Test Tut
Remain optimistic
Your subordinates look to you for leadership and your mood reflects on their morale: be it positive or negative. Success or failure in contingencies depend on how they are approached.
Set a clear direction
Unless you direct your team in the right direction seldom do they reach the right destination. Understand what and where you need to be and communicate them appropriately.
Create a work plan
Plan well and work optimally. While no plan should be set in stone and should be adapted as situations call for, it is universally understood that "one who fails to plan has ultimately planned to fail"
Secure sufficient resources
Just words and directives won't suffice but ensure you supply your team with the necessary resources to achieve their tasks be it time, money, tools or training.
Hear more than you say
Listen more and lecture less
Do not hold meetings without agendas
If you do not have clear cut agendas for meetings, do not hold one. Plan and communicate meeting agendas nefore setting up meetings and stick to them religiously. Meetings held just for the sake of holding meetings lose their credibility and with it the leader's
Do not criticize in public
Follow this religiously and avoid resentment
Praise in public
Follow this religiously and improve the morale to perform better
Do not ask a subordinate to do something that you wouldn't do yourself
Be it big or small, think before you delegate. Would you do it yourself if you could or are you just trying to pass the buck
Do not micromanage
Delegate authority to your subordinates according to their job profile and encourage them to accept ownership of their decisions. If you insist upon making every final decision, the progress of the organization will grind to a halt: even worse, making you the bottleneck. If you cannot delegate you have no business calling yourself a leader.
Give your team the credit
Make sure you give credit to your team when you succeed and try not to pass the buck to them when things do not go as planned. This in itself is a great trait of a true leader
People get their MBA's graduating from Business schools after learning lots and lots of stuff about business, strategy, best practices and tools to aid business management. Even then, business schools seldom address simple stuff which they consider too simple to be addressed at their level. Yet these "too simple to be taught" things hold great importance for real world success. A few of those are addressed below. If you are a manager consider practicing the following religiously for greater reputation and success.
Jargon - Avoid them like the plague
Most people misuse it without actually understanding what they stand for and giving rise to unwanted mistakes and misunderstandings. Force yourself to spell out what you mean in simple plain language. It will help your thinking and communication.
Organizational Design - The Why before redefining the What
Figure out what is causing the problem, and then think about how to avoid the problem. A lot of problem solvers identify bad decisions, and then suggest reversing it, neglecting to address the issue of why that particular bad decision was made, and how to make sure the same mistakes wouldn’t be made in the future.
Don't define problems as your perceive - Learn more with different perspectives
Never ever jump to a solution without understanding the whole picture through different perspectives and deciding on a solution before considering atleast one another closely contested solution to the problem. Also consider the fact that the problem may not actually be what you initially perceive it to be unless you see it from another perspective.
Trade off - Analyze costs to benefits for all possible solutions
Every solution has costs as well as benefits. If you list only the benefits, it makes your analysis seem like an ex post rationalization of a foregone decision, rather than a careful weighing of the benefits and costs. If you spent some time thinking through the tradeoffs, show it. If not, then you should. It is not the solution but your rationale in deciding on one that matters in the long time or if something goes wrong
Language - Always keep it simple stupid
Write simple declarative sentences that clarify rather than obfuscate. Form is not a substitute for content. We are running businesses where communications need to be crystal clear and not writing poems for people to analyze and discuss for is being communicated.
Best practices to get your invoices paid on time.
While most people readily pay their dues on time and keep their incomings and outgoings on track, a few need more tricks of the trade to help persuade them pay their bills on time. At the end of the day, any small business owner knows that even a single unpaid invoice affects cashflow and could render the business into a cash strapped entity.
The Heading - Hit the nail right on its head
Marking the envelope and title the top of the invoice page “INVOICE” in bold letters ideally in red will certainly garner maximum attention. This small initiative will help your piece of paper reach the right designate from the moment it gets delivered. Inclusion of your company name and logo on the next most prominent line is ideal (Time tested practices and psychological studies indicate people are more likely to remember images and logos than words. See the connection here - INVOICE + Company Name + Company Logo - Subliminally impregnates the memory of the invoice). A remembered invoice is more likely to be paid promptly.
An Itemized Listing - Make the content the focus
Making sure all products or services are clearly itemized is a definite way to make your invoice more understandable. A detailed list will save time wasted through additional correspondences trying to understand the invoice. So does the itemized listing as do the logo to help your recipient remember.
The Perfect Payment Terms - Dates, Penalties and Incentives
Always make sure to clearly and boldly state that “payment is due within X days.” A good idea is to include a warning about late fee policies or penalties that will be charged for late payment. An invoice with a late payment fee is most likely to be bumped to the front of a list of invoices that need payment. It is also wise to include a Y% discount for early payment. Studies indicate the inclusion of a “please” in the request for payment increases the likelihood of the invoice getting paid on time.
Offering a variety of payment options is considered to be one of the most influential factors forgetting paid on time. The greater number of payments options your recipient receives, the more likely your invoice gets paid on time. Digital payment methods, even for traditional businesses will do a world of good for getting paid on time.
The Bottomline - Express your invoice with a bold-stern-voice
Including a headshot of the head of the company in the contact details of the invoice creates similar psychological pressure to physical presence. Personally signing the invoice (even possible on digital invoices) psychologically influences the recipient to feel compelled to pay akin to a personal interaction asking for payment.
Easy-to-find direct contact details of a designate able to answer billing queries quickly will be helpful in case your customer has questions. Studies indicate the inclusion of a “thank you” in the invoice signature increases the probability of on time payment.
The Color Scheme - Play the psychological game
Studies indicate that the psychology of colours plays a great deal in getting things done to your liking. Blue is associated with trustworthiness, Turquoise is the best colour for attention-grabbing words such as “second notice.” Turquoise is not a frequently used colour and hence will help you stand out that much more. Purple is another great option highly favored by women. Darker shades of purple indicate firmness and competence. It is prudent to avoid yellow and brown, on invoices as a best practice.
If you need assistance in designing your invoice document or need help with setting up digital payment modes for your traditional business, please do not hesitate to contact us at IBHYA on +918939998998