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A Message to Business, Employers and Employees
Enjoyment starts by being wise, remembering what is in good taste, and that ‘normal’ acceptable standards of behaviour still apply.
Simply put, adopting an ‘everything in moderation’ approach you can make it an enjoyable and memorable time without embarrassing yourself or others. Adopt ‘in moderation’ at all functions, whether under the mistletoe, on the dance floor, or at the ‘free’ bar.
Social gatherings, get togethers with family, friends or at Workplace events, following these steps will help keep you and your colleagues in a merry but safe place. Have fun, celebrate without regret, remorse or loss of reputation.
6 Top Tips – How to Enjoy the Party without Regret:
- Take control: Set the scene and mood by taking responsibility for your behaviour, actions and words.
- Avoid starting the occasion with early alcoholic ‘shots’ and over-embracing the party spirit. That can take you on a path of self-destruction.
Building your Business with a Centre of Influence Strategy
Influence is power!
We can influence and be influenced!
To begin consider these key questions,
- who are the key players that influence your Business?
- is your Business built on referrals as a valuable source of growth?
- are you always looking for sources of prospecting to attract new customers to gain income and market value?
Let's look at this more closely.
Influencing others begins in the Business, the first source of influence is you!
Your leadership, leadership by example is the benchmark built on critical skills: organizational intelligence, team promotion, trust building and leveraging networks. Skills that when applied have the ability to positively influence. You and your Team can use them to effectively influence others.
Harnessing the power of influence. On a broader level, in today’s operating climate one strategy is finding and leveraging the power COI’s (‘centres of influence’) or simply Influencers. These are people connected to or around your client group making them well placed to potentially engage, refer or introduce you to new customers, markets or prospects.
What influences your Business?
Who, what do you rely upon to help make your Business successful, to grow.
Champagne Bottles are already popping and decisions need to be made to host your upcoming Christmas Office Party?
This isn’t just any party, this is the much anticipated and sometimes unforgettable, for all the wrong reasons, the annual Christmas office party. But no matter if it’s an office, shop or factory it's the time when co-workers get together to celebrate and socialize.
And this is where it can become unstuck, when some colleagues party harder than they should!
Sound familiar, you’ve witnessed or experienced it, and you’ve heard the sayings; ‘letting your hair down, anything goes, drink till you drop, it’s only once a year! It’s not a pretty sight!
The good news, attitudes and behaviours have changed! The once alcohol-fuelled workplace gatherings have sobered up.
This is influenced by more than HR Departments wanting to improve bad behaviour and poor images, but the wider ‘alcohol’ movement promoting drinking less and ‘booze free’ events. Popular activities where colleagues can socialize without alcohol or simply consume less. Lawn bowls, mini golf, and alcohol-free breakfasts. This reflected in research indicating, younger Australians, are cutting back on booze, preferring to socialize in ways that don't involve alcohol. A trend also reflected overseas.
Importantly, colleagues can still socialise. It’s not really about the party or drinks; it's about excessive alcohol consumption. Overindulgence can lead to poor decisions, actions and sometimes later regrets.
If you are a Business wanting to support a social event, it's about planning and adopting ‘office party’ strategies.
7 Staff Management Strategies:
- Establish clear guidelines, codes of conduct, for what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the workplace. Importantly ensure these are communicated directly to all employers so there is no misunderstanding or confusion about behaviour at both the workplace and work-related functions.
With the ‘silly’ season fast approaching and the Festive and traditional Christmas celebrations already in coffee conversations, and decorations, tinsel in shop windows, now is the time to start planning and preparing.
If you are trading during this period now is the time to create and activate your Marketing Campaign.
Importantly, Get your Business House in Order, Sales and Customer ready
Checklist!
Tick the 8 boxes below to see how ‘ready’ you are!
- Be and stay organised:. If you are opening or closing during this period, don’t leave things to chance or memory. Make a Checklist/ Action Plan to ensure everything is covered and everyone is onboard. Examples such as advertised Trading hours, sales targets and payroll needs. Simple steps that help reduce stress and drama!
- Check Inventory levels: Take stock of all goods, look at previous years and current demands to gauge needs. Identify your best sellers, popular items! Critically, speak with your Suppliers to make sure your orders are covered. Other companies will be in the same situation so get in early.
- Staffing needs. Rosters, holiday leave, peak period coverage. Prepare asap. For example, do you need to train new staff, are experienced Team leaders available and do you have backup. This can be a stressful time. Take care of your employees with rewards, downtime and some festive activities to keep up morale. Who doesn't love Secret Santa!
You’ve read the ‘success’ stories, mates having a conversation at a bar, produces one of the most popular board games of all time; the Uni student with brilliant ideas about a platform for easily accessible ‘graphic design’ programs! The rest is history! And not to forget the internet provider that grew out of a local suburban backyard garage, vision that helped change the world of telecommunications.
Makes you stop and ponder, wonder!!
Are you reading this and thinking so why not my idea!
Or are you contemplating, what is out there yet to be discovered, or uncovered, what could be the next greatest ever success story! Inspiring stuff!
Starting a Business
Not for the faint hearted, can be daunting but if you are ready to take up the challenge keep reading!
Gathering ideas: 7 Steps to help guide you.
- Finding an idea: Investigate markets. Importantly, is there a gap, possible demand for a product or service. It's critical to undertake market research. Have consumers buying and spending habits changed; are there different, new, wants and needs; what, which demographics are influencing markets e.g. aging population needs, more people travelling, rise of pet ownership.
- Be wary of trends, they come and go. A healthy unique Business offering should focus on longevity, a foundation built on innovation and passion. Love your business, what you are doing, and you are halfway there!
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