Great Hires - Avoid Costly Mistakes

Picking people for a job is like going to the store to buy apples. Before you go, you ought to know whether the apples are to be eaten fresh, make into applesauce, baked into a pie or made into juice. Then, you can make the appropriate choices. This is also true for hiring winners.

The goal of selection interviews, buying apples, is to make the most appropriate choices...to hire the right people for the job. The goal is to match applicants with openings. More specifically to match applicant’s qualifications with the job requirements. The interview is a subjective tool that attempts to forecast a candidate’s performance.

No selection tool can predict future performance with absolute certainty. But, if you understand the job requirements, examine the applicant’s past performance and use good interviewing techniques, you’re more likely to avoid bad hires. These are people who turn out to be a round pegs in square holes; people who you train and then leave; and people who just aren’t motivated to give their best.

So how can you avoid such costly hiring mistakes?

According to Roger Staubach, “In business or in football, it takes a lot of unspectacular preparation to produce spectacular results.” Therefore, the first step to successful hiring is preparation. If you really want to know if that person you’re interviewing has the requisite qualifications, you'll have to do more than a 30-second scan of the resume and “shoot from the hip” questions. A thorough, accurate, and focused job description is essential for effective interviewing. You may think it’s a bureaucratic nuisance but it can be a valuable tool in deciding who is the best person for the position.

A job description is an outline of the primary responsibilities of the job. It should list the major task in order of importance. You need to have as complete a knowledge of the job as possible, not only the present "must have's" but the future needs of the position as well. Then you need to determine the skills required to perform the job. Job skills include technical skills and performance skills. Both are equally important.

Technical skills are typically learned through education, training, or on-the-job experience. For example, typing, computer programming, machine operation, financial analysis, and graphic design are all technical skills. You might think of technical skills as what a person “can do”.

Performance skills are how a person will do the particular job. These are more like work habits and personal characteristics and are transferred from job to job. Flexibility, assertiveness, paying attention to details, ability to cope under pressure are all examples of performance skills. They are as important as technical skills.

Research has shown that many “bad hires” are due not for technical reasons but because of motivation, energy, values, or interpersonal skills. If you do not explore these skills, you may get a highly qualified person who is not able to work in a particular atmosphere or group of people.

Example:

In a recent conversation with a manager, who had just finished formulating a job description for the head of a growing information systems department, I was told: “Initially, I thought I needed someone who had technical mastery. But when I defined the job in terms of its objective, what I realized was that I needed someone who could develop the department and determine what the rest of the company required of it. I needed a communicator and negotiator, not an inspired computer wizard”.

Three basic questions:

Remember, in any selection interview you need to know:

1. Can this person do the job that they are interviewing for? That’s the technical fit - the basic skills to do the job.
2. Does she have the traits and desire to effectively do the job? That’s the motivation fit - the basic personal attributes to do the job.
3. Does she fit into the culture? You know what works and what does not within your company, and this is a very important barometer of success.

Get The Edge: Start Hiring Winners!

Marcia Zidle, a business and leadership development expert, works with entrepreneurial organizations who want to be a dominant player in competing for customers, clients, funding or community awareness.

In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy say, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore”. Well business, government and community leaders, Marcia says, “It’s no longer business as usual anymore; its business that has to better than usual.”

Do you want to be better than usual? Then subscribe to Making Waves! a free monthly e-newsletter with quick lessons on better, faster, smarter ways to lead. Sign up now at http://www.LeadersAtAllLevels.com and get a 35 page bonus e-book: Make Bold Change! 101 Ways to Stomp Out Business As Usual. Or contact Marcia directly at 800-971-7619.

Are you NICE or do you CARE?

Are you NICE or do you CARE?
Most people and most managers want to be nice. After all, it's easier to be nice than to not be nice. But when we talk about being a manager, there is a difference between being nice and being NICE. A NICE manager can be pleasant to be around. They're friendly and helpful and avoid even the most remote semblance to confrontation.

How do you spot a NICE Manager?

When someone brings them a problem, a NICE manager provides them with a solution.

When a report is late because the employee in question and their spouse went to a movie instead of completing the assignment, a NICE manager understands. After all, it's important to balance work and home.

When the presentation lacks clarity, or the conclusions aren't supported by the facts, a NICE manager thanks them for their efforts and doesn't dig any deeper.

And when the production numbers for the month are down for the 3rd consecutive month, a NICE manager clearly understands the reasons that are causing the problems and knows that they are not the fault of the employees.

A NICE manager avoids the controversy and confrontation that goes along with employees who are not quite performing up to par. A NICE manager defends their employees regardless of the situation, because there are always extenuating circumstances.

And that's the problem with a NICE manager. They always understand and always relieve the employee of the responsibility.

What does it mean to be a NICE manager?

N - Nothing

I - Inside

C - Cares

E - Enough

Nothing inside cares enough to hold the employee accountable for their own actions.

Nothing inside cares enough to tell the employee when they are falling behind or failing.

Nothing inside cares enough to be willing to upset the employee even if it is for their own good.

Nothing inside cares enough to help the employee achieve everything that they are capable of achieving.

Frankly, being a NICE manager doesn't really help the employee, because it leaves them without any accountability, and it does no good for the manager either, as they now have more work to do.

Being a NICE manager is a "lose - lose" scenario.

As a Manager, it is your responsibility to the company and to your employees to see that peak performance is achieved. You also have a responsibility to your employees to maximize their talents and growth, to see that they are ready for the promotions that may come their way, and to ensure that they learn the skills to achieve and succeed at higher and higher levels. You owe it to your employees to give them honest feedback on their performance so that they can develop their own skills and prepare for their future. And you can do it all in a positive, reinforcing manner.

That's the difference between being a nice Manager versus a NICE Manager.

Instead of being NICE, I suggest that you CARE.

A Manager who CAREs will coach an employee on a problem, not assume the work for him.

A Manager who CAREs will communicate with an employee when their work does not meet expectations and coach them until it does.

A Manager who CAREs will identify the talents in their people and help cultivate those talents to even greater levels and coach them in areas where they can still develop.

What does it mean to CARE?

C - Coaching

A - Allows

R - Real

E - Excellence

So you have two clear choices. You can be NICE to your employees, or you can CARE.

Which will you choose?

David Meyer, owner of Coaching for Tomorrow, has more than 25 years of management and leadership experience, having worked for companies such as Nobil Shoes, McDonough, Allied Stores, MCI and Nextel Communications. His mantra, "You Win With People" is based on the deep-seated belief that hiring, developing, and promoting the right people can lead to organizational and financial success. As a management and leadership coach, David works to instill that same passion in his clients by helping them understand the importance of strong leadership, strong teamwork, and strong players.

David has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance and ACTION International of Colorado.

Married with two adult daughters, David is active in his local Kiwanis club and Crossroads Community Church. He enjoys reading, golf, scuba diving, and Civil War reenacting.

http://www.coachingfortomorrow.com

Micromanagement and Delegation

Micro-Management and Delegation
Recently I had a long discussion with a friend of mine about Managers and managing. She is a former HR Manager for several major companies and was bemoaning the fact that training for managers has been cut back so significantly in recent years and that managers no longer receive the type of help, guidance and assistance that they received just a few short years ago. My background has been in retail and telecom. Hers was neither. Yet the same problems and issues seem to rise in every industry. Of course, this is exactly the reason that I got into coaching. Coaching allows those managers who want to improve a very personalized venue to do just that.

We went on to agree that the common pattern these days seemed to be for the department star performer to be promoted from contributor, to team leader, to manager in seemingly record time. We agreed that new managers have difficulty moving from the contributor to the manager role because no one is willing to spend the time and energy to coach them through the various hurdles that new managers and leaders face. We agreed that this lack of training never seemed to lower the expectations of the manager, just the performance.

Then we disagreed, strongly. What caused the disagreement? The

concept was micro-management. My friend explained to me that she has "coached" many employees recently and that many of them complained about one particular manager who was micro-managing them. She told me that she helps the employees understand and come to grips with "their problem". "You're not going to be able to change that manager, she explained to me, "so you've got to change the employees". She explains to them that if they are being micro-managed, there's probably a reason for it. They are probably doing something wrong. If they just identify that problem and improve, their manager will stop the micro-management. "The employees need to improve themselves. It's as simple as that."

I wish my life was as simple as that.

She acknowledges that with that many employees complaining that

it's likely the manager is the problem. But changing the manager is too much trouble, she says, so let's tell the employees it's their fault.

While it is true that it is sometimes necessary to micro-manage

people, her explanation makes little sense to me. You might micro-manage an employee if their performance is lacking. Or because the project they are working on is very high visibility and any chance of error must be minimized. But when a number of employees are complaining about the same manager micro-managing them it implies one of two things.

Either this manager:

1. Has a lot of problem employees and needs to start weeding them out, or

2. This manager does not know how to let go and properly

delegate to their staff.

Excessive micro-management is not the sign of a healthy manager.

When someone is constantly micro-managing their staff it's generally their problem, not the employees.

If you are micro-managing your staff, refusing to delegate routine, and not so routine tasks to them for completion, then you are setting yourself up for trouble. Have you ever heard yourself say, "I would delegate this to someone else, but it's just as easy to do it myself"? Or maybe you say, "This task is too complicated to delegate. I have to make sure it's done right."

If so, I hope you like your job. Because you aren't going anyplace higher. Delegation can be difficult to learn because it looks like a huge risk and a huge leap of faith. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are techniques that you can learn that will help you delegate and get you out of the detail. And you have to get out of the detail if you really want to be an executive.

David Meyer, owner of Coaching for Tomorrow, has more than 25 years of management and leadership experience, having worked for companies such as Nobil Shoes, McDonough, Allied Stores, MCI and Nextel Communications. His mantra, "You Win With People" is based on the deep-seated belief that hiring, developing, and promoting the right people can lead to organizational and financial success. As a management and leadership coach, David works to instill that same passion in his clients by helping them understand the importance of strong leadership, strong teamwork, and strong players.

David has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance and ACTION International of Colorado. He is also a co-author of the book Creating Workplace Community: Motivation.

Married with two adult daughters, David is active in his local Kiwanis club and Crossroads Community Church. He enjoys reading, golf, scuba diving, and Civil War reenacting.

http://www.coachingfortomorrow.com

Keeping and Motivating the Best Employees

Keeping and Motivating the Best Employees
In "You Win With People" we talked about the need to hire the very best people to build your team. Now that you've done that the question becomes, how do you keep them, and how do you keep them motivated.

Much has been written about Employee Retention and about Motivation. But most of what has been written has been written in terms of the average employee. In fact, if you are measured at all by your company in this area, it's almost always a measurement of employee retention. But all turnover is not bad turnover, so a retention measurement is actually a false measurement of how you're hiring and firing practice helped the company.

So back to the question. How do you keep and motivate the best employees that you've hired? All human beings have basic needs that must be met, starting with food and shelter. So it's obvious that you must pay a fair wage and provide adequate benefits or people won't be able to stay with you. But once the basic needs are met, does it require more money or more elaborate benefits packages to keep the best employees?

In reality, neither are truly required.

Pay and benefits only go so far, and the best employees, the intelligent, self motivated, team oriented, results oriented employees are not out to squeeze the last dollar from their employers. The best employees have other needs that must be met and the good news is that you, their manager can meet these needs yourself.

Recent studies of highly motivated employees show that once their basic needs are met that other factors keep them motivated and interested in their jobs. Here are the 12 questions that the best employees want to be answered:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?

2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

4. In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?

5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?

6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?

8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?

9. Are my coworkers committed to doing quality work?

10. Do I have a best friend at work?

11. In the last 6 months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?

12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

It's important to note that of these 12 questions, 11 of them (all except number 8) are controlled locally by the employee, the manager, or the supervisor. This means that the first and second line managers have enormous control over their ability to motivate and retain the talented employees that they've hired. You can even argue that you directly impact number 8 based on how you represent the company.

Look back at your own career and think about the people you've worked for and which one's you were most willing to follow. Were these the needs that that leader met for you?

Goals and Objectives

Picture this scenario and see if it seems familiar to you.

"Dave, I need you to give me the goals and objectives for your group for the new year".

"Sure boss. What would you like them to look like?"

"You know. The usual. Increase productivity by 10%. Reduce your headcount by 15%. Implement some new controls. Oh, and I need them in two days."

Frankly, I've had this discussion about 25 times in my career and it always made me just a little bit crazy. Without any real look at what is going to happen this year, or any idea what the top executives are shooting for, I'm going to lay out my department's goals for the next year. Then I'm going to drive my people to meet these goals so that I get a good review and an increase in salary.

Not only does this scenario ignore the direction that should be set by the top executives, but it also misses the single most important reason you are in business..... The customer. So, while you're out doing the victory dance for meeting your objectives, your customer is sticking sharp pins into a voodoo doll that bears a remarkable resemblance to you.

Let's cut right to the chase here. When you create your departmental objectives based on the above conversation, the only thing you are really thinking about is getting the task complete so that you can check it off your list. You're not thinking about customer satisfaction, or how you are going to improve quality, or even major initiatives that you know (or don't know) are coming your way. You're thinking about getting the boss off your back.

And why not? The exercise above is just that, an exercise.

So, how should objectives really be set?

From the top down. The very top. The CEO of your company should be sitting down with his top executives and laying out the 2 or 3 top priorities for the company for next year. Those priorities represent the vision for the company. Each executive takes those 2 or 3 priorities and determines what they can do to support the vision. Working together the executives assure that the goals that they are passing down to the next level of management are consistent with each other and with the overall company goals.

Nothing can do more damage to a company and its customers' then major functional areas with conflicting or unrelated goals and objectives.

After the buy in has been received at that level, those visions and goals are passed down to the next level of management, where more specific goals and objectives are designed and shared with their customers. It's critical that everyone in the company see and understand the vision from the top, and that everyone understands what they are doing to support the vision. By developing a company vision at the top and then developing goals and objectives that explicitly support those goals you can then be sure that you are supporting the companies true goals. Then when you look at what you have accomplished for the year you and your customers will be looking at the same results.

So, how should you act on this?

Start now. And start by asking your boss for the goals and objectives of your senior executives so that you can stay in synch. Plant the seed that you would like to see them to make sure you are marching down the right path and then share what you have developed with your customers. If nothing else it will highlight where you and your customers are going.

Remember, developing goals and objectives for your team that are fundamentally aligned with the companies strategic objectives is a fundamental part of good management.

David Meyer, owner of Coaching for Tomorrow, has more than 25 years of management and leadership experience, having worked for companies such as Nobil Shoes, McDonough, Allied Stores, MCI and Nextel Communications. His mantra, "You Win With People" is based on the deep-seated belief that hiring, developing, and promoting the right people can lead to organizational and financial success. As a management and leadership coach, David works to instill that same passion in his clients by helping them understand the importance of strong leadership, strong teamwork, and strong players.

David has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Elmhurst College and has been certified by both ACTION International as a Business Coach and the Coach Training Alliance. He also has received his CTM from Toastmasters. He is an Officer in the Denver Coach Federation and a facilitator/trainer for the Coach Training Alliance and ACTION International of Colorado. He is also a co-author of the book Creating Workplace Community: Motivation.

Married with two adult daughters, David is active in his local Kiwanis club and Crossroads Community Church. He enjoys reading, golf, scuba diving, and Civil War reenacting.

http://www.coachingfortomorrow.com

Business Leadership Skills - Managing the Human Being Behind the Business

Managing the Human Being Behind the Business

It’s a common problem and we’ve all seen it - business owners that are just ‘too busy’ all of the time, and as a result, do not enjoy the success in business they had hoped for. Let’s not kid ourselves, there is a lot to focus on: technology, employees, sales, marketing and so on. These functions are essential and need to be well organised and managed.

But there is a second aspect to business success that is often overlooked – the effectiveness of the person running the show. Businesses are a reflection of the people who run them. If those people are ‘too busy’, stressed, or poorly organised, then these characteristics are reflected back in the business. The underlying behaviour and values of the business owner drive how much control they need, how they will delegate and how they use their time.

Growth of the business and the business owner need to match up
If the business is to grow, then the owner has to take the necessary time to learn the new roles and skills that a growing business will demand. Imagine for one moment where you would like your business to be in 5 years time. Then ask yourself: “Is it possible that I can be exactly the same person in 5 years that I am today and fulfil that growth strategy for my business? The answer has to be no.

Business owners need to be prepared for new learning and taking on new, different, and bigger responsibilities - without fear or hesitation. The reality is that the owner is usually the limiting factor in growth - the business can only grow to the extent to which the owner grows.

When owners feel out of sorts, overworked, and like they are running on a treadmill, it is almost always because they have fallen victim to the reactive "let's go faster" management approach. They are forced to live from problem to problem, and may fail to see their own (lack of) self-management as part of the problem.

So why aren't we better at managing ourselves?

There's really four reasons:

• Being comfortable - we all do what we are comfortable with – it’s human nature. So we keep doing what we have always done
• Not knowing what else is possible
• Not knowing that there are other ways to do what they are doing
• Actually getting energy (and maybe some identity) from being stressed and overworked

There are 5 steps to take on the road to better self-management:

1. Clarify personal goals for the future.
Many business owners lose sight of these as they get immersed in the day-to-day running of the business. Articulating your personal goals can reveal any issues about whether these support or conflict with their business goals. These goals need to cover both the immediate and future plans. What do you want to achieve personally in the next 1 to 2 years. And where do you want to be in ten years time?

2. Clarify the business goals.
Having spent some time expressing personal goals for the future, take a look at your business goals and rethink them. Are your personal and business goals working together, or are they working against each other? If they do seem to be mutually exclusive, what choices will you make next? Putting the business goals ahead of your personal ones will inevitably lead to stress and feelings of overwhelm. Determine instead whether the business goals can be re-oriented or modified to support what you would like to achieve personally.

3. Identify the owner's ideal role 3 years from now.
Think about who you want to be - what role you want to have in the business – in 3 years time. Will you still be doing the majority of work? Will you have others doing the work and your capacity is more advisory? Or perhaps you would like to remove yourself completely from the operational parts of the business and focus on product or business development?

Thinking about what you want as an owner in the future can give you great insights into what strategies you may need to put in place now.

4. Conduct a detailed personal time analysis for a one-week period.
This is where the rubber hits the road. If you really are true to yourself when you do this exercise you will learn a lot about where the potential lies for making changes. How are you really spending your time? Break your day down into at least half hour slots and write down exactly what you do in each 30 minutes.

5. Create a plan of action for the next 30 days.
Based on the data from steps 1-4, create an action plan to cover the next 30 days. Your plan should include:

• steps to align personal and business goals
• strategy for moving to the role the owner wants to play in the business in the future
• analysis of the results of the one-week detailed monitoring exercise
• deciding which activities add the most value and planning to spend time on those
• identify how much time is spent on low value activity and planning to delegate or stop doing those things

There is never a better time than right now for planning to do things differently. Take charge of yourself and your business by choosing a direction that allows you to meet both your personal and business goals, and still retain your sanity!

Megan Tough, Director of Action Plus, is passionate about helping people enjoy their businesses. She works internationally with business owners to systematically remove the stress points from their business, giving them more time and space for - well -whatever they want! Visit her at http://www.megantough.com for more information on taking the stress out of your business.

Managing Crisis - When You're Too Good At It

When you are acclaimed for excellence during times of crisis you may not feel so good in a non-crisis environment. You may not shine so bright, perform so well, be quite so acclaimed. If crisis is how you satisfy your personal need to be needed, to feel accomplished, to be respected, to be heard, to be noticed, blah blah blah, then you will naturally seek out, create, attract, be drawn into situations that will allow you to meet this need. Your environments and relationships will be filled to the brim with one crisis after another.

Perhaps there’s a better way to get your need met. Perhaps there’s a way to feel needed and still exist in peaceful, cooperative, and synergistic environments. It’s amazing to watch the content and features of a person’s life break apart and rebuild with almost the same irreverent qualities. People change mates but the essence of the relationship is the same. People change jobs and the same complaints emerge as before. People get out of debt, lose weight, move to different cities, and nothing really changes. It’s a scary thing. I’ve seen the inside view and it’s very scary.

This déjà vu type phenomenon has left me baffled and disheartened. Here’s the deal; when we treat the symptoms, the root cause remains unaffected and it emerges again and again. Our outer lives tell the same story over and over like a broken record until we finally get it. The outer reflects the inner. The outer is a symptom; the inner is the root cause. The outer is the image in the mirror; the inner is the real object. You would not stand in the mirror with the intention of washing your face and wash the reflection of your face in the mirror, would you? … I didn’t think so. Well that is exactly what we are doing when we focus on treating our symptoms.

A fundamental place to begin transformation is by being responsible for understanding your personal needs and ensuring that they are met in an appropriate context. Get your needs met appropriately and permanently and your life will be transformed for sure.

Robin Harris is a DesignerLife Coach whose focus is to empower self-motivated entrepreneurs and individuals to achieve their greatest potential while discovering and honoring their core values. Contact Robin through her web site http://www.designerlifecoaching.com

Management Solutions For Common Workplace Problems

Managers must deal with any number of situations in the workplace on any given day. Some of these are unique to their business or industry, while others are common in nearly any workplace. For newer members of management, solutions to common problems are sometimes difficult to find. Simply because new managers haven't had the chance to experiment with their own solutions, they become frustrated when they attempt to deal with a problem and it turns out to be an unsuccessful endeavor.

Attendance issues are often a problem that new managers face. Some employees are simply irresponsible and not dedicated to their jobs, others will test the waters with a new manager and see how much they can get away with. The easiest solution to this problem is to have an attendance policy in place and to enforce it with no exceptions. This may seem unfair to some at first, but in the long run, it will pay off. Though there are exceptions to every rule, keep these few and far between. For instance you may forgive an absence when someone's child is extremely ill, but calling out because of a hangover isn't an acceptable excuse.

Employee conflict is something that every manager must deal with from time to time. Whenever you have a number of people together, you are bound to find the occasional personalities that just do not mesh well together. Managers must learn to not take sides in employee conflicts and to do what they can to find a common ground between them. Allowing these issues to work themselves out will only create an unpleasant environment for your other workers and potentially your customers.

The best management solutions are those that have become tried and true answers to common problems. Whenever you are faced with a challenge that you simply cannot defeat on your own, do not be afraid to seek the advice of a mentor or a more experienced member of management. Believe it or not, they have been in your position and understand what you are dealing with as you try to develop your own approach to these problems.

Management solutions are one of many topics you can learn about at Leadership Made Simple. This periodic journal of practical leadership and management tips provides great material about leadership development. Right now, you can subscribe to this free journal to receive four great videos that can teach you to become a better leader or manager:

http://www.leadershipmadesimple.com

Giving Effective Feedback - How to Transform Challenges Into Growth

A critical responsibility of all managers and supervisors is to provide feedback on how employees are performing. When feedback is delivered effectively to employees, it clarifies performance expectations and increases motivation to excel, maximizing the results. However despite good intentions the message is often not delivered well, resulting in confusion and a negative impact to morale.

Feedback should be used to reinforce a behavior that is considered to be positive as well as to change a behavior that is considered to be negative. As the leader you have a responsibility to create an environment within your team where giving and receiving constructive feedback is considered the norm. High performing teams regularly exchange feedback between all team members.

The process outlined below will make it easier for you to deliver effective feedback and ensure that you provide it in a way that will help people learn and change. Your goal is to deliver feedback in a respectful and constructive manner, which will help the listener hear your feedback in a positive way. Although there is no guarantee that your message will be heard as intended, this process will maximize your probability of success.

1. Think through the specifics of your issue. Identify the issue clearly and specifically, identify examples whenever possible. Is this an isolated example or can this be seen in many areas of their performance? How does this issue impact the success of the individual? How does it impact the rest of the team/organization? Think through what you want to say and limit your feedback to a single subject/topic.

2. Put yourself in a positive frame of mind. It is difficult to hear feedback; consequently people will often take feedback personally, stop listening and become defensive. This does not allow for the person to easily change their behavior. Therefore before you provide feedback ensure that you prepare for the conversation. Check that your intent is to create a positive change in behavior. Feedback is something you do when you believe in the ability of an individual to perform at a higher level, it is not about expressing frustration or criticism.

3. Select an appropriate time and place. Pick a time and place where you will not be interrupted, and where the environment is appropriate to the type of message you are delivering. State your desire to support the individual's growth and learning.

4. Describe the observable behavior. Focus on behavior not the person. When you describe the behavior or action that you have seen, people are more likely to be open to your suggestions. Be specific and stick to the facts. e.g. "You are consistently late to our team meetings."

5. Make your case. Detail the implications of how this issue affects others, ones-self, or the success of the company. Keep your statements short and to the point. Repeating your message does not improve understanding. e.g. "When you are late to meetings, people do not see you as a committed team member."

6. Hold your ground and check for understanding. Generally people will react in some way to feedback. If the employee pushes back you need to listen for new information, but hold your ground and continue to be specific until it is clear that the message is understood. e.g. "I understand that you have been very busy recently, but your being late impacts the rest of the team who are also busy." Often you may only need to go to this step for the person to acknowledge the need to change, in which case go to step 10. If not explore the issue further.

7. Explore the issue. If there is no acknowledgment of the need to change you need to fully understand the total context in which the behavior occurs. e.g. Are you having difficulty managing your time effectively? At this stage the person receiving the feedback may offer a different interpretation of the behavior or apologize and commit to changing their behavior. e.g. "My tardiness is due to a medical problem that requires time sensitive injections."

8. Describe the positive consequences. To build a commitment to change, describe the positive consequences of the behavior being addressed. e.g. "If you arrive on time to our meetings, you will be accepted by the team and involved in the decision making." If there is now a commitment to change you can go to step 10. If not discuss the negative consequences.

9. Describe the negative consequences. If the individual is still pushing back you will need to describe the negative consequences of the behavior. e.g. "If you continue to be late you will be placed on a performance plan and risk getting demoted or fired." If there is now a commitment to change you can go to step 10. However not everyone is open to receiving feedback and willing to adapt their behavior. If you have used this model to give feedback in a constructive way and have still not made progress, you need to decide whether you want to accept their behavior or end the relationship.

10. Plan for Change. The outcome of this process is a commitment and a plan to change. The plan should include agreement of the stated problem and a detailed action plan with milestones for progress reviews e.g. "As agreed we will change your hours due to your medical condition and communicate to the team the need to change the timing of the team meeting to include you. Lets review if this is working in two weeks." When the behavior has changed, use this opportunity to provide positive feedback to reinforce the change.

By Doris Kovic, Business and Executive Coach of Leading Insight.

Leading Insight is a management consulting company, based in San Clemente, California. Its purpose is to provide services that help companies increase the effectiveness of their people, resulting in greater productivity and revenues. We provide a range of services from leadership coaching and team development, to visioning, business planning, and a variety of workshops on leadership and management.

Please visit Leading Insight at http://www.leadinginsight.com for more leadership articles.

Management Solutions For Common Workplace Problems

Managers must deal with any number of situations in the workplace on any given day. Some of these are unique to their business or industry, while others are common in nearly any workplace. For newer members of management, solutions to common problems are sometimes difficult to find. Simply because new managers haven't had the chance to experiment with their own solutions, they become frustrated when they attempt to deal with a problem and it turns out to be an unsuccessful endeavor.

Attendance issues are often a problem that new managers face. Some employees are simply irresponsible and not dedicated to their jobs, others will test the waters with a new manager and see how much they can get away with. The easiest solution to this problem is to have an attendance policy in place and to enforce it with no exceptions. This may seem unfair to some at first, but in the long run, it will pay off. Though there are exceptions to every rule, keep these few and far between. For instance you may forgive an absence when someone's child is extremely ill, but calling out because of a hangover isn't an acceptable excuse.

Employee conflict is something that every manager must deal with from time to time. Whenever you have a number of people together, you are bound to find the occasional personalities that just do not mesh well together. Managers must learn to not take sides in employee conflicts and to do what they can to find a common ground between them. Allowing these issues to work themselves out will only create an unpleasant environment for your other workers and potentially your customers.

The best management solutions are those that have become tried and true answers to common problems. Whenever you are faced with a challenge that you simply cannot defeat on your own, do not be afraid to seek the advice of a mentor or a more experienced member of management. Believe it or not, they have been in your position and understand what you are dealing with as you try to develop your own approach to these problems.

Management solutions are one of many topics you can learn about at Leadership Made Simple. This periodic journal of practical leadership and management tips provides great material about leadership development. Right now, you can subscribe to this free journal to receive four great videos that can teach you to become a better leader or manager:

http://www.leadershipmadesimple.com

Making Managers Into Leaders - Breaking Out of the Employee Role

From time to time, it becomes necessary to promote an employee into a management position. While this can be beneficial to the company in keeping down the costs of hiring a new employee, and also to the person being promoted as there are pay raises associated with increased responsibilities, there are also can be some serious issues to overcome. When making managers into leaders, these issues must be addressed first and foremost.

One of the biggest obstacles facing those who are new in a management position is stepping away from the role of co-worker and into their leadership role. Particularly when employees have been with the company for an extended amount of time, dealing with the transition into a place of seniority over their former co-workers can be difficult. If this role is not accepted fully, chances are that the respect level will be low and they will find it difficult to get people to do as they ask.

One of the easiest ways to handle this is to move them to a different department within the organization, at least until their management training is complete. This will help to give them a sense of stability in their new role, before dealing with the potential problem of being the "boss" of their former co-workers. Handling both can be quite overwhelming, especially for those who have never been in a management role before.

If this is not possible, try to keep a watchful eye on the interactions between the new supervisor and their team. Step in where needed, and reinforce the idea that they are now a person in charge to those below them. Provide your new manager with plenty of training on how to lead a team and take personal responsibility for their new position.

Making managers into leaders isn't always easy. There may be bumps in the road, and struggles for both the manager and their former coworkers along the way. Once everyone has adjusted to the new order of business, however, things should begin to fall into place and your new manager will begin to grow and develop.

Making managers into leaders is one of many topics you can learn about at Leadership Made Simple. This periodic journal of practical leadership and management tips provides great material about leadership development. Right now, you can subscribe to this free journal to receive four great videos that can teach you to become a better leader or manager:

http://www.leadershipmadesimple.com

Leadership Development - Organizing a Seminar For Your Company

Strong leaders and decisive employees who know how to handle a problem and interact well with others are the cornerstones to a successful business. While some people are natural leaders and simply react well in tough situations, other people need extensive training and guidance to learn the skills necessary to lead a team or organization. By organizing a leadership development seminar for your company, you can grow your current leadership team, plus begin teaching other employees the necessary skills to step into the role of a leader when needed.

One of the best ways to assure that your leadership seminar is a success for your company is to work with an outside organization for advice. There are a number of professional organizations and business whose sole purpose is to help other companies organize and implement training programs for their employees. Though it is possible to coordinate your own individual seminar, these companies may have tools and resources available that your business might not be able to have access to.

If you choose to design your own seminar, you may want to request the assistance of employees that have gone through college level business courses that included leadership training. Their experience can be extremely beneficial when decided on activities and program tracks for your seminar. You will want to be sure that you have speakers in place to provide leadership tips and techniques, as well as fun activities that can help to build a relationship between those in your organization. If your budget will allow, consider having your seminar at an exciting off-site location, making it a getaway working weekend for an even more rewarding experience for those participating.

The success of your leadership development seminar depends on just how well organized and implemented it is within your organization. With careful planning and research, you can come up with a seminar itinerary that will give your company the best return on their time and money investments. With a full team of solid leaders in place, the success of your business will grow and thrive, paying for an seminar related expenses with increased productivity and profit.

Leadership development is one of many topics you can learn about at Leadership Made Simple. This periodic journal of practical leadership and management tips provides great material about leadership development. Right now, you can subscribe to this free journal to receive four great videos that can teach you to become a better leader or manager:

http://www.leadershipmadesimple.com

Management Tips and Techniques - Hiring and Promoting

Hiring is one of the most difficult and important jobs of someone in a management position. Choosing the right person to fill vacant positions within your organizations can mean the difference between having a successful team and constantly having to rehire and fill the same position over and over again. By hiring smart the first time, you can save time and energy for other important tasks.

Before hiring, look at your current employees and see if anyone is qualified to step into the open position. By promoting from within, you will add to employee morale, plus save your company the expense of bringing in a new employee. There is an element of training that will also not be necessary while moving a current employee into a new role within the business.

If promoting, be sure to provide the employee with the necessary training to make the move into their new position. Though they can skip policies and procedures training that would be necessary with a new hire, they will still need to learn their new role within the business. Give them the necessary time to learn new tasks and become comfortable within their new job before leaving them on their own.

Find out as much as you can about each candidate before making your decision. Though someone might have a perfect resume and provide you with a fantastic interview, you should still look to other sources to confirm your decision. Get references, run background checks, and carry out your company's entire hiring procedure with every potential employee.

Have candidates do a second interview with another management person before giving them the job. Having another person's opinion on your potential new hire can help to confirm your decision to hire or may sow you something negative that you previously overlooked. In some companies, this is a requirement of hiring.

Of all the jobs that you must complete as a manager, hiring may be the single most important. When you hire employees that have the right qualifications and personalities, or promote well qualified people into new positions, your own job will be easier in the long run.

Management tips and techniques are a few of many topics you can learn about at Leadership Made Simple. This periodic journal of practical leadership and management tips provides great material about leadership development. Right now, you can subscribe to this free journal to receive four great videos that can teach you to become a better leader or manager:

http://www.leadershipmadesimple.com

10 Steps to Making Better Decisions

Decision-making is one of the most important business skills, but few people have the training they need to make good decisions consistently.

How do you decide what needs to be done? Your ability to make an effective decisions in a timely manner can be critical to your success. The process below will help you make the best possible decision at any given time, by providing a checklist that you can use to structure your decision making process.

This checklist does not address group decision making. If you need to make complex or critical decisions with large groups or there are diverse opinions and challenging dynamics bring in a professional facilitator to manage the process and support the leadership role.

1. Define the situation that needs to be addressed. Take the time to identify the situation clearly and then organize the issues that need to be addressed. Is this a surface issue or are there deeper issues that need to be considered? Can you break down the decision into smaller parts? Do not let yourself get so absorbed in the urgency of making a decision that you don't take the time to see the forest through the trees.

2. Take a fresh perspective. Take a step back and look with new eyes. Make your decisions based on looking to the future and let the past inform you, not rule you. A good leader learns from their past experiences, both positive and negative. Involving others will provide new data points and perspectives. But if you do decide to involve others, be clear about their role and level of involvement in the decision making process.

3. Consider your options. Generate/brainstorm all the possible alternatives. Think of at least 5 different ways that could solve this problem. Be creative and think out of the box for alternative choices. Do not eliminate options because they sound absurd, an idea that sounds off the wall may be the best solution.

4. Analyze each option. For each choice consider the following

• What are the positives?
• What are the negatives?
• Who/what does it impact?
• Is it achievable?
• How does it fit in with your long term goals?

5. Get unstuck. Some people get stuck because nothing seems perfect or acceptable. From this evaluation what is the best choice you can make today. Realize that everything is a compromise. No decision is ever going to be without its down side.

6. Make the decision. Based on the analysis that you have just completed choose the best possible option that is available to you today.

7. Define an action plan. Your action plan needs to include the steps you need to take, the resources and people needed to implement the decision, a timeframe for each action, and an ongoing schedule for evaluation. Decide now how you will know that you have been successful. What outcome do you want, be specific and set measurable goals. Determine when you need to review your decision and if necessary make mid course corrections.

8. Communicate your decision. Communicate your decision and your expected outcomes to everyone that is impacted by the decision. Set clear expectations for yourself and others. Your decision needs to be clearly articulated, convincing and succinct.

9. Implementation. Focus on implementing your decision. Once you begin to implement, be aware that anxiety due to change is often part of the process. This does not mean that you have made the wrong decision, it is just that change is hard.

10. Evaluation. Learn from everything you do. Build awareness of what's working and what isn't and share your learning. If new information is discovered that alters your plan go back to step no 3 armed with the new knowledge and revise your plan.

By Doris Kovic, Business and Executive Coach of Leading Insight.

Leading Insight is a management consulting company, based in San Clemente, California. Its purpose is to provide services that help companies increase the effectiveness of their people, resulting in greater productivity and revenues. We provide a range of services from leadership coaching and team development, to visioning, business planning, and a variety of workshops on leadership and management.

Please visit Leading Insight at http://www.leadinginsight.com for more leadership articles.

Management Jobs - Interesting Aspects About Emergency Management Jobs

The world is rapidly changing and one has to be well prepared for any sort of disaster. Though there is no evidence of danger, you need to develop certain emergency and recovery plans in order to face any sort of danger. This aspect has led to the discovery of several emergency management jobs.

Specialists in Emergency management career generally apply their knowledge and experience in order to handle hazardous situations, thereby provide the necessary help for people involved in such situations.
Emergency management jobs generally focus on the following aspects to handle an emergency situation.

• Prevention
• Preparation
• Response
• Mitigation
• Recovery

Professionals in this field are experts in handling various types of disasters like terrorist attacks, forest fires, hostage situations, hazardous material spill, nuclear situations, and large accidents.
In general, specialists in the field are responsible for the following roles:

• Develop stabilization activities in order to manage the consequences
• Educate and train people on preparedness and avoiding disasters
• Develop plans to manage various types of disasters
• Develop communication plans with authorities who manage law enforcement, work facilities and transportation
• Develop various plans in anticipation for preventing unusual circumstances in future.

Various Emergency management jobs can also be found in the following fields:

• Internet Security
• Counseling
• Education and Training
• Risk Prevention
• Flights Security

This field is a relatively fast growing field with excellent range of job opportunities. Various jobs in this field have enterprising and investigative traits, which often benefits a number of candidates who are really skilled and talented to be adaptable to any sort of job nature.

Skills required to excel in this field are as follows:

• Organization
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Problem-solving Skills
• Excellent Communication
• Ability to handle Stress
• Decision Making

Professionals in this field generally receive high pay based on their educational qualification and job experience.

Do you wish to explore more about emergency management jobs? Well, go ahead and read my article on management jobs and learn more about the aspects in emergency management.

Fix Windows Registry Problems - You Need to Fix Windows Registry Errors Before it is Too Late

Your computer will become slow over time and it can be very frustrating if you do not know how to deal with it. Documents will appear not to open and as you click on them several times several copies open all at once.

Programs will be slow to run and the mouse will keep freezing or pausing. Even browsing the internet will slow right down. If you see any of these problems you can stop them and fast.

All these problems can be traced back to one thing. The windows registry. This is the database that stores all the information about your computer and windows constantly refers to it to discover how to run programs and all the hardware in the computer.

Once errors appear the computer slows down and then starts behaving strangely. Devices that are installed disappear from device manager and you will start seeing errors being reported by windows.

Each time you add another program, remove programs, change device drivers or remove them the computer registry becomes bigger and corruption starts. This corruption and the errors that appear will make your computer slow to start up and slow to run window and can cause it to crash.

Eventually you will start to see windows reporting all types of errors and this is when you have to take fast action before windows is unable to start at all.

The way to fix this is to clear out the windows registry of all the entries that are not needed and to fix the damaged and corrupt entries that are slowing your computer to a halt.

If you have a slow computer here is my #1 recommended solution to Fix Windows Registry Problems this is guaranteed to speed up your computer, just click here.

Looking for an Alternative to Microsoft Office? You Should Be!

Now is the time to look at an alternative to Microsoft Office.

Are you locked into using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint? Are you spending extra because you need a database, and Access does not come with the basic Office package?

Well, the time has come to look at alternatives, or at least the one I¡¦ll discuss here in a few moments. Whether you are a writer on a tight budget, but need to send your submittals in Word format or an employee wanting to do work at home without either paying hundreds of dollars for Office or installing an illegal copy at home, there are inexpensive options.

(Just as an aside, do NOT ever install or use unlicensed software from Microsoft or anyone else. It is simply not worth the headaches, including huge fines and possible jail time. And if you take a copy home from the office, you may lose your job.)

How much would you pay for office productivity software with these features?

o runs on Windows (R), just like Microsoft Office

o all files can be saved in Microsoft Office formats

o a word processor

o a spreadsheet

o a presentation tool

o a database

o a drawing tool

o export to Acrobat PDF format (requires third-party add ins to do this in Microsoft Office)

o save in Flash format (.SWF) for use on the Web; this cannot be done at all in Microsoft Office

Are you interested yet? Want to know the price?

FREE.

For more information, visit the OpenOffice site: http://www.openoffice.org

How can this be? Well, there is a movement among programmers around the world referred to as ¡§open source.¡¨ I won¡¦t bore you with great detail, but the idea is that programmers from all over will donate their time to working on a specific product (in this case, OpenOffice) and leaving it in the public domain. You may have heard of the Linux operating system; it is still the most famous open source collaboration.

Just as RedHat and SuSE, among others, take Linux and add tools to make it easier to use, Sun Microsystems has StarOffice available starting at $79.95. This includes limited technical support (OpenOffice does not have technical support.) This is still a bargain, and Sun sponsors OpenOffice. In case you are not familiar with Sun, they are a very solid Silicon Valley company, primarily known for their workstations and inventing the Java programming language.

Instead of upgrading to Office 2003, I recommend at least investigating the OpenOffice option. Whether a home user or a business with hundreds of copies of Office installed, it just makes sense.

After all, it is free!

About the author: Gregory S. Diehl has almost 35 years experience in applying technology to solve business problems and expand opportunities. He has worked as a systems analyst, programmer, technical writer, Web developer and numerous other roles. A Master CIW Designer, he is currently starting a Web design and development firm in Las Vegas.

The Contemplative Sciences

Association management is, in and of itself, an odd profession (if, indeed, it is a profession, which I question). When one is employed as a direct staff member of an association, one becomes engaged in a business in which financial profit takes a back seat to many other objectives.

Instead of focusing one's energy on that one bright target...profit...one's objectives in an association management environment are spread over several targets. Profit is but one rather weak commandment. Member service and satisfaction also become key measures of success in the association world. While customer service is a tool for achieving profit in the for-profit world, it is an objective unto itself in associations. Oftentimes, member service is of such overarching importance that it takes precedence over profit and, not infequently, becomes antithetical to profit. These are hard concepts to grasp, much less to implement successfully in ways that serve the association and its members well. The association executive cannot allow member service to decimate the organization's financial well-being, but frequently he or she must fight to acheive an uncomfortable balance between them.

If association management is, in and of itself, an odd profession, owning or working in an association management company adds complexity and angst to the mix, because no longer is the primary objective either profit or member service, it's both. The intrinsic competition between between money and service is exacerbated in an association management company environment because not only do employees have to balance sometimes competing objectives in a single organization, they must balance those objectives between multiple organization clients and even between clients and their employer!

Given these rivalries, you'd expect it to be very tough to find staff who can operate effectively in those types of environments. You might think so, but it's not really so tough to identify the characteristics you're looking for...but it IS hard to find people who possess the requisite characteristics.

So, the association management company executive is constantly on the lookout for bright, perceptive, hard-charging, self-motivated, entrepreneurial souls who care as much about friendship and comaraderie as they do about money. And they must be able to shine the spotlight on others and shade themselves from it. And, speaking from experience, these people are hard to find.

I have always wanted to find someone to join my staff who not only wants the clients to excel operationally and financially but also wants to own a piece of the business so that, one day, he or she can prove that they can run the business better than I have or better than I can.

There is no better reason for writing these words today than my interest in the contemplative sciences at the moment. That is, I enjoy marrying hard sciences with soft, fluffy mind-wandering. And this little bit about life in an association management bubble is the result. More later. Maybe.

Community Association Management

Community association management companies specialize in managing small to large community associations. This would include communities that have home owner's or property owner's association. Community association management companies work side by side with the homeowner association in performing all the tasks necessary to have the community running smoothly and within budget. A management company will typically perform annual budget reviews, coordinate all common area maintenance and upkeep, facilitate homeowner's board meetings, collect association dues, and make sure all residents are within compliance with the CC & R's of the community. This can be a very demanding job and should only be perform by companies with the experience and expertise to take on these types of properties.

Community association management is becoming an increasingly more challenging and highly competitive field. With per capita population growing in the mid-size to large cities in America, millions of new condominium and residential housing units and developments are being built to accommodate this growth. So why not outsource your community property needs to the experts? The level of professionalism and need for technology your property management company should deliver makes selecting the best more complicated than simply choosing a name and address from the phone book.

Some duties of a Community Association Management team

Usually hired by a volunteer board of directors of the association, they administer the daily affairs, and oversee the maintenance of property and facilities that the homeowners own and use jointly through the association. The management team will prepare financial statements and budgets for the community as a whole. They interact with homeowners and tenants on a daily basis, and can help resolve complaints amongst resident. Collecting association dues or assessment payment from property owners is a common duty of a management company. They will also assist the board of directors in making sure everyone within the community is in compliance with association and government rules and regulations.

In addition to administering the associations financial records and budget, the management companies may be responsible for hiring and coordination of contractors for any major renovation or repair to exterior buildings and common structures. This could include maintenance of community pools, golf courses, community centers, and for the maintenance of landscaping, street lighting, snow removal and parking areas. These types of property management companies also may meet with the elected boards of directors to discuss and resolve legal issues or disputes that may affect the owners, as well as to review any proposed changes or improvements by homeowners to their properties, making sure that they comply with community guidelines.

Things to look for in a community association management company:

* Proven track record of managing planned community properties
* Years in the business could show reliability and a proven track record
* This is a very specialize facet of property management and requires specific qualifications and training
* Is their current portfolios within budget and running smoothly, or are there major issues such as financial problems or rundown communities under their management
* Accurate bookkeeping and records
* Timely response in dealing with issues that may arise
* Enforcement of Covenant, condition and restrictions (CC and R's) for the community they manage
* Enforcement of HOA dues collection

These are just a few important criteria's to gage the success of a community association management company. A thriving planned community will be in harmony, beautifully aesthetic and an asset to all that live there as well as for the surrounding neighborhoods.

Karen McDaniel
Principal/CEO
Property Management Profile LLC

Property Management Profile offers the most up-to-date listing of full-service property management companies nationwide. We have become a wealth of information and resource for the first-time landlord as well as the seasoned investors. We should know what we're talking about, as owner and creator of Property Management Profile, Karen McDaniel, has owned and managed many of her own properties. Today, all are managed by professional property management companies, so she now has more time to continue her work educating and helping others make better choices when it comes to finding a qualified property management company.

For any property management company that is looking to gain national exposure by capturing the attention of out-of-state investors or be found by local clientele, http://www.PropertyManagementProfile.com is the place to showcase their business model and expertise to these prospective clients. We offer an opportunity for all property management companies to list their company on our website, whether you specialize in residential, commercial, vacation or community association management. We accept small to corporate size management companies. We also offer a Free basic listing.

The Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Community Association Management Company

1. How many homes (or units) does each community manager handle in your company?

Throughout the industry, HOA Management Companies overload their community managers by giving them too many homeowners associations to manage. The industry average is about 1,800 homes per community manager, which is about 500 homes too many. If a community manager's portfolio is too large, some of their HOA clients could be neglected.

2. How many people support the community manager in his efforts?

An HOA management company should not only assign a community manager to an HOA, but a team of people to properly service the community association. A well put together team should include a community manager, an accounting manager, a compliance inspector, an escrow coordinator, a community specialist, a client services representative, and a director of community management.

3. Is the community inspected regularly? How often? Who answers the phones when the community manager is away inspecting the property?

The homeowner's association should be inspected for violations at least every other week. The compliance inspector should take a picture of the violation, which is then sent out with the violation letters. Therefore, when the community is being inspected by the compliance inspector, the community manager is available to answer questions from board members and the community specialist is available to answer homeowner questions. The community manager should do a routine visit of the community association each week.

4. How long does your team take to respond to calls and e-mails?

A management company should respond to homeowners and homeowner's association board members correspondence as quickly as possible, and typically within 24 hours. However, Board members should also have the community manager's cell phone number for emergencies.

5. Does the community manager have a college degree and/or industry certifications?

Community managers should be college educated. They should have industry training and an industry recognized designation as well. Community managers should also attend seminars and industry functions to keep up to date on changes in legislation.

6. Does the Management Company aggressively pursue homeowners that don't make timely assessment payments?

It is a homeowner's responsibility to pay their HOA assessments in accordance with the homeowner's association rules. But, when a homeowner fails to pay their assessments, it is the management company's responsibility to collect those funds. The homeowner's association board should work with the HOA management company to outline a collection policy which includes late letters, demand notices, and eventual liening of the home.

7. Is a community website included in our monthly management fee?

A community association website is a great way to help build the sense of community in your neighborhood. Other features should include access to board reports and the ability for homeowners to check their account information.

8. What hours can the community manager be reached?

A community manager should be available 24 hours a day. During the day he should be available via office phone, email, and cell phone and in the evenings and weekends the HOA management company should provide an emergency answering service, should an emergency situation arise.

9. Does the management company inspect lots before they are transferred (sold) from one homeowner to another?

When an escrow request is submitted by a title company, the escrow coordinator should visit the lot, take pictures of the home and note any violations. This information should be disclosed to the title company and documented in the management company's system.

10. Is the HOA management company a professional team of experts?

The management company should be a team of experienced experts with the professionalism and commitment to quality service to properly service their homeowners association clients.

Parker Finch Management with several offices around the country, is a leader in the community association management industry. The company provides a comprehensive suite of services to homeowners associations and developers, including the services listed above. The firm's expertise, professionalism, and commitment to quality service are second to none which allows associations that partner with Parker Finch Management to experience a better community.