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THE PRODUCTIVITY INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER Wednesday, December 23, 2009 |
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Newsletter topics: Social Media, Networking Tips, HR (Human Resources), Life, Training
by Bruce Newman
Traditional marketing programs emphasize the
importance of the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Place (distribution), and Promotion). Utilizing
various combinations of these components allow marketers to reach many different target
markets.
The growth of social media transformed the 4
P’s into the 4 R’s (Review, Respond, Record, and Redirect).
• Review – what the social media community is saying about you • Respond – appropriately and accurately to any postings or comments • Record – providing short videos that inform and educate Note: I prefer Recognize – brand recognition and its promotion/evolution • Redirect – providing content across multiple sites to improve visibility and search engine rankings. They are not as established as the 4 P’s
but perhaps that is because of their “newness”; after all, social media has only been
around for a few years.
Nevertheless, I think they can be significantly
improved.
(continue)
by Lillian D.
Bjorseth
 Want to make the most effective
use of your networking time and dollars? Then hone your people-reading skills so you can network in
the other person’s comfort zone.
Each of you is as unique as a
snowflake, yet you also share similarities - enough so that behavioral characteristics can be
grouped into four major categories. You might be thinking, “Oh, I took that DISC tool at work
to help me communicate, manage or sell better. What’s the importance in
networking?”
Glad you asked!
People-reading skills are
pervasive throughout your interpersonal relationship-building activities: when speaking with
people at events, making referrals and communicating with them via email or the phone.
(continue)
by Greg Chartier Ph.D,
SPHR
I am often asked to look at HR
Departments and functions to see how effective and efficient they are. As a result, I’ve
developed a series of measures to use to conduct this evaluation. It includes
organization-wide metrics which might not show up in "HR Reports" as well as those which
can be used for specific HR programs. Since 2010 looks to be just as challenging a year as 2009, it
seems like a good time to review your HR Department and make sure it’s doing its’ part
to contribute to company success.
• Are the people we
have the most productive in our industry?
• What is our
productivity (Output) per dollar of people costs spent?
• Can HR show the
trend (over several years and project future years) and compare it to our chief competitors.
• What is our
"People Profit" (The number of dollars of "people" costs we must incur in order
to generate a dollar of profit)? What is the trend and how does it compare to our chief
competitors? What is our "Revenue per employee"? Is it higher than our competitors?
(continue)
The Way It Used to Was by Norman Levine
 Saturday afternoon. We’d come in anytime. Who had watches? There were two movies, a
serial, Looney-Tunes, RKO Pathe News, a Pete Smith Special, previews, a sing-along and the March of
Dimes collection box. Five hours. The guy from the other side of the
tracks got the girl next door. The schoolyard bully did a stretch up the river while the smarmy
class prez went from the D.A.’s office to the Governor’s mansion until a cub reporter
got a scoop that he threw his wife down the stairs and the big time lawyer fell while the
newspaperman rose and the world was set to rights.
Having been suckled on matinees we
had movie-smarts. We could tell the suave double-crosser from the honest sucker by his mustache
alone. And when we were ready for the mean streets, just a bit unprepared for the grit and grime we
remembered what Tarzan said to Jane, It’s a jungle out there, and that’s when our skin
grew its necessary fur.
(continue)
Everything I Needed to Learn
About Training I Learned in Kindergarten by Adrian Miller
 Some experts believe that the
first few years of life are the most formative. Others suggest that the early teens are the
most influential. Personally, I’m not so sure; there seems to be some good logic in both
views. However, regardless of whether my personality was crafted as an infant or a teen, I can
say one thing with confidence: I learned some very important things about training in
kindergarten. Here’s my favorite three.
Kindergarten/Training
Principle #1: Don’t Make Me Cry, Don’t Make Me Turn Away
As a grown-up, I’ve
learned to cope with many situations that, in kindergarten, used to outright floor me and have me
screaming at the top of my lungs; or, at least, sulking in a dark corner, waiting for the chance to
go home. And at the top of this coping list is dealing with boring or stressful
situations.
When faced with boredom or
stress, I’m now fully aware that the best thing to do is not to create a scene or start
banging my arms down on a desk or carpet. That is, I learned to mask my true reaction –
freaking out -- and replace it with a polite smile, or a stifled yawn. As a thriving
kindergarten student, however, I hadn’t quite yet honed this important coping skill; and so
when faced with a situation that I found disagreeable, I expressed my feelings quite visibly, and
some might say, quite honestly.
(continue)
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