incentives to attract employees. Starting a nursing agency would put you in demand. Why? Because you have what the companies need.You don't have to be a Nurse to Start a Nursing Agency! Nursing Shortage Solution's How to Start a Nursing Agency Startup Guide is the most efficient, powerful, and complete Solution to Nursing Shortage!Hospitals around the world has a nursing shortage, and this promises to grow at alarming proportions. Far too many nurses are retiring, and too few are entering the profession. To compound the problem, within the next 5 to 10 years, over 76 million Nurses are scheduled to retire from the workforce, with only about 44 million Generation X'ers available to pick up the slack. This will soon place unprecedented demands for health care services on a system that is already stretched thin. The problem is not limited to hospital nursinnd Glove

This article has been viewed 442 time(s).
Article Submitted On: February 02, 2005

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