Social Loafing

Social loafing is when a person is less productive when working in a group than when working alone. This can happen in business when you have business partners if you don’t have everyone’s duties defined.

Unfortunately, many of us will enter a business relationship with someone with the assumption that the other person will do as much as possible to make the business a success. This doesn’t always happen. Some people, the social loafers, will do less because they know that the work will get done. Afterall, the efforts of one are usually benefited by all in a partnership.

What happens when you’re a victim of a partner or business associate who is not pulling his weight? The first thing is to address the issue with the person. The other party may not be intentionally leaving you to do all the work. Next, create a to-do list, perhaps this person isn’t good at organizing their work day. Make it clear what needs to be done and make realistic goals. If the loafer doesn’t start pulling his weight, then a weightier discussion maybe in order.

It’s not easy addressing issues with loafers. One way to avoid this is outline each person’s responsibilities and expectations at the beginning of  the relationship and have frequent status meetings. Don’t forget the ultimate goal is to be successful in your business.

Business Associations

This morning I just found out that my membership in a business association expired on 12.31.09. The group’s administrator stated that the she mailed the renewal notice. I had to question why the notice wasn’t emailed and not mailed. This group has done a poor job of keeping my membership information up to date and I’ve questioned if it’s because we are in the same industry.

At any rate, it’s time for me to re-evaluate whether this is a group we should continue as dues paying members. We’ve only attended 1 or two meetings last year and I question if that will change for this year. As I think about the years we’ve been members, I wonder what has happened. Why are we no longer committed to attending these meetings. At one time there was a president who played favorites. You received emails when they needed something but when important emails were sent he suddenly had “problems with emails”. He targeted who he wanted to be involved.

When he left as president, it was a sigh of relief especially from one member who actually clapped. She had been a victim of his occasional ”email problems”. Then there was the golf tournament and fund-raiser. They asked for volunteers and I contacted the person who was chairing the event. She emailed me back and said she had no idea what she wanted people to do. At the next meeting she was begging for volunteers as if no one had stepped forward.

Should I continue with this group? They have shown on more than one occasion that they simply don’t value me as a member or at least as an involved member. I’m sure they appreciate my yearly dues. My sister and I have always said that you have to put your everything into something before you discard it as not worthy or not useful. I don’t know if we’ve done that. Will continuing to be a member of this group just be a bad decision on our part? Have we already taken the group for its test run and found it not to be a fit for us?

The group’s monthly meeting is tonight. Which is how I found out our membership had expired (we weren’t on the directory). Should we go or should we just write them off?

The Toes You Step On

Recently I was watching a tv show that has since been canceled and one of the characters stated, ”the toes you step on today maybe the be attached to the butt you kiss tomorrow”. While I don’t personally believe in kissing anyone’s butt, I agree with that statement.

When employed at a health insurance company, my boss pointed out that one of co-workers had been his boss. Actually, there were three people in my department who had been in that situation. I thought how odd. When you consider that some people aren’t suited for management and the number of changes that corporate goes through, it’s not that big of a surprise.

In business, it’s no different. While networking, I used to meet more than my fair share of realtors. For some reasons, real estate agents don’t like virtual assistant. As a matter of fact, one realtor told me that she thought my business was useless. Funny, I thought the same thing about real estate agents. With the internet, you can find your own home. I really didn’t see the need for someone to point out the obvious to me in a home. I think I can figure out that there’s granite on the counter tops without someone saying this to me. Anyway, though I felt that people didn’t need an agent to buy homes, I did see the value in their services. She thought having a virtual assistant had no value. Admittedly I got her when I said that virtual assistants were most useful to successful professionals and business owners. It was light but I think she got my point.

Later at another networking event, I mentioned that I knew several executives because of my previous position as an executive assistant. She immediately turned to me and asked if we could meet for coffee. She wanted referrals. We never made it for that coffee. Nor would I have ever given her a referral. When we met she wouldn’t even take my business card. Now that the economy has tanked she’s begging for referrals. She’s almost become a stalker. A fellow networker told me she sends out spam emails to him regularly. He has a story of how she snubbed him too.

I try to treat everyone with respect regardless of the type of work they do. I don’t ever want to be standing face to face with someone I mistreated and need that person to do something for me. Even if that would never happen, I just think it’s good business sense and polite to be respectful to everyone.

Professional Networking

For many business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals networking is an essential part of doing business. Many join business associations, chambers, and groups that host regular professional/business networking events. Are we careful when it comes to our social networking sites?

Social networking sites are well for socializing and many people use them as such. What happens though if a potential client or employer googles your name or connects with you on LinkedIn, Twitter, or even Facebook? Will your comments or lifestyle keep you from landing that new job, promotion or client?

About a month ago, I connected with someone on my LinkedIn group. I began getting updates from his Twitter account with vulgar language. This was posted on my LinkedIn homepage. Shocked and disgusted, I immediately removed him as a friend. Yes, I know that I could have just stopped following him on LinkedIn but this went further than that for me. I didn’t want to ever do business with this person. I didn’t want to consider this person as a networking associate.

I later posted a question on the group’s discussion board asking if the members were using LinkedIn for professional networking. I received a response from someone who I don’t think understood my question. She thought I was saying it was wrong to use social networking sites. Like so many people, she didn’t get that when you’re in a professional setting you should behave professionally.

I understand that people have a social life that includes being themselves, however, when you connect your social life to your professional one, be ready to accept the consequences. Think about it, if a potential employer were to view your tweets, what would they think about you? That was my point. Also, this person had joined a professional networking group. Why would he link his personal twitter account? 

I think that if the two lives, your professional life and your personal life aren’t in harmony, keep them separate. While not connecting with me won’t cost him a great deal of money, it may offend someone else who was considering him in a business deal.

Going the Distance

Recently I was on Ning.com reading tips for managing your own social networking group. One of the facts presented was that 95% of profiles go abandoned. Wow, that’s a staggering figure. I don’t know how accurate it is but I know that its probably high.

When I look on LinkedIn.com and Twitter, there are so many accounts/profiles that have been abandoned. I guess these people couldn’t stay the distance. This is very shocking to me especially when you consider this economy. Now more than ever, it’s important for people to stay connected. Unfortunately, most only jump on these sites when they lose their jobs or their business starts to slow.

Not everyone can see the benefits of a blog, a Twitter account or a LinkedIn profile. Many assume that just creating these accounts will mean immediate popularity and success in business. For business owners I ask, is that what happened when you started your business? Television and movies make it seem as if a person can get an idea, complete the proper paperwork and  become an instant success. I’ve seen those who aspire to stardom look at successful artists and say I want to be like them. Of course, they want the fame and money, but what they don’t want is the hardwork. Like so many who create profiles on social media sites and then wonder why they aren’t bombarded with emails from their new connections and followers, these people have to be in it for the distance.

For 2010, I hope to prove that I’m in it for the distance. I’ve already done more the last few months than I’ve done for most of 2009. Sometimes I think about blogging and I just can’t think of what to blog about. I’m becoming like those people. I’m starting something and not putting in the hardwork. I want the followers, the connections, and of course the clients, but they don’t just show up at your doorstep or in-box. I have to work hard to get them.

I’m constantly reminding myself that what I want isn’t easy. That most of why things aren’t working can be attributed to me. I know the tips of how to make these sites work well for me, now it’s time to follow them.

Determination Runs in the Family

I’ve blogged about how much my grandfather has taught me, but the other day my sister and I were talking about our grandmother. She had to quit school as a child to help her family and get a job.

After marrying at an early age and raising 5 children, she never went back to complete her education. When my grandmother was in her late 50′s she told us she was going back to school. I remember that day fondly. She had come home with a bag of notebooks and paper. When I asked why she had so many notebooks she answered that she was going back to school to get her high school diploma.

My grandmother spent most of her adult life working in a mill in Aiken, South Carolina. She wasn’t looking for another job. She had plans of retiring from her mill job, so one would question why the decision to get her high school diploma. I never got into an in-depth conversation with her about this, but she did tell me she didn’t want a GED, she wanted her high school diploma. It meant more to her.

I don’t remember the year she graduated but we all attended. I remember going to a florist to buy her some balloons and telling the employee the balloons were for my grandmother and how proud I was of her. She thought my grandmother went back to college, no I explained she never got her high school diploma and now she’s going to get one.

Reminiscing on that time reminds me that I’ve got some strong genes running through these veins. I don’t come from a family of quitters. My grandparents have laid a foundation of strong values and committment for their children and grandchildren. I don’t think most of my relatives have ever considered how much we can learn from our matriarch and patriarch.

Neither my grandmother nor my grandfather allowed their limitations or obstacles keep them from achieving their goals. Today, when I’m ready to just quit and say it’s not worth it, there’s always that voice that tells me I can do it. I can thank my grandmother and grandfather for that voice. The next time I visit I think I’ll thank them.

An Early Start

For many entrepeneurs, getting up early to get an early start on the day just makes sense. Oftentimes in the early morning its easier to think and reflect on your day. If you have a home office, it’s a good time to get some work completed before the rest of the house members wake up to start their day.

When contacting potential clients, getting an early start on your day could mean an early response. Since many people come into the office early for the opportunity to read through emails and have uninterrupted time, if you email a LinkedIn connection or respond to a Twitter follower you may get an instant response. In addition, if you’ve been playing email tag, you might even get a response to your email.

Most of us can relate to how much more relaxed we are when we have little or no interruptions and we have an opportunity to really catch up on some much-needed work. On the flip side, if you have a potential client who you know works late hours, you might find that sending an email later in the evening after the dust has settled to be an advantage. No one can predict the exact moment a potential client becomes a paying client so its worth it to try to contact them during different times of the day.

Don’t Miss the Opportunity

Many small business owners take weeks off during the holiday season to spend much-needed time with their family. As hard as you have to work when you run your own business, one can’t question why this is a common practice. Don’t miss the opportunity to get on the minds of your clients before the start of the new year.

One way to stay on their minds is to send a personal greeting card or gift. I personally encourage business owners to take the time to handwrite a card and send it. Most people are so use to e-cards, E-vites and text messages that seeing a handwritten card will draw them in. This isn’t an opportunity to sell a new service but just say “I appreciate your business and look forward to working with you again.” It’s also an opportunity to network with people you’ve met. If you have their business card and it has a mailing address, send them a card. It can be something as simple as letting them know that you wish them well and hope to get to know them better.

The right hand-written card along with your business card, might prompt them to check out your website. Of course, most people don’t have time for hand-written cards. As a virtual assistant, I’d be careless if I didn’t mention that this is a service your virtual assistant can complete for you. Even if you don’t have a virtual assistant, the extra time taken to provide this personal touch will be well worth the time.

2010 Planing

I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions. It’s like going on a diet. It changes how you feel about things. I believe in transformations and goals. What’s the difference, well, I work on goals all year long. I started my 2010 planning in November. It makes sense that to make a success of next year I need to start making changes this year. Hopefully, by next year, my changes will have become a habit.

So, what are my goals for 2010? One is to make the most of networking, especially social networking. I’ve joined groups on LinkedIn and even created one for administrative professionals. The past few weeks I’ve started sending connection requests to the members. After I received a confirmation, I email the person to find out how I could identify good leads for that person. My next step is to read their blogs, status updates, and follow them on Twitter. All in an effort to expand my network. Now what?

Coffee or lunch meeting of course. But this won’t be like the ones suggested in closed networking groups or leads groups. This meeting will include at least one other person. This will give the two people I’ve met an opportunity to meet someone new. With one meeting, I’ve already helped my new connection. This meeting is officially called “Sip and Build”. It’s a service of Indispensable Assistants that we did when we first started our business but didn’t have the time to continue planning.

I look forward to restarting Sip and Build and connecting with as many people as possible.

Gadgets

I’m not one of those people who likes a lot of gadgets. I don’t rush out every time some new comes out. As a matter of fact, I’m behind on updating my cell phone. My phone doesn’t allow me to Tweet, IM or even take pictures.

I purchased the phone this year in protest because my cell phone company wouldn’t give me the phone I wanted at a discounted rate. Since I couldn’t get what I wanted, I refused to extend my contract and took the cheap phone.

Other a few shocked looks when people see me using a phone that doesn’t have a touch screen, I’m okay with my phone. There was a few times when I wished I had a phone with all the apps. I needed to update my Twitter and Facebook accounts but, couldn’t because of my antiquated phone. I’ve decided that next year I’ll get the new phone with all the bells and whistles. Especially now that I know I’ll get the phone I want at the right price.