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Century Management – Creating Business Advantage Through Strategic Human Performance Improvement

19

Dec 2013

0

Your Family

Generally speaking, families are sources of many things, including great emotion, support, love and sometimes heartaches and headaches. This is normal.   Are you taking time to consider you and your family in the balance of your work and life? I suspect you have heard some similar sayings to, “on your death bed, you probably […]

17

Dec 2013

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Transforming Your Business

There is so much negativity about the economy, the business world and you may be stuck in the old way of thinking that it is difficult to see how or what you can do to change the circumstances of your life, your business activities and results and the world.   This is a global challenge […]

12

Dec 2013

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Reviewing Your History

  Why review your history?? Because the stories before you – episodes of your life – have made you who you are today. You are who you are … you are also who you were: learn from your history   E+R=O Jack Canfield uses a simple theory E+R=O   E stands for all the ‘events’ […]

10

Dec 2013

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Assessing Your Current Situation

People are often too busy ‘doing and working’ to take time out to assess and take stock of where they are now and where they want to go in the future. This applies to individuals and businesses alike. People get caught up in being busy rather that assessing their business and confuse busyness with business […]

07

Dec 2013

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Managing Your Stress

  Stress can build up when you start to think and believe the demands put upon you exceed your experience, time or resources. This often leads to a sence of ‘out of control’. While some people might thrive on stress – calling it a challenge – many find it a negative experience. In today’s connected […]

05

Dec 2013

0

Transforming Your Life

There is so much negativity about the economy, the business world and you may be stuck in the old way of thinking that it is difficult to see how or what you can do to change the circumstances of your life and world. This is a global challenge that is one step away from saying […]

03

Dec 2013

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Finding Your Talents

Understand the blockages, resistance, and self sabotage that you may have engaged in up to this point. What’s stopping you? Why are your brakes on, what’s your choke point, your fatal flaw? Why are you hiding your talents? Understand that there are two critical dimensions to Crossing the Rubicon. First, the psychological dimension is about […]

20

Nov 2013

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Your Personal Branding

  What message are you sending to your customers and the market? What message should you be sending? Have you thought about your personal brand and image? The challenge for a Business Owner/Manager is to shape your personal branding around your ideal customer and the message that will resonate with them at higher level discussions, […]

13

Nov 2013

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Get Brilliant at Marketing

You have probably heard of the 4Ps before. You know, the 4 Ps of Marketing Mix? They are: Product, Price, Place (distribution) and Promotion. Consider that in business, the product is YOU and the other Ps get enhanced, developed and better because the you, the product, is made unique. To leverage from this position, is […]

01

Nov 2013

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4 Ps of Marketing

  How do you get the right message, to the right customers, in the right way, at the right time, so you can bring more sales and higher profits to your business? “How do we make sales and marketing work” is the BIG BIG question every business owner /manager has to ask every day … […]

30

Oct 2013

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Overcoming Procrastination

One of the major reasons for procrastination on big important tasks is that they appear so large at the outset and you are overwhelmed by them. Another reason for procrastination is the notion of ‘time poverty’. There is never enough time to do everything; but the question is: are you doing the important things or […]

23

Oct 2013

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Increase Customer Profitability

Customer Profitability has a direct relationship between the price you charge and the time you spend on the assignment.  Some customers may be very profitable and others may be costing you money.  Your challenge is to know which customers are your most profitable and which are not.  Likewise, determining early on in the initial contact […]

16

Oct 2013

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Focus On What Matters

“Not everything that counts, can be counted and not everything that can be counted, counts” This speaks to many things, but it should clearly have meaning to a business owner or manager.  At a minimum, the business owner needs to be able to focus on the critical factors and zone in on them right away, […]

09

Oct 2013

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Recognising Your Mission

  The challenge for a lot of people who are busy making a living is that they don’t get time to ask themselves the key questions of  ‘what is life all about? What is my purpose? What is my calling? How am I living my life – is it with purpose and clarity or caught […]

02

Oct 2013

0

Clarifying Your Values

What are you values? What are your core beliefs? What do you stand for? What virtues do you aspire to and hold in high regard when you see them demonstrated by others? Who are your heroes/heroines? And why? The challenge is to take the time to name and prioritise your values for you. Values are […]

28

Sep 2013

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The Customer’s Perspective

Get into the head of the customer and see where the customer stands in the socio-economic hierarchy as that definitely influences their trigger points. Different types of customers tend to see value in different ways. You must be aware that value is in the eye of the beholder. It’s like the taste of a good […]

26

Sep 2013

0

The Communications Business

One of the biggest challenges in the workplace (and at home) is the lack of clear communications. How many times have words and intentions been misinterpreted, misunderstood or miscommunicated?  Lack of communication has caused wars, lost sales and destroyed businesses. Communications is to staff and customer relationships as blood is to the body, without either […]

24

Sep 2013

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Talk Profits

How comfortable are you asking a customer about their profitability? How comfortable are you with business types of discussions? Are you good at it? The challenge for many Business Owners is to be able to have a discussion with the CEO and business owner on THEIR profitable or unprofitable company and have the CEO and […]

20

Sep 2013

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Products or Solutions?

Many Business Owners default to talking about their products, most of which are considered a commodity and comparable.  The challenge for Business Owners is to elevate their language and package their offering or “portfolio of solutions” in context to the benefits of the work and value the Business will provide. When the word “products” is […]

18

Sep 2013

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Good Written Communications

Writing is a challenge for many good Business Owners. The challenge is encapsulated in the latin phrase “Reme tene …verba sequenteur”, which means; “Grasp the subject…and the words will follow.” Become good at writing, because if you don’t, it can be the death of your business. Listening is the supreme skill.  Listen “to write,” listen […]

13

Sep 2013

0

Verifying Your Understanding

“I thought you meant something different” … is an  age old reason for miscommunications! Two people, looking at different aspects of the same situation, see something different – and don’t verify for clarification. What is meant is not being communicated and the only way to judge is by the results. How often has the direct […]

11

Sep 2013

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Questioning for Clarification

Questioning for clarification (or paraphrasing) is one of the major reasons we encounter difficulties in communications. In a nutshell, people neglect to ask questions or seek clarification on a subject matter or conversational point. Hence, assumptions are often made based on a small piece of information. Secondly, people fear asking questions lest they appear ‘not […]

06

Sep 2013

0

Observing Your Communications

There is so much noise and confusion in the translation of messages it can be difficult to observe the finer aspects of the communications process. Just sending a verbal or written message is no guarantee that the message is communicated effectively. The challenge is having the time to observe if proper communications took place. Nothing […]

04

Sep 2013

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Communicate Effectively

One of the biggest challenges in the workplace and at home is the lack of clear communications. How many times have words been misinterpreted, misunderstood miscommunicated? Lack of communication has caused wars, lost sales and destroyed marriages.   ‘Communications is to the relationship as blood is to the body, without either there is no life’. […]

29

Aug 2013

0

Why Customers Buy

Customers buy for their OWN reasons, not yours! Your reasons intrigue you. How often do businesses and sales people forget to truly understand what the REASONS are that customers would want and need your products and services? Your challenge as the business owner and manager is to find their reasons for buying your products and […]

22

Aug 2013

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Caring for your Customers

Many sales people today want to share with their customers how good they are, how they have helped their customers with their problems and issues. They want to tell them how knowledgeable they are and all kinds of such great things they can do for them. The challenge is to be able to do that […]

16

Aug 2013

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Managing Interruptions

One of the main challenges at work on a day by day basis is that it’s difficult to focus on key objectives and critical success factors because of the number of interruptions you face on a minute by minute basis. It can be difficult to retain clarity of mind and focus with the volume of […]

14

Aug 2013

0

Explaining Your Story

People explain things in so many different ways that it can be difficult to understand their style and the level of importance to attach to their message because of over drama or lack of basic communications skills. Poor communications is a challenge everywhere and the bad news is most people are blissfully ignorant that they […]

09

Aug 2013

0

Models Matter

When you think about the terms model, super-model or modelling do you first think about someone on the catwalk displaying next seasons fashion garment, or do you think about model airplanes from World War II, or are you thinking about the style, type, design and model of your next motor car, or do you think […]

07

Aug 2013

0

How Models Succeed

I suspect you have heard the phrase, “a picture is worth a 1000 words” well consider that “a model is worth a 1000 pictures” and creating a model that communicates volumes about WHO YOU ARE and WHAT YOU DO as a Business Owner can differentiate you from most Business Owners and put you in a […]

01

Aug 2013

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Examine Your Business Model

What is your business model? How do you use it to describe your business concept? How do you make your current business model work? Do you need to ‘buff it up?’ Do you need to reinvent it or recreate a new one? The truth is that most business owners do not understand the power of […]

31

Jul 2013

0

Managing Your Attitude

How do you develop a positive proactive attitude rather than being bogged down in the doom and gloom of the environment in these challenging economic times – that is the challenge for everyone today? Where does your attitude come from? Your thoughts, emotions, conditioning and experiences which are all stored in your subconscious mind. Attitudes […]

27

Jul 2013

0

Emotional Intelligence

The emotional workplace challenges are summed up in three statements: People join companies and leave people It’s 1% perspiration and 99% inspiration Selling is 100% emotional. Critical thinking is important, but emotional intelligence is vital. The challenge for modern management is defined as the necessity to develop people through work. Traditional management was defined as […]

25

Jul 2013

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Principle of Attraction

‘Birds of a feather flock together’ is the metaphor used to capture the principle of attraction. Often times the challenge is how to get away from the ‘birds’ you have attracted to you. These ‘birds’ can come in the form of poor decisions, unhappy relationships, bad investments or lack of personal fulfillment. Your predominant attitudes […]

23

Jul 2013

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Principle of Reflection

Life is hectic and there are so many demands and activities on a day-to-day basis there is little if any time to reflect on events or results. Taking the time out to understand the origins of success or failure which will allow you to avoid or repeat those two motivators over and over again. Your […]

20

Jul 2013

0

Principle of Expectations

There can be many conflicting expectations from self, parents, family, career, boss. These expectations may be implicit or explicit, spoken or non-verbal, they can be negative or positive. They can be motivational or depressing. In the business world, there is an implicit expectation that mergers and acquisitions should work when in fact statistics tell us […]

18

Jul 2013

0

Principle of Belief

Many people have self-limiting beliefs which keep them from achieving their true potential in life. “They go to their grave with their music still in them” simply because they didn’t believe they had the potential to be, have or do something. The first challenge is to identify self-limiting beliefs and the second one is to […]

16

Jul 2013

0

Principle of Cause and Effect

The world is a mess and there is so much dysfunction in society that the causes and effects are too much for one person to change. What can each person do to change the world, environment or even oneself. There is a sense of security and comfort in victim language and helpless behaviours. The big […]

13

Jul 2013

0

Present Moment Awareness

  Voices from the past, concerns for the future dominate too many lives. The average person has 60,000 thoughts per day and about 70% of these are negative or fear based. It’s virtually impossible to turn off or tune out. This is the biggest Rubicon challenge of all. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not […]

11

Jul 2013

0

Manage your Time

Never enough time to do everything cannot get to the important things, snowed under with details and trivia. Lots of ideas but not enough resources to put them into place … lots of rework, mistakes and stress!! This is the challenge for too many people. Every minute spent in planning will save you 10 minutes […]

09

Jul 2013

0

Know Yourself

  Understand why you act and react to situations, people and circumstances the way you do. Why do you ‘lose it’ sometimes? Why do you get angry or moody? Knowing how you approach work and life and why other people don’t approach work and life the same way is a mystery for too many. How […]

05

Jul 2013

0

On Taking Responsibility

How do stop getting delayed, diverted and sabotaged on critical success factors and key performance indicators that help you take giant leaps forward? What’s holding you back? What or who is the elephant in the room? The biggest challenge may be to realise that you have already met the enemy. Take 100% responsibility for the […]

02

Jul 2013

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Empowering Your Workforce

  In order to licence and empower your workforce to be the best they can be, you should have a clear direction and vision for your business, get the right people on board in the right jobs, communicate your message clearly, be willing to change and give people responsibility for their jobs. Five tips and […]

28

Jun 2013

0

Systems Thinking and You

If you are a good systems thinker, then this will help you tremendously in every way. If you are not a systems thinker, there are no two ways about it, you will need to get good at it. Don’t be too busy doing – take time to think work and act on systems levels of […]

26

Jun 2013

0

Customer Value & Outcomes

Value-based business is about putting an appreciative value on your work and your talent. If you position yourself as a profit improvement specialist, rather than somebody who brings generic solutions to problem solving, you give your customer very clear reasons as to why they should partner with you. Remember, reasons are more important than features, […]

22

Jun 2013

0

Creative Problem Solving in Business

For many years companies and people did what they did because ‘that is the way it has always been done around here’. This is no longer an acceptable tactic. Today’s business climate is changing rapidly and presenting many problems, difficulties and challenges for business owners and managers. The question often asked today is ‘how can […]

20

Jun 2013

1

Building Trust

Do you know how to build trust? The challenge is to build trust with your potential customers from the moment you make contact. This means you need to adopt a guideline that works for you to accomplish this regularly. Building trust between you and your customer is one of the most critical factors in achieving […]

18

Jun 2013

0

Personal Leadership

The great challenge in life is to adopt a philosophy and approach to everything by embracing personal leadership with 100% responsibility. What does personal leadership look like? And how do you maintain a total commitment in all areas of your life and work? How do you know yourself better? Appreciate others in a new way? […]

14

Jun 2013

0

Change Yourself

The natural human condition is to remain in the comfort zone and a ‘protect my turf’ mentality easily emerges at the expense of the bigger goals. Of course not all change is necessary and a degree of critical analysis and resistance is often necessary. The challenge often is to recognise when there is a need […]

12

Jun 2013

0

Learning to Learn

One of the biggest challenges for people is finding the time to learn new ways of thinking, working and living when they are caught in fire fighting the issues of everyday life. The second main challenge regarding learning is the propensity to remain in old habits and a comfort zone of ‘doing things the way […]

07

Jun 2013

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Making a Decision

‘To know and not to do is not yet to know’ is how Confucius put this challenge more than 2,500 years ago. Not knowing that you don’t know is not as tragic as not doing what you do know. Indecisiveness is a critical choke point in the move from management to leadership. Appreciate that sloppy […]

05

Jun 2013

0

Vital Functions of Leadership

  Leadership is both a science and an art. In many ways it is easier than management. However the big challenge with leadership is tangibilising its functions and making sense of the role. There are five core vital functions about which leaders must have clarity and focus to be successful. These vital functions include total […]

01

Jun 2013

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The Vital Functions of Managers

  The challenge for managers is that they get caught up in the operations of the business and they lose sight of the bigger picture. They get caught in the doing instead of the managing. There are five core vital functions about which managers must have clarity and focus to maintain and grow the business. […]

31

May 2013

0

Know Your Ideal Customer

You can’t be everything to everybody. When we ask Business Owners/Managers this question, about their ideal customer, we know immediately based on their answer, what kind of Business Owners/Managers we are working with and what level of success they are most likely to have. If you haven’t figured out who your ideal customer is, we […]

29

May 2013

0

Classic Business Questions

What are the critical questions you need to address as a business owner / manager? Sometimes the questions are more important than the answers. A good question gets you thinking. A great question challenges your very core. Peter Drucker, one of the greatest management thinkers of all time came up with five classics questions that […]

24

May 2013

0

Success Assessment

What is success? How successful are you? What criteria are you using to determine how you are doing? Is finding success a talent or skill or luck? How do you know when enough is enough by your definition? Many people struggle with the term success and what the definition of success means for themselves rather […]

22

May 2013

0

Team Roles: Impression Management

Which role are you best in? How do you know? How flexible are you? Are you aware of the need to assume a role? Impressions management is the process of managing the perceptions others have of you by managing those perceptions. For example, you might conform or approve someone’s opinion to win their favour or […]

17

May 2013

0

Roles

Clarifying the nature of the role can be helped by your own role models or heroes. How do they act out their roles? How do they change hats to suit the occasion? Look for the qualities you desire and see how those attributes fit for you. Role perceptions are formed from our own experience and […]

15

May 2013

0

Finding Your Natural Talent

Finding Your Natural Talent With half of us reportedly in the wrong career we examine competency benchmarking, a process that highlights your strengths and talents to find you the perfect job. Some 50% of all people are in the wrong job. A further 25% of on-the-job performance difficulties exist because of the inability to identify […]

10

May 2013

0

Getting the Right Person in the Right Job

Leadership Imperative: The Right Person in the Right Job How do you create a consistent system to get the right people in the right jobs? Consider this paradigm: If senior managers spent as much time on defining and benchmarking the job, measuring performance gaps and developing solutions for superior performance as they do on budgeting […]

08

May 2013

0

Job & Person Mismatch Problems

When the ‘fit’ between the person and the job is not right, all sorts of performance issues emerge. There are four primary reasons for this mismatch of person and job: 1 Poor Staff Appraisal Methods: Many people have never received an honest appraisal because most appraisals are general and lack specific feedback. Every job has […]

03

May 2013

0

How to Identify, Recognise and Develop Talent in Business

The following system provides a framework for identifying, recognising and developing talent in business. The first step of the process is to benchmark the job, the second step is to measure the individual competencies and the third step is to develop the skill sets to close the gaps. How we do this is charted in […]

01

May 2013

0

Keep Your Talented Managers

Competency Benchmarking and Measurement System for Effective Development of Talent Attracting, retaining and developing talent is the key component of great business – before vision, before strategy, before organisation structure, before tactics. Recognising and developing talent is a constant challenge for any company. Today’s challenge is to produce more, and better results with fewer employees […]

30

Apr 2013

0

Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE WORKPLACE How aware are you of your emotions and reactions in the workplace? How effective are you at managing your attitude? How well do you manage your relationships and connect with people? Emotional Intelligence is the balancing factor between critical thinking and performance outcomes. Emotional Intelligence in the workplace provides the […]

26

Apr 2013

0

Team Development

One of the biggest challenges for leaders is to develop strong teams where 2+2=5 or 7 or more; in other words how do you maximise the power of team. Two Clydesdale horses can pull a load of 20 tons; four can pull a load of 50 tons. The power of six can pull 100 tons. […]

24

Apr 2013

0

What is Team Building?

  One of the biggest challenges in life and business is getting the right people together to work as a cohesive group to perform and achieve the desired results in an agreed timeframe. Keeping the lines of communications and everyone updated is another challenge.   Teambuilding is the process of directing individuals efforts towards the […]

19

Apr 2013

0

Determine Your Return

Be clear about the question ‘what business are you in?’ Do you tend to give a product or functional answer to this question because conventional wisdom, the comfort zone and habit have you trapped with what the majority of people might say? Or do you consider your own unique value and contribution on a higher […]

17

Apr 2013

0

The 37 Factors Benchmarked on the Job

The parameters of management are well defined today. Tens of thousands of books have been written on the subject. Thousands of degree courses and business programmes are available. Theories and best practice models help clarify the mystery of management. Management remains, however, an inexact science. Defining and benchmarking job competencies bring clarity and focus to […]

12

Apr 2013

0

Defining And Benchmarking The Job

If your job could speak what would it say are the competencies necessary for superior performance? Clarifying the nature of today’s job and learning about the many roles in the job are two areas that often need attention. Learning to link the job to operations and strategy, and learning the importance of ‘the fit’ between […]

10

Apr 2013

0

Key Accountabilities of the Job

Defining the Key Accountabilities of the Job Key Accountabilities are the critical success factors and clear job outcomes/drivers that define any job. A position’s accountabilities are not the same as a job description. They answer these fundamental questions about the job: What must this job accomplish? What specifically will success look like in this job? […]

05

Apr 2013

0

Job Description

Portrait Outline A job description emerges from a job analysis process and is a broad outline of the nature and scope of a job and how it differs from other jobs in an organisation. A job, of course, helps an organisation break down tasks and is a way of allocating work activities in specialised work […]

03

Apr 2013

0

Origin of the Word Benchmarking

The image for Defining and Benchmarking the Job depicts a chiselled benchmark. The word benchmark has its origins among surveyors who chiselled these marks in stone to indicate levels and heights as reference points from which the constructions could be calculated. An angle-iron was placed within the cuts to form a “bench” on which to […]

29

Mar 2013

0

Turning Your Talents into Strategic Competencies

Competencies are the combination of behaviours, attitudes, values, skills, learned practices and emotional intelligence applied by effective people to deliver superior results. Your job has been benchmarked across 37 factors, and 11 talent factors have been identified as critically important. If your job could speak, it would say that these 11 factors are the critical […]

27

Mar 2013

0

The Competency-Based Position Survey

The competency-based position survey helps to sort out underlying ‘biases’ and get to the ‘real performance issues’. Your own ‘job experts’ use it to analyse the unique configuration of skills, knowledge, intelligence, experiences, behaviours, attitudes and beliefs required by a specific job. In the majority of cases, when you match a person who has those […]

22

Mar 2013

0

Job Benchmarking: Let the Job Speak

“If the job could speak what would it say are the competencies necessary for superior performance?” This is the big question in benchmarking the job and performance management. The natural tendency to focus on the applicant in an interview situation or on the person currently doing the job is a major mistake. It puts the […]

20

Mar 2013

0

Job Roles: Acting the Part

In life and in work you play many different roles. Even within one job you may wear different hats. For example, you may be manager of a division, responsible for five staff. At the same time, you are a team member on the senior management team. That’s a different role. In addition, a director of […]

15

Mar 2013

0

Key Considerations of Competencies

Key Considerations of Competencies When the competency benchmark and job definition phase has been completed it sets a platform to be used in a multitude of different scenarios such as: selection recruitment induction talent development other human capital projects Before embarking to the next phase it may be useful to consider some strategic questions as […]

13

Mar 2013

0

The Changing Nature of the Job

One generation ago, a job for life was the expectation. Now, you are likely to have several careers and at least 6-10 jobs in your working life. More and more people are seeing themselves, therefore, as self-employed, in attitude if not in reality, offering a portfolio of solutions to a willing, fluid marketplace.   In […]

08

Mar 2013

0

Competency and Benchmarking

Competencies are powerful strategic driving-forces and cultural development tools. However, it is difficult to unearth and define job competencies because they represent a combination of processes, resources, procedures and technologies that are hidden from view by the products and services they helped to create and serve. Competency development is a much-abused term and has been […]

06

Mar 2013

0

The Leadership Competency Model

The Leadership Competency Model provides a platform to explore strategic human performance improvement and is visually displayed as follows: Defining & Benchmarking The Core Competencies Of The Job If the job could speak what would it list as the outcomes, actions, knowledge and characteristics that differentiate superior from average performance at each level? Thirty seven […]

01

Mar 2013

0

Competencies in the Workplace

What Are Competencies? Competencies are powerful strategic driving-forces and cultural development tools. However, it is difficult to unearth and define core competencies because they represent a combination of processes, resources, procedures and technologies that are hidden from view by the products and services they helped to create and serve. Competency development is a much-abused term […]

28

Feb 2013

0

Accountability and Responsibility

When political, business or institutional leaders fail to take full responsibility and accountability or fudge issues, we squirm with embarrassment. On a personal basis, how do you deal with a member of your staff consistently making apparently valid excuses for under performance and under achievement in work? Taking responsibility is about being truly honest and […]

27

Feb 2013

0

Spirit of Service

Most everybody would like to contribute to improving the world but don’t think they have enough time, money or energy. Have you wanted to give back to your community but weren’t sure how? Your spirit of service is born out of your inbred desire to make a meaningful contribution to life and the world. It […]

23

Feb 2013

0

Human Being not Human Doing

Many people work so hard ‘doing stuff’ they never get an opportunity to stop and reflect and ‘enjoy life’. Many people never find their talents and struggle in the wrong occupations resulting in stress and anxiety in life and work. The underlying challenge is to identify the true purpose and meaning of life for each […]

21

Feb 2013

0

Managing Your Attitude

How do you develop a positive proactive attitude rather than being bogged down in the doom and gloom of the environment in these challenging economic times – that is the challenge for everyone today? Where does your attitude come from? Your thoughts, emotions, conditioning and experiences which are all stored in your subconscious mind.   […]

19

Feb 2013

0

Develop Diligence

Sometimes it can be difficult to focus , be alert, motivated and have the self discipline to keep doing what needs to be done to succeed, not knowing if the results will come. One of the biggest challenges for managers and leaders is finding and keeping diligent staff who are committed and diligent. Diligent hands […]

17

Feb 2013

0

Emotional Intelligence

The emotional workplace challenges are summed up in three statements: 1. People join companies and leave people 2. It’s 1% perspiration and 99% inspiration 3. Selling is 100% emotional. Critical thinking is important, but emotional intelligence is vital. The challenge for modern management is defined as the necessity to develop people through work. Traditional management […]

15

Feb 2013

0

Listen with Your Heart

Interpersonal communications can be fraught with mis-interpretation. Often what is meant is not what is said and then it can be mis-interpreted anyway. Hence the difficulty in understanding and becoming a master communicator. How can you expect someone else to understand you when you don’t truly understand yourself? Lack of communications is cited as the […]

13

Feb 2013

0

Taking Control

When there is so much on your plate, with a lot of complicated projects and too many demands on your time and resources, it is easy to feel out of control, stressed and even burnt out. The ‘overwhelm phenomenon’ is like a virus in our world. People are happy to the degree to which they […]

07

Feb 2013

0

Go Beyond Change

You have a choice – become a master of change or be the next victim of change. Which do you choose? Within every problem or crisis, there is an opportunity to change and transform into a new or better position. The challenge is to see and appreciate this point. Caterpillars transform after just fifteen days […]

03

Feb 2013

0

Discover your Creativity

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” – Proverb Why do people not innovate and create. Why are people so caught up or tied into the old ways of doing things, when they are not working? Paralysis by analysis! The definition of stupidity is: doing the same thing over and over and […]

01

Feb 2013

0

Know Yourself

Everyone faces situations and circumstances which cause conflict and stress. Understanding how best to manage your response in these situations and understanding the response of others leads to better productivity, better relationships and better results.   Why do you act and react to situations, people and circumstances the way you do. Why do you ‘lose […]

31

Jan 2013

0

Dare to Grow Up

This is your time – you have no other time –now is the time for you to dare to be, have and do whatever it is you want to do in life and work. The question is: Who are you? What do you stand for? What is your purpose? What do you want to achieve […]

26

Jan 2013

0

Work-Life Harmony

There are many challenges facing men and women in achieving a sense of harmony between their work and life.   When is enough, enough? What is life all about? Is there any amount of success in work that can compensate for unhappiness at home? How do you achieve a sense of work-life harmony? These are […]

24

Jan 2013

0

Personal Strategy

Strategy brings clarity and focus to what you do and how you do it. Strategy is a thinking and planning process for life and business. The challenges with setting a personal strategy are primarily time and know-how. Where do you start, what framework or guidelines do you use and how do you get the time […]

19

Jan 2013

0

Commit to Action

‘Without commitment there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back’. You have too much going on to commit to any more personal or work decisions. You are already overburdened with your current commitments and cannot see the wood from the forest. This is the challenge of our time. This is the challenge that overwhelms you […]

17

Jan 2013

0

Live on Purpose

There are so many calls on your life and time that there is never enough time to address what you really want from your life. The financial, economic, work and family pressures demand that you stay on the treadmill of life. This is the great challenge for virtually everyone in a productive role.   When […]

12

Jan 2013

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Setting Your Goals

The challenge often is that people are too busy working hard making a living and don’t plan time to set goals and work in a purposeful way to achieve them. If you have no goals SET, how can you ACHIEVE them? Alice asked the Cheshire cat ‘which way do I go from here?. To which […]

05

Jan 2013

1

Clarifying Your Vision

The challenge for many people is taking time to identify, picture and vision what the future holds for them. Where are they going? What is the big dream or the big picture? What is the map of life?     No person would dare to build their house without a clear picture/visual/plan – yet many […]

12

Dec 2011

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Be Not Afraid … I Go Before You

Purchase the book online from Century Management here Be Not Afraid … I Go Before You is a collection of 57 stories filled with  love, loss and hope written by partners, parents, children, siblings and friends who have been bereaved.  It was compiled by Imelda K Butler, inspired by the loss of her husband John, […]

21

Nov 2011

0

Be Not Afraid … I Go Before You

      A Collection of Stories filled with love, loss and hope written by Loved Ones who have been Bereaved Be Not Afraid … I Go Before You is a compilation of stories of love and loss written by partners, parents, children, siblings and friends who have been bereaved.  It was compiled by Imelda […]

21

Nov 2011

0

4 Ps of Marketing

How do you get the right message, to the right customers, in the right way, at the right time, so you can  bring more sales and higher profits to your business?  “How do we make sales and marketing work” is the BIG BIG question every business owner /manager has to ask every day … the […]

17

Feb 2011

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Brian Tracy The World Renowned Business Expert Is Presenting A Seminar In Dublin

Brian Tracy the world renowned business expert is presenting a seminar in Dublin on 27th February at The D4 Ballsbridge Inn, Dublin 4. “7 Steps to Building a High Profit Business and Becoming Wealthy”   Brian is a friend and former business partner of Century Management and has delivered inspirational seminars and support for our […]

31

Jan 2011

0

Re-Invent Yourself: Odyssey for the Soul Presentation

The presentation at the TTI international conference in Phoenix Arizona titled,  Re-Invent Yourself: Odyssey for the Soul can be viewed here. The objective of the presentation was to inspire people to fulfill  their purpose and potential. TTI Winners Conference presentation by Imelda Butler View more presentations from Century Management.

19

Jan 2011

0

Empowering the Workforce

6 Tips & 6 Lessons in Growing your Workforce At a time when there is increased emphasis on survival and competitiveness, empowering workforces to optimise employee output is regarded as crucial. Here are six tips and six lessons we have experienced in the work place. Tip one: Encourage individual responsibility and accountabilityThe single, most important […]

13

Jan 2011

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Overview of Imelda Butler’s presentation for the TTI Winners conference 2011

Only three days to go to the TTI Winners Conference and four days to my presentation. I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet with fellow like minded consultants and attending their presentations which cover a wide range of subjects. Nothing is more inspiring than listening to someone who has passion and a purpose […]

12

Jan 2011

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The Focus of the Odyssey Transformational Masterclass in Consulting

Consulting is emerging as a new professional business and is fast gaining the reputation and status of the traditional professions such as legal, accounting and medical professions. However, running a successful, profitable, consulting business is one of the toughest challenges in business today!

12

Jan 2011

0

Let Your Talent Shine

TALENT MANAGEMENT IS THE FINAL COMPETITIVE FRONTIER “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light not our darkness, that most frightens us.And as we let our light shine,We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same” -Nelson Mandela inaugural speech 1994 […]

10

Jan 2011

0

Imelda Butler presents at TTI Winners conference 2011

The 22nd TTI International Conference takes place in Phoenix Arizona from the 16th – 20th of January and I am pleased to announce that I am presenting on my favorite subject at it. The title of my presentation is “Reinvent Yourself: Odyssey for the Soul” The overall theme of the 4 day conference is

06

Jan 2011

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What is the Odyssey Transformational Masterclass?

The Odyssey Transformational Masterclass consists of four days of intense individualized and small group work on the transformation of you and your business. The core theme is to enable you to analyze and receive feedback from your peers and master practitioners in a group setting regarding what prevents you from becoming the master practitioner consultant in […]

05

Jan 2011

0

HIRING KEY MANAGERS AND SALES PROFESSIONALS

Hiring key managers and top sales professionals is an essential competency of every business venture.  This document outlines an eight step system to recruit key people.  One of the most important functions of the professional sales manager is to recruit effective salespeople.  Hiring a key manager is equally important for a managing director or senior […]

29

Dec 2010

0

Entrepreneurial Management: How to Create Personal and Business Advantage

Business management challenges haunt the average manager in most businesses every day. Goals get blurred. Motivation sinks. The mission fades into the background. Innovation withers. Time management becomes nonsense. This is the time when both manager and business owner develop a roving eye or rather a longing for a better way. This challenge is beyond […]

22

Dec 2010

0

Sales Growth & Business Strategy:

How to Implement Three Powerful Strategies to Grow Your Sales There are three simple, yet powerful, sales growth and business strategy imperatives open to most businesses to achieve their sales, marketing and strategy goals. Implementation and execution of these strategies as part of your business plan is business marketing in action. It defines your culture. […]

16

Dec 2010

0

Michael O’Leary Accepts the Need for Change in Business.

Michael O’Leary one of the most successful business leaders of our time has said in the Independant on Thursday December 16th 2010 that he wasn’t the right person to lead the carrier, where he’s been chief executive for the past 17 years, into its next business phase.   He added that Ryanair needs to become […]

08

Dec 2010

0

DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF RESPONSIBILITY

Transform your Business Results by Eliminating the Twin Diseases of Blame and Excuses Accountability and responsibility are two of the biggest concepts in all businesses everywhere post the economic recession and recovery. Business confidence and customer confidence is built on trust and respect. Whole industries as we have seen did not understand the concept of […]

01

Dec 2010

0

Creating Customer Service Advantage by Changing Your Culture

Delivering ‘good’ customer care is no longer good enough to gain strategic competitive advantage for your business. You must deliver Customer Service Excellence. Marketing management and innovation should focus every effort on an implementation strategy that achieves this goal. How do you create long-term, sustainable, business advantage with customer service as the leadership focus ? […]

24

Nov 2010

0

Three Sales Growth Marketing Strategies

There are three simple, yet powerful, sales growth and business strategy imperatives open to most businesses to achieve their sales, marketing and strategy goals. Implementation and execution of these strategies as part of your business plan is business marketing in action. It defines your culture. It brings your sales mission and sales goal to the […]

17

Nov 2010

0

Six Classic Business Resources

How to Determine Your Weakest Link and Could You Be Fixing the Wrong Problem? Businesses have six classic resources. Business performance will be determined more than you may appreciate by how managers deploy these resources. How well you understand and deploy these critical resources for your maximum advantage can be a decisive factor in your […]

10

Nov 2010

0

New book ‘Business Model Innovation’ launch

  Our new book Business Model Innovation ‘Proven Strategies That Actually Work’ written by John & Imelda Butler and Melvin D. Nelson is now officially launched. You can buy the book now, it is available and can be shipped straight away.   Business Model Innovation offers a strategic insight into the importance of a well developed […]

10

Nov 2010

0

So what is the Rubicon Process & Strategy and how does it work in Change Situations?

Why would your company want to embark on it? Who needs to be involved? First let’s look at four levels of strategy positioning that businesses take in virtually every market in the world: Level One Operational Efficiency: This is not really a strategy at all. It’s more a battle for survival and often a race […]

04

Nov 2010

0

A Race Against Time

I unearthed this story about Marathon the city and how marathons got their name I thought you might be interested in the history of where  marathon the name came from and the background. In 490 BC, the first battle of democracy was fought at the Greek village of Marathon. Though outnumbered by an invading Persian […]

03

Nov 2010

0

Developing A Customer Service Excellence Culture

Product innovations can be copied, promotional campaigns can be mimicked, as can technology and design advancements. Developing a Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Culture, however, is an intangible intellectual resource, which is very difficult to copy. How to create this intangible’ advantage is still, apparently, a mystery to most organisations. The evidence is apparent in the […]

27

Oct 2010

0

Communication Competencies for Business Managers and Leaders

Communication competencies are implementation and motivation goals for business managers and leaders, everywhere! Marketing, management, customer service and team work are communication playgrounds. And only You can bring your own flavour to this challenge! It’s been said that leadership advantage comes more from successful communication than any other factor AND THAT Successful communication takes place […]

21

Oct 2010

0

Business Owner/Managers Need to Survive and Recalibrate

What’s your business goals in these trying times? Ireland has been hit with an economic tsunami! So has everywhere else it seems. What kind of business management culture do you want to develop? What should you be doing as a business owner despite the storm? Where is the business opportunity for you in the economic […]

14

Oct 2010

0

Employers Feedback on Graduate

There is an interesting article by John Walshe Education Editor of the Irish Independent in the paper on Monday 11 October 2010. Survey results from AHECS showing graduate shortfalls from the employers’ view state: The top two hard skills deficit are: 1. Writing skills 51.8% 2. Leadership skills 36% Top two Soft Skills deficit 1. […]

01

Jul 2010

0

Business Owner/Managers Need to Survive and Recalibrate

What’s your  business goals  in these trying times? Ireland has been hit with an economic tsunami! So has everywhere else it seems. What kind of business management culture do you want to develop?

06

May 2010

0

Contact Details for Century Management.ie

Century Management Ltd.Century House,Newlands Business Park,Newlands Cross,Dublin 22IrelandTel: 00 353 1 459 5950Fax: 00 353 1459 5949Email: info@localhost/cml1

01

Apr 2010

0

Mastering Change – 21st Century Reality

Mastering Change – 21st Century Reality By John Butler Three practical steps to mastering the challenge of change. Three bricklayers who worked side by side on a building site provide the classic story of the philosophy of entrepreneurial management. A passer-by asked the first bricklayer what he was doing. He replied: ‘I’m laying some bricks.’ […]

01

Apr 2010

0

Excellence in e-Learning Management

Excellence in e-Learning Management Excellence In Management The keys to building effective executives, high performance teams and world-class organisations. Excellence in Management is a library of 30 e-learning seminars that provides the ideas, methods, strategies and techniques used by all highly effective executives, profitable businesses and world-class teams. These courses teach, specific, proven, practical ways […]

01

Apr 2010

0

Creating Communications Advantage

The Ripple Effect of what you say and do: Creating Communications Advantage

01

Apr 2010

0

Competency Benchmarking and Measurement System for Effective Recruitment & Retention

Competency Benchmarking and Measurement System for Effective Recruitment & Retention Keep Your Talented Managers Imelda K Butler Attracting and retaining talent is the key component of great business

01

Apr 2010

0

30

Mar 2010

0

Turning Talent into Performance Excellence

John Butler’s presentation to the South Dublin Chamber of Commerce on Turning Talent into Performance Excellence Turning Talent into Performance Excellence

30

Mar 2010

0

Let Your Talent Shine

TALENT MANAGEMENT IS THE FINAL COMPETITIVE FRONTIER By Imelda Butler

30

Mar 2010

0

In The Winners Enclosure with Ted Walsh

In 2000, Ted Walsh as trainer, and his son Ruby as jockey, won a unique double by winning the Irish and English Grand Nationals. This was a

30

Mar 2010

0

Changing to a Responsibility Culture

HOW TO WIN OVER YOUR PEOPLE How much better would your business perform if you had a sales-driven culture?

30

Mar 2010

0

Personal Responsibility

John Butler of Century Management explains how victim language and the blame game can destroy performance levels and what to do about it. Personal responsibility is the ability to take charge and be in full control of your own life.

30

Mar 2010

0

Developing a Culture of Responsibility

Transform your business results by eliminating the twin diseases of blame and excuses

30

Mar 2010

0

Hiring Key Managers and Sales Professionals

Hiring key managers and top sales professionals is an essential competency of every business venture.

30

Mar 2010

0

Keep Your Talented Managers – Running Your Business

Competency Benchmarking and Measurement System for Effective Development of Talent. Attracting, retaining and developing talent is the key component of great business

30

Mar 2010

0

Turning Sales Talents into Competency Excellence By John Butler

Lessons from the Sales Competency Benchmarking Process from Century Management

30

Mar 2010

0

Wealth Management: The Enormous Difference Between Being Rich and Being Wealthy – Part Two

What sort of activities do the 5 percent wealthy proportion of our population engage in that enables them to accumulate so much more wealth than the other 95 percent?

30

Mar 2010

0

Wealth Management: The Enormous Difference Between Being Rich and Being Wealthy – Part One

John Butler explores, in the first of two articles, why the rich (sometimes) get wealthy and why 80 percent of the population are doomed to remain poor. Why is it that only one percent of the population are truly wealthy, only four percent are financially independent which means they could live without having ever to […]

30

Mar 2010

0

Official Launch of John Butler’s New Book Crossing The Rubicon

Charlie McCreevy at the Official Launch of John Butler’s New Book Crossing The Rubicon, Irish Independent

30

Mar 2010

0

Imelda Butler Speaks to Chambers Ireland Magazine

Smarter Business – Lessons in Empowerment AT a time when there is increased emphasis on competitiveness, empowering workforces to optimise employee output is regarded as crucial. Imelda K Butler, director of Century Management, and Stephen Doran, managing director of Empower Training, offer some tips and lessons. Tip one: Encourage individual responsibility and accountability“The single, most […]

30

Mar 2010

0

The Personal Strategist: Some of life’s problems can be just too much for the average person to handle and that’s where the fixers like John Butler come in – Irish Independent

John Butler, 52, started out as a teacher before branching into publishing and consulting. He set up Century Management in 1989 and has published two books. The latest, Crossing the Rubicon, is out now. John is married to Imelda and they have two children, Michelle, 24 and Maria, 22.

30

Mar 2010

0

John Butler Speaks to Ryan Tubridy, RTE Radio 1 on Meeting Management

John Butler, business consultant and author of Crossing the Rubicon and Anna Pringle, HR Manager with Microsoft on meetings – why do we dread business meetings and what can be done to improve them? Ryan Tubridy Go to The Tubridy Show Archive and click on Friday 20th April to listen

17

Feb 2010

0

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

17

Feb 2009

0

Sales Growth & Business Strategy:How to Implement Three Powerful Strategies to Grow Your Sales

  There are three simple, yet powerful, sales growth and business strategy imperatives  open to most businesses  to achieve their sales, marketing and  strategy goals.   Implementation and execution of these strategies as part of your business plan is business marketing in action. It defines your culture. It brings your sales mission and sales goal to the […]

17

Feb 2009

0

The Ripple Effect of What You Say and Do: Creating Business Communications Advantage

  Communication competencies are implementation and motivation goals for  business managers and leaders ,everywhere!  Marketing,  management, customer service and team work  are communication playgrounds.   It’s been said that leadership advantage comes more from successful communication than any other factor AND THAT “Successful communication takes place more in the mind and heart of the listener than […]

16

Feb 2009

0

Culture and strategy implementation is a mission critical goal for every manager, leader and business owner. Businesses need strategy like roses need rain. Leadership and strategy go hand in hand. The management of strategy development, however, is typically described in terms of strategic planning and analytical systems. 

15

Feb 2009

0

Entrepreneurial Management: How to Create Personal and Business Advantage

Business management challenges haunt the average manager in most businesses every day. Goals get blurred. Motivation sinks. The mission fades into the background. Innovation withers. Time management becomes a nonsense. This is  the time when  both manager and business owner develop a roving eye or rather a longing for a better way.This challenge is beyond change […]

13

Feb 2009

0

Creating Customer Service Advantage by Changing Your Culture

Delivering ‘good’ customer care is no longer good enough to gain strategic  competetive advantage for your business.You must deliver Customer Service Excellence. Marketing management and innovation should focus every effort on an implementation strategy that achieves this goal.   How do you create long-term, sustainable, business advantage with customer service  as the leadership focus ?

11

Feb 2009

0

Innovation & Positioning: It

Innovation,innovation,innovation is the mantra in businesses and management circles every day. Yet when ‘conventional wisdom’ enters the room it wins hands down in 80% of businesses! What a strange contradiction. Most businesses copy what their competitors do! They copy their product feature and how they promote and sell their product. Copycats!  Here is a man […]

10

Feb 2009

0

Mastering Change: Three Practical Steps to Mastering the Challenge of Change

  Change management, performance management, business management are all buisness concepts  that attempt to embrace the uncertainty and turbulance of our time. Managers, leaders and business owners have one overarching goal today! To stay ahead of the curve of change.   Change is a simple but easy subject to understand. Let me explain with a story: […]

09

Feb 2009

0

DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF RESPONSIBILITY: Transform your Business Results by Eliminating the Twin Diseases of Blame and Excuses

Accountability and responsibility are two of the biggest concepts in all businesses everywhere post the  economic recession  and recovery. Business confidence and customer confidence is build on trust and respect. Whole industries as we have seen did not understand the concept of responsibility despite the fact that corporate social responsibility was on every annual statement as being very important.