In our continuing theme of guest bloggers, I have asked one of my colleagues, Mark Morton to write a blog for August.  Please let us know what you think…………….

It is so cliché, but…
When you hear people drop the need for the “C” word, do you almost want to scream “Communication, again…?  That’s the best they have?  Yet over and over again companies see this as an area of disconnect, if you will, on the “Employee Engagement” surveys they send out each year.  And each year employees say “so you asked, now what?”
I have been a manager of people throughout my career.  I started out lousy, made mistakes, and got better over time (I think).  The main issue was not the technical aspect or lack of knowledge.  It was the communication part.  I was lousy and at times I still struggle.  The quote that sticks with me and moved me to action was from Lee Iacocca of Mustang and Chrysler fame – “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere”.
I see this in practice in the current work I do as a process improvement practitioner.  I work with managers that have gaps between what they tell me is going on versus what I observe when I work with their folks.  No one in this situation is the “bad guy”.  It is an easy trap, however, for managers to fall into.  Manage by reports from the confines of their office.  Interaction may be sporadic or situational. Sound familiar?
The cure is a bit tough, but it has been validated for me in practice and in literature on the subject.  Systematic, routine meetings with each employee on a weekly basis that the employee owns go a long way toward curing the communication symptom.  Employees are engaged, held accountable, and better yet cannot claim that they did not know.  It becomes a way of life, a way of doing business, an old way.  Not micromanaging.  That is when an assignment is given and you stand over someone asking “is it done yet?” blah, blah, blah.  Weekly meetings are planned and prescriptive.  It is effective if done over and over.  The amount of sharing and front line problem solving cannot be over stated.  And the mid year or year-end review?  A piece of cake.  There has been full disclosure throughout the year.  No surprises!  Ever been surprised during a review cycle? (Insert stomach churn here)
So when you hear that better communication is needed, do you see yourself above or below average in that category?  If below, ask yourself how often you have real, face to face (or phone to phone) conversations with your direct reports.  If you are above average, have someone observe you or get feedback from your direct reports.  You may be surprised.

 Visit the APLS Group on-line store for a variety of resources on Communication – www.aplsgroup.com

This is the third and final blog from Marc McGrann, our Marketing Intern at APLS Group for the past 20 months.  Marc graduated in May and immediately found a full time position with a start-up company in the Raleigh, NC area.

Recently I started my first job after college.  On my first day, I began training at the new company for a position I feel is a little beneath my skill set. Being that I am just out of college and am new to the company I understand and accept that I have to start at the bottom, but what I decided was that I would not accept staying in the position.

Many people in the workforce feel the same way that I do now, that their position in a company does not reflect that of their potential, yet they continue to stay in their position and do not move up. What I have realized is this is primarily because most individuals feel that they should be noticed simply for doing their job well and should be promoted on that merit alone. This is untrue. The mark of a highly qualified upper management type individual is not that they are very good at their job, but that they are able to see beyond their position and the tasks at hand.

In order for any person to better themselves, they must extend themselves beyond that which is expected. For example, in order to get stronger you can’t lift the same weight every day. You have to extend yourself by lifting more weight. When in the office, you cannot expect more responsibility for just doing what you are asked to do, but should be proactive in that you realize problems and find solutions. The key is finding solutions. Not simply noting problems and letting a superior know (or if you are running your own company merely noticing a problem), but discovering problems and creating concrete steps to solving issues.

By realizing a problem, studying the problem, working out possible solutions, and creating real processes which can be implemented in order to solve the issue you can prove that you are able to gain ownership of the responsibility that comes with an upper management position. We all have to realize that being a manager or a vice president or even a CEO does not depend on just being the best at performing a particular task, but more important than that, it depends on understanding the business and being able to adjust and solve issues that will come up which hinder those beneath you from performing the task most efficiently.

We are delighted to have Marc McGrann, our Marketing Intern provide
the second in a series of three Guest Blogs. Hope you enjoy this!

A retired executive of a major company came to my class the other day to talk with us about starting companies and getting ahead in the business world. He asked us what the antelope does when it wakes up. “It runs” he told us. It runs because if it doesn’t it will be eaten. He then asked what the lion does when it wakes up. Again he said, “It runs.” It runs because if it doesn’t it will starve. The point he was making to us was that in order to succeed we must keep this same mentality. From the moment we enter the office in the morning to the time we leave we must begin to seek out opportunities and get to work.

What I have realized in my entrepreneurship concentration is that the business environment can be just as dangerous as the jungle. Every product on the market will eventually be replaced and that is what creates both opportunity and threats. In order to be successful it is imperative that you must be willing to either adjust to the trends of the market or lead the way.  Anyone can be successful if they simply work to continue to improve their company, their department, or their concept. The trends of the jungle present us with opportunities and threats and it is our own responsibility to determine which it is.