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How to Conduct a Successful Creative Brainstorming SessionBrainstorming is an integral part of the business process at all organizations. It can lead to a dynamic and valuable exchange of ideas and exciting new initiatives, said Edward T. Reilly, AMAs president and CEO. Poorly executed, however, it can foster resentment, internal tension and be counterproductive. All participants in a brainstorming session need to remember, its not personal-its business. Reilly offers the following best practices on how to conduct a successful creative brainstorming session: Establish the role of the leader. The leader acts as facilitator, monitoring the flow of ideas to ensure that everyone has a chance to speak and no one interrupts another, and that discussion stays on track and doesnt veer off on too many tangents. The leader should encourage challenge and debate-theyre productive. Hostility is not. Define the task at hand. All group members must clearly understand what the ultimate business objective is. Before solutions are suggested, all available facts, trends and challenges should be reviewed and discussed. State the goal of the brainstorming session. The role of the brainstorming session needs to be clear. The purpose is to generate ideas, initially without consideration for their merit. Create a positive culture. Members should feel free to communicate openly and honestly. It helps to select a neutral setting. Find a room where the team members can slip off their jackets, grab some refreshments and get to work. Record ideas. A flipchart or a blackboard enables members of the group to see each idea and build on ones that interest them. Rotate note takers to enable all to actively participate in the ideation process. Encourage the flow of ideas. There should be no evaluation early in the process. Members should not look for the elusive right idea immediately. The goal of the team is to generate lots of ideas. The right one will eventually emerge-almost always from one idea built on another. Carefully monitor verbal and nonverbal communication. Listen to all members of the group. Also, watch for nonverbal communications. This will often tell you, even more than words, how members feel about the groups progress. Select the best idea. Periodically summarize the groups progress. Once the group winds down, review the ideas. Focus discussion first on positive attributes of each idea. Only then focus on the negative aspects. Through a process of elimination, identify the top ideas and then make a final selection. Choose an idea that fully meets the task objective and that all members of the team are willing to support. How to Make Sound Business DecisionsBusiness is all about decisions-decisions you make as an individual, a team member or a team leader. There are considered decisions that come with the luxury of time, like marketing plans and budgets, and then there are other decisions that are thrust upon you and have to be made instantaneously, said American Management Association President and CEO Edward T. Reilly. Every decision can be important to your business-and your career. Reilly offers the following tips that will help you make sounder decisions: Before you make a decision, carefully weigh the risks and rewards. Dont act, or react, without giving thought to the consequences. You want to make thoughtful decisions, not reckless ones. Dont let your emotions influence your decisions. Too often, such decisions will be wrong-and regretted. After you have spoken, you may find yourself either backtracking or trapped. Seek balance and moderation in your decisions. You dont want to be known as someone who is indecisive or is impulsive. Colleagues expect decisions to be made-it can be frustrating not knowing what course to take-but they also respect someone who listens and weighs information before making a decision. Make decisions for the right reason. If you are in a position of strength, watch that one of your subsequent decisions wont actually diminish your power. Dont jeopardize yourself or your team out of bravado or to impress others with a grand gesture. Make decisions for the right reasons-weighing a fleeting moment of glory against the long-term consequences. Picture the worst-case scenario. Compensate for your personal decision-making biases. Are you a numbers person or a big picture person? Do you look for the quick-fix or a long-term solution? Improve the quality of your decisions by better understanding yourself. Practice the 80/20 rule. Recognize that 80 percent of the information you will need to make a good decision generally can be assembled in a relatively short time. Dont wait for the remaining 20 percent-in most instances, it isnt likely to change the situation. Develop quiet confidence in your decision-making ability. The more decisions you make, likely the better they will be. Most professional decisions dont require Solomon-like wisdom, but they do require that you weigh the facts and understand the individuals involved. When you make the wrong decision, you need to be flexible enough to change direction. As a leader, you are expected to make decisions. Teams need the clarity that decisions bring.even if the leaders decision is to postpone one for awhile. Team leaders often make the strategic decisions and rely on team members for the tactical ones. How to Manage a BudgetIn todays uncertain economy, when every manager is being held accountable for the bottom line, you have to be finance-savvy, said American Management Association President and CEO Edward T. Reilly. Youve got to know how to justify a request, quantify your contributions to the company and spot profit-drains immediately. No matter how effective your management style or how innovative your ideas, your performance will be measured in dollars and cents. Reilly offers the following advice on how to manage a budget: Your budget is your business plan in dollars and cents. It must reflect everything you contemplate doing. If the numbers dont add up, it may not be a budget problem-you may need to go back and re-examine your business plan. Build in a contingency fund. Allow for the unforeseen. Anything and everything may cost more than you expect. Overtime and last-minute delivery charges have been known to derail many a budget. Document everything. Ideally, get all cost information, and possible alternatives, in writing. Keep careful notes of the assumptions, reasoning and calculations behind your numbers. Know your costs. Dont guesstimate. If you cant get the actual figures, then its better to overestimate expenses and underestimate revenue. Continually monitor spending against budget, ruthlessly. The amount on an expense invoice should never come as a surprise. If expenses are out of line, dont put your head in the sand and hope that things will work out. Take immediate action. Curb spending until you are sure the budget is running smoothly again. Establish checks and balances. Set spending limits for line managers and specific tasks. Require approval or sign-off for all exceptions. Money talk. Dont keep anyone in the dark. Continually communicate with all stakeholders about the status of the budget. Thats the best way to prevent being blind-sided at the eleventh hour. How to Earn Respect as a LeaderRespect, trust and credibility are the intangible elements that can make or break a career. So earning respect and developing credibility and trust are critical to your success in business, said Edward T. Reilly, President and CEO of American Management Association. An effective leader does not have to command respect, but your actions will help you earn it. Reilly offers the following suggestions: Create a vision. And provide the key resources to make it happen. Communicate that vision. Talk about it confidently and consistently at every opportunity. Be passionate. Your enthusiasm will encourage people to accept your ideas and pursue your goals. You cant light a fire under someone if you are a wet match. Walk the talk. Be visible. Stay involved. Team members want a leader who is in the trenches with them. And, if you say that youll do something, they want to know they can count on your word. If you want others to be accountable, you must be accountable. Create a congenial, supportive atmosphere. Be a good listener. Be patient. Be open. Your team wants to feel it can express itself freely. Trust builds trust. Show that you value the work of every team member. You will have people with different levels of skills and different responsibilities. Acknowledge that each contributes to the teams success. Be open to disagreement. Team members should feel they can express their ideas and beliefs freely without any negative consequences. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Understand how you appear to others-in particular, recognize your own unhelpful hot buttons and work on eliminating them. Be able to speak about your shortcomings with honesty and directness. Accept responsibility for your actions and those of your team. Demonstrate courage. Admit shortcomings. Team members want a leader with the courage to admit if they let the team down. Put aside your own well-being and self-interest. How to Sell PersuasivelySales is the engine that drives every business enterprise, said Edward T. Reilly, president and CEO of American Management Association. Whether its the sales force on the front line or the telemarketing department in the back office, every person who comes in contact with a client or potential client plays a critical role in selling your companys products or services, Reilly said. He offers the following advice on how to sell persuasively: Know your customer. Top sales professionals understand that the most effective presentations focus squarely on the targets needs. Use open-ended questions to learn as much as possible about customers and what they want to accomplish with your product or service. Be passionate. Not only must you know all about your product or service. but you must also believe in it. After all, if you dont, why would anyone else? Besides, it will enable you to enjoy selling it to others, even have fun talking about the product. Believe that if you convince prospects to become your customers, they will be better off because of what you sold them. Build rapport. Use the initial two or three minutes of conversation with prospects to lower tension and make them feel comfortable. Try to identify any negative attitudes about you or reservations about your product. Spend more time listening than talking. Be succinct. Identify key benefits of your product or service to focus on in advance. Catch your prospects attention within the first few seconds by highlighting how your product or service can fit into the customers plans or goals. Dont ramble. Avoid irrelevant or boring details. Demonstrate the product whenever you can. Dont just tell how the product works. Show how it can help your customer. Compare and contrast it directly to competition when possible. That can help close the sale. Sell on value, not price. Whether your product is premium priced or the low cost entry, selling on price alone is a poor strategy. Sell on value-what your product can do to help the prospect. If you know your market and you know your product performs well versus competitors, you can keep the dialogue away from price and focused on benefits. Anticipate and address specific objections. Uncover, identify and resolve any customer resistance regarding the product or service. Make a point of refuting each one. Match your communication style to your customer. A hard, analytical sales approach may work with some prospects. A softer, more emotional appeal may be better with others. Most important, learn to be comfortable interacting with people, especially those you have never met. Use past customers to make current sales. Positive feedback from satisfied customers can help influence uncertain prospects. Customer testimony supports your sales claims and adds credibility to you as a sales professional. Stay on top of your game. Like any professional, you need to sharpen your skills with training. Even seasoned sales professionals need to continually upgrade their knowledge and capabilities. How to Develop a Winning Competitive StrategyDeveloping a successful competitive strategy requires a deep and thorough understanding not just of your competitors and the moves they are making, but of all of the other factors that have the potential to influence your position in the marketplace, said Edward T. Reilly, President and CEO of American Management Association. Its equally important to know your internal organizational strengths as it is to know the external challenges and opportunities, said Reilly. He offers the following advice on how to get ahead of the competition: Know the market. It is vital to conduct research to determine what products are being offered to your target market, and at what price. Without this information youll be formulating your product development and pricing strategies in the dark. Talk to customers. Get to know your customers needs and wants. Learn what they are saying about your competitors. Expand the market by identifying customers whose needs are not being met, and develop products to meet them. Identify your own organizations strengths and weaknesses. Honest evaluation of your companys assets and shortcomings is necessary for effective strategy planning. Leverage strengths to take advantage of market opportunities. Address organization weaknesses that impact your customer. Analyze your competitors products. This will give you ideas on how to improve your own offerings and highlight the superior attributes of your products versus those of the competition. Monitor the competitions game plan. Become familiar with their product, marketing, sales and customer service strategies so you can counter any competitive move. Form alliances that complement your strengths. Identify partners that fill existing gaps in your knowledge or capabilities. Regularly monitor the marketplace. Customer needs and competitor capabilities change every day. Effective competitive strategy depends on staying abreast of these changes. Gain perspectives from customers and other constituents to validate strategic direction and adjust accordingly. Anticipate the future. Understanding the competitive situation today is critical in developing a winning competitive strategy. However, to achieve and sustain an advantage, its equally important to define what the future will bring. How to Build a Cohesive TeamIn todays team-based organizations, winning the respect and cooperation of colleagues and staff members is critical if you want people to help you get things done, said Edward T. Reilly, President and CEO of American Management Association. You need to create a cohesive team and foster an environment of cooperation to successfully complete complex and critical projects, Reilly said. He offers the following advice: Consider the groups mission when selecting a team. Choose team members who have performance capabilities that are best suited for the task at handdont choose them based on existing relationships. Put together a diverse team. Limiting the group to people with similar interests and experiences will limit the final result. Recruit individuals who represent a mix of viewpoints and perceptions. Also, if support is needed from various parts of the organization, select team members from these departments. Identify the strengths of your team members. Ask members what tasks they feel they are most suited to accomplish in the project. That way when you delegate assignments you will know which members are best equipped, and most eager, to perform them. Be clear about member responsibilities. Good teams have a multitude of complementary talents. Each person has strengths to bring to the team effort. All the members need to understand what is expected of them and what role they will play. Focus, focus, focus. If you keep the unit pointed in the right direction, members will have a clear sense of direction. You need to communicate your teams vision each and every day and use it as a behavioral guide. To help them link their everyday actions to the vision, engage existing and new members in discussions about what theyre doing and why. Make all members accountable for team results. When the team is successful, they can share the glory; when the team is less than successful, they must share the consequences. Condition team members to believe they are part of a successful group. Be certain members know that their team is made up of winners, and that they wouldnt be there if they werent winners, too. Build esprit de corps by stressing team accomplishments. Earn members respect. People follow a leader they trust and respect. Carry through on promises. If you say that youll do something, they want to know they can count on your word. Get feedback about how to improve the teams performance. New members can often see things more clearly than insiders. Even if you disagree with member suggestions, let them know that you were glad to hear their ideas. How to Lead with PassionLeaders who are passionate about their vision can generate enthusiasm and excitement among their employees and colleagues and motivate them to achieve success, said Edward T. Reilly, president and CEO of American Management Association. But how to craft the messages and deliver them is critical to getting buy-in from the rest of the organization, Reilly said. He offers the following advice: Believe in your ideas with enthusiasm. If you have conviction about your ideas, plans, projects or direction it will be reflected in your voice, your words and your actions. Your passion will be apparent and will influence others. Build your case. Make your points for your ideas in both a rational and emotional manner. The intensity of your feelings, combined with facts and reason, will elicit support. Be assertive. Assertive leaders gain respect because they express themselves in an honest, straightforward manner. By speaking in an assertive style, you can make your pointand achieve your goalswithout putting down or alienating other members of the team. Be positive. Your delivery is as important as your words. The tone and pitch of your words are an important part of your communications. Listen to yourself to determine if you sound committed to your idea. Your passion will be contagious. Be responsive. Ask what it is about your idea that others like best or least. Be a complete listener, one who leans into the conversation and shows complete attention. Ask follow-up questions. They will offer insights into their thinking. Your responses then can be directed to their specific concerns. Show confidence. Your physical posture says as much about your commitment to an idea or belief, and your willingness to uphold it, as do the words and tone of your voice. Non-verbal communication conveys more than 90 percent of any message. Keep your head up and maintain eye contact. Be persistent. Stay the course. You may need to restate your rationale and continue to demonstrate your intense feelings and enthusiasm over time to secure full support from others. Remain focused on the overall objective. Accept responsibility. If your approach fails, be the first to admit it. Others will respect you for being forthright. Then review the situation, determine what went wrong and learn
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