Mary L. Erlain's Blog, page 38

Encourage Your Team to Develop Their Potential

The organizational climate has a direct impact on your people. In an atmosphere designed to reinforce productivity, tension and fear are at a minimum and people feel free to use their full potential for creativity and achievement. As a leader, you bear the primary responsibility for establishing the climate in your organization, department, or work […]

Successful Holiday Networking

Successful Holiday Networking reprinted from Business Development e-magazine The difference between regular networking and holiday events is that there is more small talk, less focus on business development, and a “let’s party” attitude. Here are some Keys to capitalize on opportunities during the holiday season. Key #1 – Do your research Review the upcoming events […]

Lead by Personal Actions

Using your power effectively creates a motivational climate in the organization that moves you closer to your personal goals, moves your team members closer to their goals, and brings the goals of the organization within reach. In your role as leader, you can choose the methods you will use for motivating team members. You are […]

Benefits of Effective Time Management

Improved time management offers one of the quickest, easiest, and most effective strategies for   improving productivity and increasing results. Because it does not require additional technical skill and job knowledge, everyone is capable of learning how to manage time more successfully. Here are benefits of time management: Completing the same work in fewer hours per […]

Operate Above the Line Daily

Leadership ability and effectiveness are enhanced tremendously by a leadership philosophy that calls for belief in the worth of people, belief in their abilities, and belief in their potential for growth. This leadership philosophy forms a bedrock foundation for building sound relationships with team members – relationships that lead to personal growth and success for […]

Zero In on the Problem to Solve It

Changes and adjustments are necessary whenever people work together. Equipment problems pale in significance compared to problems caused by people. A person cannot be discarded unemotionally just as a broken piece of equipment would. People problems are often difficult to solve. On the other hand, solving people problems offers immense personal satisfaction and professional benefits. […]

Respect Team Members and Their Skills

Understanding the nature of authentic, effective authority and power is inherent in empowering a team and practicing effective delegation. True power involves leading through character, example, and intellectual challenge. Personal power is strengthened and multiplies through surrendering it and investing it in others.   The most successful, powerful leaders respect their people and their potential […]

Believe and Support Your Team

Effective delegation always involves adequate communication. People accept responsibility and act when they know what you expect. Talk informally with a person before actually turning over responsibility. A nonthreatening approach allows the person to express fears or enthusiasm about the idea of accepting delegated responsibility. You also receive their insight and ideas about how to […]

The Generations and “Paying with Plastic”

In a USA TODAY article “What Paying with Plastic Says About You”, published on August 29, 2014, Lisa Kiplingerstates “Ways that Boomers show their age: wearing sensible shoes, relying on reading glasses and paying for a cup of coffee with cash. There’s a growing generation gap when it comes to using plastic for purchases under […]

The Generational Gap and Values

In a Bloomberg article Boomer Wealth Dented by Mortgages is U.S. Spending Risk: Economy published on August 28, 2014, Victoria Stillwell states “Mortgage-burning parties in the U.S. may be going the way of home milk deliveries and polyester leisure suits. There were old-fashioned beliefs probably 30 years ago” that included “you should pay off your […]