Slide Share presentation by Garr Reynolds at Presentation Zen. Garr focuses on how to attract and maintain attention when presenting in front of an audience. But these rules can apply to any document, email or phone conversation where you want to attract attention. Here is a link to his entire post.
Click here to visit the Brain Rules website for even more information on how your brain works, and how you can maximize it's power.
Whether you’re an internal auditor, tax specialist or financial analyst, getting ahead – and increasing your marketability – requires staying up to date with professional trends. In the quickly evolving fields of accounting and finance, this can seem like a tall order.
Many of the changes for financial professionals stem from corporate governance regulations implemented in the early part of the decade. These have expanded the roles and stature of the profession in a business environment increasingly focused on ethics. Today, the renewed interest in bringing accuracy and transparency back to financial reporting has fueled demand for these practitioners and spurred interest in accounting as a career.
But to succeed, accounting and finance professionals must effectively address complexity in their fields and the need to stay current with emerging trends. In addition to complying with changing regulations, this new environment requires financial professionals to develop their expertise in the following areas:
Build communication skills. As companies increase their use of cross-functional teams to manage special projects, they expect accounting staff to collaborate with individuals from other departments such as information technology, purchasing and marketing. As professionals forge these new relationships, strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, including the ability to convey complex financial information to non-financial audiences.
Technology expertise is key. It’s critical to stay up to date on the latest technological innovations in accounting and finance. In addition to learning about new software applications, it’s valuable to develop expertise in such areas as financial systems conversions, and the design and implementation of custom accounting software. You also should make an effort to learn all you can about your company’s financial systems: Being able to maximize the use of new technology not only makes your job easier but also increases your value to your employer.
If you need to learn how to make best use of a new application, consider taking a computer or software class through a university extension program, or participate in a local software users’ group for the product you would like to learn more about. You also may want to investigate programs offered through professional associations, including seminars and publications focused on technology issues.
Consider obtaining a technology-related certification such as the certified information systems auditor (CISA), certified information systems security professional (CISSP) and the certified information technology professional (CITP).
Go global (in perspective). There’s a strong demand for accountants with international business skills. Indeed, organizations are seeking professionals who are not only familiar with global trends, but possess an understanding of accounting principles in other countries. As companies around the world adopt International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), there is expected to be increased pressure on U.S. firms to do the same. Individuals who are fluent in multiple languages have an advantage when pursuing positions at organizations with international operations or overseas clients.
Never stop learning. Continuing to build your professional skills and knowledge is a key way to increase your marketability. How? Businesses actively recruit accountants who’ve taken the initiative to further their education, from obtaining a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) to pursing a certification program such as certified public accountant (CPA) or certified management accountant (CMA). And here’s another bonus to additional education: Our company’s research shows that a graduate degree or professional certification can increase your starting salary in a new job by up to 10 percent.
A final piece of advice: You’ll have a hard time achieving your full potential unless others are aware of your expertise and accomplishments. Pursuing new challenges, such as volunteering to participate on special project teams, will help you steadily build awareness and better position you for future advancement opportunities.
By taking proactive steps to develop a broad skill set, financial professionals will be well positioned for a successful future. Working hard will always be critical to your success, but accountants with strong communication abilities, technology expertise, a global perspective and a lifelong commitment to learning place themselves on the fast track to career advancement.
Source: Founded in 1948, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, a division of Robert Half, is the world’s first and largest specialized financial recruiting service. The company has more than 350 offices throughout North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Search for jobs now or learn more at www.roberthalf.com.
Working outside of the office may not be all it’s cracked up to be. According to a recent survey developed by Robert Half, 48 percent of workers polled said their jobs would be more difficult if they worked in a different office as their supervisors. If you work remotely, consider these tips to stay connected with managers and colleagues:
Source: Robert Half - Workvine.com
A good sense of humor can be a professional catalyst. How? Here are a few ways levity can help your career:
Heard in the LunchroomSM is provided by Robert Half, the world’s largest specialized staffing firm and a leading authority on workplace and management trends. For more information, visit www.rhi.com.
CMA Business Credit Services is now accepting nominations for its prestigious Credit Executive of the Year Award. Any nominations received through March 31, 2008 will be considered. The recipient will be presented with the award at CMA’s Annual Meeting in April.
Please nominate your candidate by letter, email, telephone or at an Industry Credit Group Meeting. Nominees will be considered on the basis of professional experience, education, leadership ability and participation in CMA groups, committees, and activities. Previous candidates may be re-nominated. CMA will contact each candidate for a list of qualifications.
Download the official nomination form: Download Credit_Exec_of_Year2007_NominationForm.pdf
Submit your nomination by March 31, 2008 to:
Mike Mitchell
President & CEO
CMA Business Credit Services
Phone: (818) 972-5340
Fax: (818) 972-5301
Email: mmitchell@creditservices.org
By Nancy Friedman Telephone Doctor
When most people think of the word "COACH," they immediately imagine someone on the sidelines screaming at their players to do a better job. That may be true in certain sports situations, but in business, a coach needs to have a completely different approach in order to help employees improve performance.
Let's have a look at the role of a manager/coach and how that integrates with employee development. Where does traditional training come in? How does training relate to coaching? And what are the differences between training, coaching and counseling?
The process starts with training. That's the first step.
Let's say you're training a group. What usually happens is most of the group understands, learns and benefits from the information you've taught. Unfortunately, not everyone "gets it." What do we do about that small percentage of employees - often good, conscientious people - who may need personalized attention after training? Those are the ones who need coaching.
Remember that Coaching is strategically guiding someone into improving performance. It's analyzing feedback to see the areas where the training hasn't taken hold.
Is remedial training needed? That's where the coaching comes in. These are the people who need one-on-one customized help to develop their skills. OK, we've talked about training and coaching. Where does counseling come in?
Counseling is helping someone explore, and possibly resolve, personal problems. Counseling is utilized if, for whatever reason, the employee isn't performing. It's for that special situation when training and coaching haven't worked, where the employee is not willing, or is unable, to do the job. Especially if there is some distraction that is not job related.
We're going to give you the Telephone Doctor® Four Step Model for effective coaching in a call center or business environment.
We call it the 4 C's of Coaching.
The 4 C's are:
1. Concurrence
2. Content
3. Commitment
4. Congratulations or Continuation
Let's cover them one by one:
Concurrence is critical. Unless you and the trainee agree (concur) that there is a gap, and they commit to the improvement that's needed, you won't be able to coach to your full capacity for effectiveness. We need concurrence. Both you and the employee need to concur there is an issue. Once that's done, we can go on to the Content.
The Content: What's important is to identify the content that needs to be improved. What needs to be done? What are some of the issues involved? Normally where coaching is needed, it's either due to the fact that the employee doesn't know how to do the job (they just don't 'get it') or doesn't want to do the job. You need to find out which it is. The coach and the employee need to agree on the content, the issue and the problem. Only then can they make a commitment to solve it.
Commitment: The coach and the trainee need to agree. They can then make a commitment to solve the problem. Normally we're working with an intelligent, conscientious employee who wants to do a good job. With some coaching, the job will be done right.
Congratulations or Continuation: Once you and the employee have found the content that needs to be corrected, and you give them the instruction on how to do it right, and there is commitment it will be done, it's time for CONGRATULATIONS. Let them know they've done a good job. This is critical. It's most important you don't leave that part out. Worse case scenario, it's continuation. A little more work may be needed with some employees to reach the congratulations step.
Much coaching takes place to fill a perceived need. You find out that there's a gap in the performance of an employee, and then plan a coaching approach that should improve the performance of that employee. It's nice and orderly to be able to think about what you're going to do. Formulate your plan and decide when you're going to do your coaching.
Coaching, while immediate, should also be in private; especially when it becomes an on the spot type of coaching. Never embarrass the employee. That's not coaching, that's being mean!
From their website: Fifty years of steady growth
have made Haley Brothers one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of premium
quality architectural and residential flush wood doors. From corporate offices
in Buena Park, California and four West Coast facilities, the company provides
national and international customers with carefully crafted doors, frame
components, and jamb systems.
Traditions matter to us. A family owned company for three generations, we still operate in accordance with the values held by our founders with respect to quality, service, financial stability. And product innovation. Haley Brothers is dedicated to the ongoing evolution of its product line and services to reflect the ever-changing need’s of today’s distributor. Whether your specialty is millwork, hollow metal, or contract hardware, we invite you to partner with us as we continue to provide the building industry with the finest products of their kind and the highest level of service and customer satisfaction.
CMA Member Referral from Maricela Salamanca at Timely Industries. Your $25 Target Giftcard is on the way - thanks so much!
Early in my career, I spent a lot of time venting. I'd get worked up over something my boss, client, or colleague did. I feared confronting would only make it worse, but I also worried that holding it in would eventually me to explode later on. So instead, I'd blow off a little steam by venting to a trusted co-worker or friend. If I could just release a little pressure, I'd get over it and move on, right? Maybe not. New evidence shows that venting doesn't make things better, and it can even make things worse.
According to University of Arkansas psychologist Jeffrey M. Lohr, research has consistently shown that venting anger is at best ineffective and in some cases is even harmful. Lohr and his colleagues reviewed the research on anger expression going back as far as the 1950's to identify the efficacy of venting as an anger management strategy.
"In study after study, the conclusion was the same: Expressing anger does not reduce aggressive tendencies and likely makes it worse," Lohr and colleagues wrote in "The Pseudopsychology of Venting in the Treatment of Anger: Implications and Alternatives for Mental Health Practice," which appeared as a chapter in Anger, Aggression, and Interventions for Interpersonal Violence, edited by Timothy A. Cavell and Kenya T. Malcolm of the University of Arkansas.
Aristotle advocated catharsis or emotional release from negative feelings and Sigmund Freud theorized that repressed emotions could build up and cause psychological symptoms. Lohr notes that some companies "now have anger web pages and 'rap sessions' that allow employees to vent anger and blow off steam." However, the notion of catharsis has not held up under scientific examination.
"Research has shown that people often vent because they expect it will improve their mood...Perhaps because venting temporarily decreases arousal, people often report that it makes them feel better inside," Lohr and his colleagues wrote. "However, this emotional improvement is short-lived and it does not translate into less aggression. At best, venting may make you feel better for a short time, but that comes from enjoying the angry actions rather than from any meaningful reduction in angry feelings or aggressive tendencies. At worst, venting fosters the illusion that it is healthy to express one's anger." In other words, because Ben & Jerry's tastes good, you want more, but that doesn't mean it's good for you.
"If venting really does get anger 'out of your system,' then venting should result in a reduction of both anger and aggression. Unfortunately for catharsis theory, the results showed precisely the opposite effect," Lohr and colleagues wrote.
So if letting out the anger doesn't help to make it go away, what's the alternative?
In contrast to the venting experiments, other studies Lohr and his colleagues reviewed have shown that anger dissipates faster when people take deep breaths, relax or take a time out. "What people fail to realize is that the anger would have dissipated had they not vented. Moreover, it would have dissipated more quickly had they not vented and tried to control their anger instead." Any action that "makes it impossible to sustain the angry state" can help defuse anger. Here are some ways that may help you let go of your anger:
Few of us mean to be malicious when we vent. We definitely don't do it so we can feel more angry and frustrated. We just want to get over it and move on. But with a deeper understanding of how we process our anger, we can find more effective ways of enhancing our work and enriching our lives.
About the Author: Productivity consultant and trainer Cristin Lind of Clearwater Productivity helps busy professionals enhance their work and enrich their lives. If you're ready to get more done with less effort, visit http://www.clearwaterproductivity.com |
Have you ever made a mistake during a presentation you were giving? You might be surprised to learn that even seasoned executives have had embarrassing moments when speaking in front of a group. Our company asked advertising and marketing executives to describe their most awkward presentation experiences. Whether the result of nerves, technical glitches, clothing gone awry or just plain bad luck, it seems that, sometimes, what can go wrong will go wrong. Here are some examples:
Careful preparation can help prevent some, but not all, mishaps. Here are some tips for recovering after a slip-up:
Source: Robert Half - Workvine.com
For a growing number of employees, the “annual” performance review is no longer a once-a-year occasion, a recent Robert Half International survey shows. Nearly four in 10 (39 percent) executives interviewed said their companies schedule these meetings either twice a year or quarterly, up from 29 percent in 2002.
Following are some tips to help you make the most of performance reviews:
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