Turning over a new leaf - an interesting team building activity to deal with change

When I worked with the Ministry of Government Services, I had the opportunity to attend a team building event. This event was designed to answer Ontario government employees’ perception that little or no change was taking place in the Ministry. The team building game is called “Turning over a new leaf”!  The concept was to demonstrate to team members that change is happening although you may not recognize it as such.

Here is how it plays: 8-10 people stood on a plastic cloth. The cloth can be of any material as long as it is large enough to provide each person with just enough space to stand up but it shouldn't be too big to make this game too easy to complete.  One person starts to turn the cloth upside down from one angle and ask another person next to him/her to step on the opposite side of the cloth. Gradually, each person moves to stand on the opposite side of the cloth until the cloth is completely turned over and everyone is standing on the opposite site of the cloth.

While turning over the cloth, some team members won’t be able to see what’s happening but they have to hold tightly on to other team members and trust that their peers are actually working on turning over the cloth and make sure everybody is standing on the opposite side one by one. If any team member steps off the cloth, the team is eliminated from the competition.

Here is a demonstration video.

Almost every organization is experiencing some sort of changes generated either by internally initiated actions or external influences. It is crucial to build team confidence through explicit innovative change management and also in less directive cycles that slowly we are making changes but we need patience. Leadership, buy-in, trust and fully support are required to make the change happen and ensure competitive superiority!

Why organizations need to react effectively and expeditiously in response to the challenge of new technology- A brief history of weaponry and its impact on military system

Why organizations need to react effectively and expeditiously in response to the challenge of new technology

-          A brief history of weaponry and its impact on military system

It is not uncommon for individuals in an organization to resist change. The resistance is primarily based on the facts that either people are not yet up to speed on the new system and work expectation or they feel threatened in that they will lose the status or role that they feel comfortable with.  It takes time for any company to adapt to new technology; however, If it does not change the mindset and adjust its systems, it will soon find itself far behind competition in short order.

Let’s take a look at the history of weaponry and its impact on a military system. The cold weapon divided into two general types.  The cold weapon such as knifes and spears were designed to fight within a short distance, whereas the javelin and bow were designed for long distance combat.  The choice of weapon often was based on the warrior’s physical strength as not all men could lift a heavy javelin and/or hit a target. The military system during cold weapon period really depended on the number of soldiers, the strong will of the troop and commander’s ability to lead the army. The movie BraveheartFreedom by Mel Gibson demonstrates this premise.

Firearms ultimately replaced the cold weapon. The arquebus was the first gun fired from the shoulder thanks to lockmaker. It was invented in Spain in the mid-15th century. Its effective range was less than 650 feet (200 m), however much greater than that of a bow and arrow. The arquebus was superseded by the larger musket in the mid-16^th century.  If you watched the movie “The Patriot”, you will recall that the army looked very different with colourful uniforms and marching in organized rows.  This military system at this point was based on musket structure as the bullets are added from the front down to the barrel. It was difficult to aim at the target with any accuracy, but the impact of an organized army marching together in rows and the opponent organized in the same fashion permitted improved accuracy and impact.  The army with stricter discipline often was the victor. This also allows more people with less physical strength to be able to be effective soldiers.

In 1866, the mauser came to market.  The bullet could be loaded from the back end of the gun. This allows gun barrel to be seamless and without smoke when fired.  This structure allowed the army to scatter and hide behind barriers and thus becoming more flexible and a more difficult target. During the British/American, Britain maintained the old military system but America used the new method. The British army became easy targets and lost the battle.

When the machine gun was developed, the military system changed dramatically. In the Battle of Somme, German troop set up machine guns every 100 metres for 40 kilometres.  This battle created record of killing 60,000 English soldiers within a day.  

Slow reaction to new technology can lead an organization or an individual to watching the competition from behind as they pass you by!

Love advice applies to Marketing in the business world

As I was surfing the internet the other day I accidentally came across a singles dating video presentation. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to look in. The rather humorous theme was “How to make a guy (male) fall in love with you (female). But in spite of the trivial nature of the show, one point caught my attention. The thesis was “Rather than (females) chase a guy directly, the talk show offered some advice on how to get his attention and in a subtle fashion devise a strategy makes him chase you instead. On further thought, it struck me that this suggestion, albeit somewhat playful in the love arena, it very well has application in marketing in the business world.

The support for the approach and guidance to the ladies was:

What is your strength- there are many ladies out there who may have a better physical appearance, education and career .etc. However, every man has his own taste in women. And your job is to find out your unique attributes. Likewise, what is your company's competitive advantage that differentiates you from the competition?

Success lies in the details – some people may think polishing one’s nails is futile especially in the winter time. But success lies in the details. People opened Apple products and found out that the inside was a powerful presentation and art like! No matter which era we are in, product/service quality still matter.

Build a connection- one tip from the talk show is that try to build a connection with the guy. For example, you can ask the guy to share some interesting articles he has recently read or pursuits that he is actively engaged with you. If done with integrity and sincere fashion the connection may well be successful. How can you build a connection with your customers?

Make it interesting – they postulate in order to keep the guy’s attention you need to always to do something different and try not to let him know what you will do next. This can also apply to sustaining and advancing your customer base. Always think out of the box and offer superior unexpected features/services .etc. 

Retargeting

What is Retargeting?

Retargeting is the ability to serve up relevant display advertising to people who have already visited your website or landing pages.

How Retargeting works?

Placing a small piece of HTML code on the web page(s) from which you are looking to capture your retargeting audience. Whenever searchers visit one of these pages, an ad server then loads a retargeting pixel, drops a cookie onto that person’s machine and enables marketers to serve them specific display advertising wherever they may travel on the web.

Benefits of Retargeting

Online conversions are hard to achieve. Whether you want prospects to download a white pager or leave their contact information for a free trial, they may be not interested yet or may not have the time. By incorporating retargeting across your marketing activities, you can rest assured that people who don’t convert the first time aren’t lost forever – you can continue to keep your message in front of them until they are ready to engage with you.

Retargeting is also an effective lead nurturing approach. The essence of lead nurturing is to build strong, trusting and long term relationship with prospects, regardless of their readiness to buy. This includes staying top of mind with your brand, addressing the right questions or concerns at all stage of the buying cycle with relevant content and influencing all of the individual involved in the buying decision.

Another great thing about retargeting is that you can tailor your ads to address wherever your prospects are in the buying cycle. i.e. if a searcher has visited your home page and done nothing else, retarget them with ad creative that focuses on increasing your brand awareness and overall value proposition. However, if a searcher has visited specific product pages, it would be more effective to retarget them with ad creative that addresses the particular features and competitive advantages of your products.

Retargeting also gives you a second, third and fourth… chance to make a first impression. It’s not easy to convince prospects when they first hit one of your web pages that you’re the solution for them.

Feeling stuck at work?

Do you think it’s tough to tell your boss that you have more on your plate than you can do without feeling like a whiner?  Do you think It’s tough to speak up when your boss overtly or subtly make it clear that he or she does not appreciate your speaking up?

Influencing or motivating upward is a very tough challenge. Here is some advice I learned:

1.       Make it safe.

Start by asking yourself, “Why would a reasonable and rational person like your boss act this way?” Why is he/she not encouraging others to speak up? What would make it safe enough for your boss to have this conversation? Make sure that you clarify Mutual Purpose and are prepared to be very respectful when you bring up the issue. You want to make sure you across as curious and helpful rather than frustrated and judgmental. Also, don’t speculate and focus on the possible negative outcomes. We often exaggerate possible negative consequences and underplay the positives. That strategy causes us to vote for staying silent – thus voting for the status quo.

Before you open your mouth, mastering your clever stories and getting your motives and emotions right. Your boss will sense the clue from your body language before you even start talking. On the other hand, privacy makes the conversation safer. You don’t want an audience. You also want to choose a good time. Find when your boss is more receptive and has fewer work demands or stresses during a day or a week. When you talk, start with an observation and question, not a conclusion and emotion.  In your conversation, you want to honestly and empathically understand the reasons and jointly seek solutions.

2.       Talk about the real issue.

 In tough situations, we are often tempted to bring up a simple, easy topic and not the real one. In this particular case, the easy issue is that you made a suggestion and it wasn’t passed on. The real issue is that your boss has a pattern of not passing on ideas and that means that you and your colleagues face the same problems at work week after week. As part of your preparation, you’ll want to do a consequence search. What are the consequences of the boss’s behavior? Who is being impacted? When you find the consequences, you are prepared to talk about the tougher issue.

What if it doesn’t go well with your boss? There are two possible backup plans you might consider:

• Share your intentions and excuse yourself. Tell your boss that you brought up this topic to improve the results and teamwork in the company and that you didn’t intend to cause him/her any stress. Express thanks for his/her time and find a way to leave.

• Suggest a team approach. If appropriate, you might propose that the improvement   program can be done by members of the team.

For either of these plans, you need to assess what is happening in the moment and what might be the best next step. The point here is that you’ve anticipated some next steps, so when one option ends, you have a way forward. Preparation and sound anticipation improve confidence.

Speaking up to your boss can be tough. Yet I remind you that if you don’t speak up, you are voting for the status quo. Also, if you gossip or speak up in a frustrated, angry or judgmental way, you’ve diminished the relationship. Either way, you have become part of the problem. On the other hand, if you can speak up in a safe, considered and planned way, you are much more likely to solve the problem and build the relationship.

When is the best time to sell /buy a house in Toronto?

We all want to sell our house as high as possible. The question we may have in our mind is when the best time is to sell a house.  According to the Toronto Real Estate Board, the best time to sell is spring. It’s a time of renewal and change in general. From a buyer’s perspective, buying in the spring allows for a closing date early in the summertime, aligning with school and work breaks that make moving relatively easier.  

However, since the housing price in Toronto continued to increase over the past few years, you might already run into bidding wars and did not get your dream house due to high pricing in the spring market. Then, how about sell your house at off-peak season, let’s say in the wintertime.  As a seller, you may not sell your house for maximum $$$ you can get in the spring. But you probably can secure a good deal to buy your new house after you sell your current one in most cases.  There is a $35,000 price difference to buy a house in off-peak season on average.

The ideal case is that if you can buy your next house in the wintertime for a relatively lower price and set the closing date a little further out. Then start to sell your current house in the spring for maximum $$$. However, if you choose to purchase your new house before you sell your current one, make sure you consult with your bank or mortgage broker in advance as you might need an escape clause.  There are three mortgage options available in the market:

1.       Portable mortgage: transfer your existing fixed mortgage rate, loan balance and maturity date to your new mortgage.

2.       Assumable mortgage: an assumable mortgage makes your home more attractive to potential buyers by having them take over your mortgage and its existing rate. BMO Bank of Montreal can release you from any personal liability if your buyer meets BMO’s usual credit requirements and if your lawyer has completed the necessary paperwork.

3.       Bridge financing: the option can make sure that you have the funds to cover the cost of two mortgages when your closing dates don’t coincide. However, you need a lot of $$$ to pull that off because bridge financing at the bank is difficult to obtain without a buyer commitment for your existing home.  The banks will offer bridge financing about 2 percentage points above prime if the closing date for the sale of your house comes after your purchase date, but you have to have a committed buyer.

On the other hand, you have to prepare additional $$$ for the closing cost of your new house and/or when you need to carry both properties before you sell your current one.

If you choose to sell first, it comes with the risk of not finding something in the right neighborhood. The reality is no matter you choose when to sell/buy a house or whether you want to sell the current one first or buy a new one first, it always comes with pros and cons for each choice.

To sum up, it’s up to you to decide when is the good time to sell the house taken into account of your situations.

How to Negotiate Price When Renting

Don’t forget always negotiate price when renting. However, the amount of leverage you will have depend on the amount of time the rental property has been on the market, whether you are a desirable renter with good credit and excellent references, what similar property are renting for in the neighbourhood and your competition – people who are also interested in the same property.

Here are some suggestions when you negotiate price:

Do your research

Make sure you know the average rents for in the neighborhood and city where you are looking to rent. You can review classified ads on major websites and have a general idea on how much is being paid in this area.

Find out how long the rental property you want has been on the market. If it has not rented after 8 weeks of availability, the landlord will be about losing money and might be more willing to negotiate your rent.

Sell yourself as a renter

Prove that you are a great tenant compared with other people who are also interested in the property.

Bring references, the most recent pay stubs, bank balances and credit reports if you have when you meet with the landlord. It will facilitate the process of background check, credit check and employment verification and give you a big edge over other competition.

Remember you have options

Let the landlord know that you are considering other places with lower rents. You might have an extra bargaining chip.

Demonstrate flexibility

If there is no room for negotiation on the amount of rent, ask for other considerations. For example, ask whether utilities can be included, see if you can pay a lower security deposit, get an extra parking space or free cable.

Consider your timing

Start to look for a rental place at least 2 or 3 months before your current lease expires. Try to avoid rent in peak seasons i.e. it’s less likely to negotiate rent on a property in a university town in August.

Offer to sign a longer lease in exchange for a lower rent

 It costs landlords money every time a tenant moves out and a new one moves in. If you offer to sign a 3-year lease, the landlord might be comfortable enough to lower rent.