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Kathleen Quinn Votaw Articles

Written by: Kathleen Quinn Votaw

Ready to Return to Robust Growth! Thoughts on Jack Daly’s six principles - Click To Read Article
Jack Daly is a sales trainer/speaker/coach whose energy knows no limits. I enjoyed his positive, can do perspective and wanted to share with all of you. To Robust Growth for all of us!

Hire Right and Fire Fast- Facing Up to Hiring Mistakes - Click To Read Article
Of course you want the best talent available for your business, with the characteristics and personality that fit your culture. Hiring the “right” people is critical to every organization. In a recession the stakes are even higher: every smart idea to innovate or save costs matters more; and every bit of passion enhances productivity. There are strong reasons to hire the talent you want quickly, and there are circumstances where it’s okay to take more time. But careful as you might be, you will sometimes make hiring mistakes. And in those cases you have no choice-you have to fire fast. Read More About -The case for fast hiring -When to slow-hire -Facing up to hiring mistakes -Fight your instincts

Curiosity kills the cat but wins the customer - Click To Read Article
If you’re searching online for a blind date, you can narrow the field demographically to, let’s say, people between age 35 and 45 who live in Denver. And you can take a peek at the all-important photograph. But is that enough information to make even one valid assumption about someone? Before you commit to that blind date, you’ll want to know what kind of personality they have and what their interests and values are, among other things. That same kind of curiosity about your customers gives you a deep understanding of what they need or want-and serves as the basis for a passionate long-term relationship. It may be time to add intellectual curiosity to the competencies you require in your sales, marketing and customer service staff, and embed curiosity in your company culture.

Wired for work and wired for wisdom: Why you need both kinds of brains in your business - Click To Read Article
For the first time there are four generations in the workplace-and two of them are often maligned: the Boomers and Millennials, some of the oldest and the youngest in the workforce. While organizations and industries push out older "slower" workers and hesitate to hire "entitled, self-centered" twenty-somethings, we are wasting some of the best brains in business.

Why training should be the last thing you cut - Click To Read Article
An organization I'm familiar with anticipated doubling its size within a year and, in order to manage the change that growth would bring, put in a new layer of management. Five vice presidents were installed, all of them promoted from within. Rather than effective planning, this turned out to be disastrous for the organization. Morale disintegrated. Turf issues and tempers began to flare in the formerly supportive environment. And productivity plummeted. Why? None of the VPs had ever had management training.

Trust me - 100 percent - Click To Read Article
To paraphrase Jerre Stead, the wise chairman and CEO of IHS, Inc., one of Colorado's largest and most successful global companies: When you operate with 100 percent trust, great people do great things. Leaders who earn the right to say "trust me" get that extra push in performance that competitors can't touch.

The courage to believe in your people: Your one sustainable competitive advantage - Click To Read Article
Most of us don't have the courage to do what Nordstrom did. For many years, this was all that employees received in the way of an employee handbook: Rule #1: Use your good judgment in all situations. There will be no other rules.

The Triple Bottom Line and Talent Mangement - Click To Read Article
Leading authors are writing about it; conferences are featuring it; and many are calling on corporations to report on it. The triple bottom line-people, profits and planet-has unofficially become a leading indicator. Rather than being measured solely on profitability, companies, and their customers, are increasingly adopting "the three pillars" to define business success.

Social Media Add Power to Recruiting - Click To Read Article
Although an increasing number of companies is creating a presence on social media Web sites as a way to attract new talent, if you want to recruit Millennials, a social media presence is mandatory. Today's high school graduates have been exposed to the Internet since early childhood. Their plugged-in world is creating a level of connection and interactivity that is changing how we communicate-and do business.

Six bottom-line best practices in recruiting - Click To Read Article
Recruiting strategies may flex and change with economic conditions and in reaction to competitors in the market. But there are certain best practices that are a constant benefit to every organization that adheres to them, whether the economy is up or down. Recruiting excellence has a direct, and positive, impact on the bottom line. Increasing revenue per employee and saving turnover costs are two important benefits. Here are six recruiting best practices that will make a measureable difference in your business.

Human capital new king for PEGs: building bold leadership for change - Click To Read Article
A recent Forbes article by Matthew Kirdahy titled "Filling the Talent Pool" begins: "The focus at private equity firms is shifting. Cash will always be king, but looking ahead, the most important type of capital may very well be human. It's a company's bold leadership that carries it into financial prosperity-not its product, services or numbers." This new focus on talent will surely improve the success rate of acquisitions, which is typically rated at less than 50 percent.

Culture with a little C; don’t let it undermine your business - Click To Read Article
Probably the most common definition of an organization's culture is "the way we do things around here." If you're an executive describing your culture, you're most likely referring to your mission, vision and values; and your core beliefs and what they represent.

What smart leaders know about talent management and strategy - Click To Read Article
Smart leaders know that strategic hiring and deployment of their top talent are essential to managing risk, achieving business outcomes and ensuring future sustainability. It's the strength of your people that drives the rise or fall of your business-especially in hard times.

The #1 Thing That Engages Employees - Click To Read Article
Can you succeed in "the great recession" without engaged employees? Maybe, but only if your competitors' employees aren't engaged either. Engaged employees' willingness to give their all is what unlocks the greatest potential for competitive advantage.

Talent Management Merits Your Board's Full Attention - Click To Read Article
Most boards focus on annual budgets and financial outcomes, often limiting their involvement in talent management to recruiting and hiring a CEO and managing his or her performance. Successful organizations know that's not enough. Talent is typically the largest single line item in an annual financial plan and the chief factor in achieving strategic objectives. Managing your talent is another critical aspect of asset management and merits the full attention of your board.

The Essence of Ethics - Click To Read Article
It's difficult to define, exactly, what ethical behavior is; and it's impossible to measure. But we can sense when ethics are present in an individual or a company culture - and especially we sense it when they're not. Ethical behavior is a two-way street. Companies and customers cannot effectively engage unless there is trust between them. And, to my point in this article, neither can companies and candidates.

Great hires / bad hires: how to tell the difference BEFORE you make the offer - Click To Read Article
You hire someone. They don't work out. They leave. What is it that you remember and say about them in the past tense? It's rarely the fact that they didn't know how to work the numbers, or that they couldn't put the pieces of a widget together. No, it's almost always their soft skills that generate conversation-their personality, character and values.

Fighting for Superstars - Click To Read Article
It's superstars who make the critical difference in your company's performance. Everyone wants the superstars, and you have to fight for them - both the ones you have and the ones you want. Winning takes a multi-faceted approach that includes building a healthy culture and involves everyone in the organization.

Referred by: http://www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com



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