June 19, 2013

Avoiding 3 common sales traps

Gabor Holch

Gabor Holch

Sales people are having a tough time these days. A poor economy makes people and companies spend less, while providers of goods and services push harder (as they may also be running low on cash). And when you become pushy, that’s when people take a step back – perhaps towards a competitor who does something differently.

The worst thing you can do in a crisis market is to do the same thing as you did before, just push harder. For sales people (just like for investors), the hard times are a chance to try smarter strategies and build lasting partnerships.

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Breaks should not mess up time management

Gabor Holch

Gabor Holch

Busy people take pride in making every minute count. Our calendars are full of back-to-back tasks and appointments, and thanks to smart phones our schedules follow us everywhere. Does this mean that we get no breaks?

In fact, people will need breaks – that is a fact of life. If we get no breaks, we will take them anyway. Some of our best ideas come during breaks. On the other hand, breaks can spin out of control and interfere with productivity. That doesn’t have to be that way.

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China must stop choosing the wrong people to manage

China is adamant to rise as one of the leading economic powers of the 21st century. In order to succeed, businesses in this country need to trust their leaders and the vision that they bring.
This recent article by the Gallup institute takes you through a few systemic challenges in the economic system, and suggests that keeping their noses in production and GDP statistics will not help Chinese leaders overcome these challenges. We would say it is a must-read for everyone who leads anyone in China.

Read the article on the Gallup Management Journal.

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Home office? Do your homework first!

Gabor Holch

People and companies start discovering that an office is not always the best place for work. On one hand, social and creative people feel stuck in an office environment, especially if it is a phalanx of tiny work stations. On the other, empty offices and work stations are on the ready for employees who never turn up, because they work at client sites, run from meeting to meeting or spend their lives in planes and airports.

Telecommuting (working from a chosen location such as home or a cafe) seems to be the solution. In some of the most developed economies of the world, close to a third of people work wherever they want to. But there are a couple of essentials to consider before a company can switch to a new way of working.

If done properly, a flexible work arrangement can make miracles to productivity, cost-efficiency and morale. Based on simple guidelines of corporate strategy building, here are the basic decisions to make before your company can take a leap into the future of employment.

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Should managers become internal coaches?

Gabor Holch

One of the most recent trends in management and leadership development is using the ‘soft power’ of coaching. Part of this trend is an increasing number of coaching certifications, which often becomes an obligation for managers. Yet, I have seen much more managers with coaching certifications than managers who actually coach their teams on a regular basis.

A coaching certification is rapidly becoming one of the most common decoration items on managers’ office walls. But only a fraction of them actually use their coaching skills. Is it a good investment to become an internal coach… and should you?

Here at Campanile we are huge fans of coaching, if it is done properly. Here is how to avoid your coaching certification become a distant memory a year after you got it.

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Leadership Succession in Family-Run Businesses

An increasing number of our clients in the Asia-Pacific region are brilliant small- to medium-size companies, founded and run by family members. While family businesses have strong advantages in terms of values, commitment and integrity, they hit certain ‘glass ceilings’ as they grow. Handing over the leadership of companies built on family traditions can be hard, and requires special skills.
More than half of the wold’s work-force is employed in small- to medium-size companies, and SMEs are China’s fastest-growing segment. How they are managed will have enormous impact on our future.

Read the article on the Gallup Management Journal.

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How smart phones kill smart meetings

Gabor Holch

“They are neither listening nor contributing – they are just playing with their phones!” This complaint did not come from a school teacher, but from a top-level executive at a Fortune 500 firm who attended one of our communication courses.

15 years ago a boring meeting was full of long and uncomfortable silences. Today, you hardly notice the lack of ideas. The comfortable clicking of keyboards can make us forget when the meeting is a complete time-waster.

Here is how smart phones can make your meetings more stupid.

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Why Strengths Matter in Training (by Gallup)

Too many training and development efforts fall short because they don’t factor in employees’ talents. Companies spend millions training and developing their employees.
But does it really pay off? Sure, such investments can enhance skills and boost effectiveness and innovation. But far too often, leaders and managers overlook a crucial element: complementing employees’ knowledge, skills, and experience by maximizing the power of their innate talents.

Read the article on the Gallup Management Journal.

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Work and Life: Do you enjoy balancing?

Gabor Holch

In our work with executives, the issue of work-life balance comes up increasingly often. This is especially true in busy times such as the current spring high season in business.

Here is why we at Campanile do not like the concept of ‘work-life balance’.

Balancing is a tiresome and inconvenient act. In the short run it can give you some sense of success and can even be fun. However, over time trying to balance your work with non-work ‘life’ will just add to your stress level.

Here is why, and what a better approach is.

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How fear destroys efficiency (by Gallup)

Obsession with control, office politics and unnecessary procedures are some of the most hateful things in a work environment, according to the hundreds of interviews we have conducted. They are also the most destructive to personal and organizational efficiency. We have recently found a great article on the Gallup Management Journal, which traces all of them back to one basic source: Fear.

Read the article on Gallup.

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