Monday Mornings with Madison
December 30, 2013

The Power of Personal Involvement

Issue #310

As 2013 comes to an end and 2014 appears on the horizon, business leaders are thinking about how to take their company, division or department to the next level.  Those leaders wanting to ‘kick it up a notch’ are thinking about processes, goals and objectives.  They are looking at how to improve their staff performance, organizational structure and sales and marketing strategies.  While that is all good, perhaps it is also time for some self-examination. The top brass might start by considering its own impact on the team. Continue reading →

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December 23, 2013

Storytelling = Marketing

Issue #309

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, marketing is defined as “the activities that are involved in making people aware of a company’s products (or services) and making sure that the products (or services) are available to be bought.”  Based on that definition, every employee is really engaged in activities that either make people aware of what the company is selling / providing or make sure it is available for purchase.  Each employee is involved, in one way or another, with increasing awareness and availability of what is being sold.  From an entry level clerk to the highest level of leadership, every person is involved in marketing their place of employ. Continue reading →

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December 16, 2013

Choosing the Right Employee Performance Review Method… or Methods

Issue #308

Every so often, the business world rethinks its methods for evaluating employee performance.  Old approaches are replaced with new ones.  Then, in time, those are tossed aside for yet newer methods of assessing worker efficiency, output, creativity, and attitude.  Because employee performance is – by its very nature – tied to a company’s productivity and thus its bottom line and long-term success, methods for evaluating employee performance are constantly being considered and reconsidered… a pendulum swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other. Continue reading →

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December 9, 2013

Profiting from Mistakes

Issue #307

Since last week was a holiday week with both Thanksgiving and Chanukah, we have posted the same MMWM as many may have missed it.

People make mistakes.  That is why they put erasers on pencils.  Sometimes those mistakes are small and can be easily erased or corrected.  Sometimes mistakes have a bigger impact.  And some mistakes are so big that they are considered failures.  Regardless of the magnitude of the error, one thing is certain.  While it is human to make mistakes and fail, no one is ever glad or happy about it.  In the moment, no one thinks “Oh, I am so glad I made that error.”  But what if failure is actually a good thing?  What if failures and mistakes are actually necessary in order to succeed? Continue reading →

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December 2, 2013

Profiting from Mistakes

Issue #307

People make mistakes.  That is why they put erasers on pencils.  Sometimes those mistakes are small and can be easily erased or corrected.  Sometimes mistakes have a bigger impact.  And some mistakes are so big that they are considered failures.  Regardless of the magnitude of the error, one thing is certain.  While it is human to make mistakes and fail, no one is ever glad or happy about it.  In the moment, no one thinks “Oh, I am so glad I made that error.”  But what if failure is actually a good thing?  What if failures and mistakes are actually necessary in order to succeed? Continue reading →

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November 25, 2013

The Marriage of PR and SEO

Issue #306

Thanks to Google’s Penguin and Panda algorithmic updates—two changes that have boosted the importance of editorial quality and referral sites, and have nixed the spammier forms of search engine optimization—PR (public relations) and SEO (search engine optimization) have emerged as similar practices.  Today PR and SEO have nearly identical goals: to obtain earned media. Both PR and SEO need a backbone of relevant, informative, and newsworthy content. Continue reading →

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November 11, 2013

Skills for Success – Part 4

Issue #305

A “Whatever It Takes” Attitude

When some people think about ‘attitude’ as a employment skill, they might think about a person’s demeanor and general disposition.  An employee with a cheerful, smiling upbeat temperament might be thought to have a ‘good attitude.’  However, ‘attitude’ as a workplace skill is about much more than having a pleasant personality.  When it comes to success, a winning attitude is about an employee’s mindset toward work and willingness to work, no matter what the job entails.  As a skill, attitude can be defined as one who has a strong work ethic… a ‘can do’ approach to every task and a ‘whatever it takes to get the job done’ posture. Continue reading →

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November 4, 2013

Skills for Success – Part 3

Issue #304

Adaptability:  Go with the Flow

If you ask ten colleagues what is the most important skill a person needs to be successful, you will likely get ten different answers.  That’s neither unusual nor wrong.  There are a myriad of skills that contribute to success. Communication.  Teamwork and cooperation. Enthusiasm (for your work).  Strong work ethic.  Responsibility.  Efficient planning.  Positive Attitude.  These skills are generally considered by most people to be very important for success. Continue reading →

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October 28, 2013

Skills for Success – Part 2

Issue #303

Handling Difficult Conversations

Difficult conversations are some of the most awkward, tense, tie-you-up-in-knots moments in people’s lives… both their personal and professional lives.  In fact, there are thousands of books, articles and seminars on the topic of how to handle difficult conversations.  One large training firm that provides professional workshops started offering a seminar titled ‘Dealing with Difficult People’, and it quickly became one of their most well-attended and lucrative programs.  While it is not really a skill that anyone wants to be good at, most people understand that is an important skill for success. Continue reading →

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October 21, 2013

Skills for Success

Issue #302

Part 1:  The Gift of Gab

The ability to start and maintain a conversation can be even more important to a person’s success in business than grades in school or college.  In a study by Stanford University’s School of Business, students who had graduated with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) were contacted 10 years after they graduated to gauge their success.  The study found that the grade point averages of graduates had no bearing on their success — but their ability to make conversation did.  The most successful graduates were those who could make conversation with anyone — from acquaintances to business associates and from total strangers to good friends.  Continue reading →

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