Understanding Every Aspect of Your Organization

GET TO KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION: If you don't understand an aspect of the organization or a procedure within it, ask. If you still don't understand, ask again. Question until you are sure you understand the topic. It's easy to feel your questions aren't sophisticated enough, especially when you work with people who have been doing what they do for years. Start with basic questions like "What does our organization do?" "How does our organization do it?" "Who needs our product?" "Who does what with that product?" "Who are the people who get the work done?" Most long-term employees love to answer questions that make them feel smart, and valuable.

STEPS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE YOU WORK: Aside from asking long-term employees for background information: --Read the backlog of the organization's annual reports. Find out what's really happening where you work. --Read the organization's prospectus. --Attend staff meetings. Learn about the current events in your organization. --Schedule a workshop. Make the focus "What is our organization?" Invite the heads of each department. Don't worry about what your superiors think. You will probably impress them with your desire to learn.

KNOW WEAKNESSES AS WELL AS STRENGTHS: To succeed, you must also know the organization's deficiencies and failures as well as its successes. Ask yourself, and others, key questions you can often figure out what your organization needs by starting with yourself. For instance, are you organized? A disorganized leader often leads a disorganized crew. Do you accomplish goals or do you seem to work on endless projects? Is the staff helping the organization meet its goals or is it slowly sending it to a point of no return? Which department failing while others are reaching their goals? Who is succeeding and why? These types of questions are crucial to analyzing and improving your company?

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

---

The Best Way to Keep Track of Meetings

How should you keep track of meetings?Have you ever wanted... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Competition versus Collaboration

There is much confusion as to whether competition or collaboration... Read More

Appraisal Interviews: What To Say & How To Say It

STEPS TOWARDS A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW:Don't say: "You just don't... Read More

Can Your Business Run Without You?

If you are a business owner or a business owner... Read More

The Four Key Steps In Hiring And Keeping Top People

"When you hire the best, the rest is easy!" We... Read More

Knowing versus Doing - Execution In The Workplace

Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to... Read More

3 Simple Things the Best Managers Do - And You Can Too!

If it's so simple, why don't managers all over the... Read More

The ?Better Product? fallacy

Another fallacy ingrained in the minds of most marketing managers... Read More

The Truth?

The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never... Read More

Check Your Communication Skills

Use this check list to assess your communication skills.Focus* Do... Read More

Creative and Innovative Culture, Change Management ? Three Easy Tests

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Characteristics/Attributes of a Lean Operation

Fundamentals in Place? There is a designated place for everything... Read More

Classifying Motivational Needs

While there exist several useful definitions of motivation, for our... Read More

How to Reduce Temporary Employee Turnover

The use of temporary services to stock a farm of... Read More

The Changing Boss-Secretary Relationship

THE CHANGING BOSS-SECRETARY RELATIONSHIP: Imagine a partnership at work. One... Read More

Million Dollar Support System For You and For Your Business

Whether you are a consultant, coach, business owner, doctor, professional,... Read More

Interviewing: How to Stay Out of legal Hot Water

Some interviewers ask great questions; others ask dumb questions; and,... Read More

The Narcissist in the Workplace

To a narcissist-employer, the members of his "staff" are Secondary... Read More

The Walmart Cult

The CultBecoming a part of the Cult, consists of being... Read More

Five Strategies for Profitable Services Growth

In today's era of Professional and IT Services competition and... Read More

6 Simple Steps to Dealing with Difficult Managers

The challenge of managing difficult managers can be rather daunting,... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management :- Thought Leadership

Leadership is only sustainable when leaders consistently come up with... Read More

Business Fit

I have been an entrepreneur for over twenty years and... Read More

Use Noncompete Agreements To Protect Your Business

Q: One of my former employees has launched an online... Read More

Boost Your Leadership Skills Simply By Answering The Question, What Does Our Organization Really...

The difference between leaders is ears. Good leaders not only... Read More

Why and How to Work with a Consultant

A good consultant provides specialist abilities and experience, innovative ideas,... Read More

Management to the Vision-Contribution and the Role of Compliance

As a manager our role is to:1. Establish the vision,... Read More

Five Essential Hiring Practices

Recruiting and hiring are often done in haste, leaving the... Read More

Sarbanes Oxley 404 Compliance - How Nov. 15, 2004 Deadline Affects You

Fast Relief for Sarbanes Oxley Section 404 ComplianceSection 404 of... Read More

Performance Appraisal Checklist: Raise Not Just Appraise Performance

It's that time again! Perhaps the most dreaded management practice... Read More

Understanding How Change Has Changed

There seems to be an assumption that change is a... Read More

Big Company Intelligence on a Small Company Budget

Information is the lifeblood of the economy. That's especially true... Read More

How to Enhance Quality in Your Business

Every business must strive to provide quality products and services... Read More