6 Simple Steps for Building Your Team's Skills

Use this framework to jump-start learning and development

You hired great people. But even the most talented, experienced employees need to develop skills so they can succeed in their current roles--and be ready to advance to the next level. The problem, of course, is that it's difficult to find time for learning and development when your company is busy focusing on "real work." In many organizations, learning falls to the bottom of the list, where it never gets addressed.

As a result, your people don't develop the skills they need to take on greater responsibilities, leaders can't delegate because "I'm the only one who knows how to do this" and everyone is frustrated.

How can you develop an approach for learning that isn't too time-consuming and doesn't break your budget? Recently I developed this framework for an organization whose leader needs to develop junior members while managing a challenging workload.

Step 1: Define skills thatyour team needs Get together with your leaders and managers (at the beginning of the year or periodically) to define needed skills in the following categories:

• Interpersonal skills (such as collaboration, listening,. . .)
• Technical skills (such as Microsoft Office, HTML, . . .)
• Professional skills (such as writing, facilitation, design, project management . . .)
• Conceptual skills (such as strategic planning, decision-making, leading a team, . . .)

Step 2: Identify skills that individual team members wantto develop (and/or that their managers think they should develop My firm does this every year as part of our performance management system. We ask employees what they want to learn, and ask their managers what they think their team members need to develop. Step 3: Organize and prioritize Once we've built our overall list (step 1) and understand employees' preferences (step 2), we decide which skills are a priority for our entire team, a function or a level. While some employees will develop their skills on an individual basis ("I'll attend a workshop to learn HTML 5 programming."), we also create a short list of learning topics we'll address as a firm. Step 4: Decide on learning methods A good learning plan goes beyond sending an employee to a class, and includes a mix of:

• Learning events (internal and external), such as: workshops, courses, conferences, seminars.
• Experiential learning, such as: work within role, special assignments, coordinated swaps, job shadowing.
• Mentoring/teaching (because teaching creates learning as well as shares knowledge), such as structured mentoring/coaching, buddies, common interest groups.
• Knowledge management, such as: best practice sharing, reference and reading materials, internal standards and documented processes.

Step 5: Develop a learning plan for six to 12 months Keep this simple--you don't want to overreach--but create a simple framework as follows:

• Methods
• Roles and responsibilities
• Timeline/calendar

Step 6: Lather, rinse, repeat Now that you've got the party started, build on your momentum by:

• Collecting periodic feedback from team members
• Revisiting your plan every quarter and adjust as needed

From Inc. Magazine

50 Tips for Starting Your Own Company

Starting your own business isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s stressful and pretty much demands your complete focus. On the plus side, it can also be a fulfilling experience professionally and personally.

Here are 50 tips on how to make your business come to life:

1. Do a self-inventory.

Not everyone has what it takes to start a company. That’s not to say that your idea is not brilliant. It just means that you may not have the personality traits to handle launching a company of your own.

Before investing any time or resources, evaluate yourself and see if you have some the typical traits of an entrepreneur. Are you motivated, able to adapt and confident? Are you resilient?  

2. Develop an idea.

Don’t just start a business because something is in vogue and you think commercializing it will make money. Develop a business concept that you're passionate about related to something that you have experience with. From there, come up with a product or service that you believe can enhance the people’s lives.

3. Test the plausibility.

Once you’ve settled on an idea, figure out how you can make it become a reality. Is the product or service something that people want or need? Can you make a profit selling it? Does the product work?  

4. Write a business plan.

A solid business plan will guide you going forward. It’s also needed for presenting your idea to potential investors. Your business plan should include a mission statement, a company summary, an executive summary, a service or product offerings, a description of a target market, financial projections and the cost of the operation. Learn about how to write a business plan at SBA.gov.

5. Identify your market.

Even though you may have detected some interest in your business, you need to do more homework. Assess the market, targeting the customers most likely to make a purchase. Perform a competitive assessment. 

6. Determine the costs.

Do additional research and find out the standard cost factors within this industry. Not only will this help you manage your business more effectively, investors will want to know this. 

7. Establish a budget.

Once you determine how much money you’ll have to work with, figure out how much it will take to develop your product or service and create a marketing plan.

8. Find the right investors.

You’re going to need some sort of funding to start off, whether from your savings, credit cards, loans, grants or venture capitalists. Find an investor who shares your passion, someone you believe you can work with.

9. Listen to investors.

Whether you like it, investors do have a say in your company. And you need to listen to their advice or suggestion. But that doesn’t mean you have to do what they tell you.

10. Set up a great support system.

You’re going to be investing a lot of time and resources into your new business venture. Be certain that your family is on board. They must be aware that this process will be challenging financially and emotionally.

11. Determine the legal structure.

Settle on which form of ownership is best for you: a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a limited liability company, a corporation, an S corporation, a nonprofit or a cooperative. Find out more at SBA.gov.

12. Select a business name.

Decide on a name that best suits your business. Then check to see if the domain name is available online, as well as if it’s free to use in your county, state and in the country. 

13. Register your business name.

If your proposed business name is available, register it with the county clerk, have it trademarked at the state and federal levels and secure a domain name.

14. Take advantage of free resources.

Numerous free resources can offer advice, training and assistance. SBA.gov is a great place to look at to find local resources.

15. Determine tax obligations.

Now it’s time to wrestle with the tax obligations. In the United States, four basic types of business taxes arise: income, self-employment, taxes for employees and excise taxes.

16. Secure permits and licenses.

According to NOLO, you’ll have to pick up a federal employment identification number (unless the company is a sole proprietorship or a limited liability company without employees.) Apply for state licenses. Pick up a local tax registration certificate. File for local permits, if required, such as a conditional use permit or zoning variance.

17. Buy insurance.

Make sure that you arrange for the proper insurance for your business. This will vary according to the type of business. If you’re working from home be sure that your homeowner’s insurance covers theft or damage to business assets, as well as liability for any business-related injuries.  

18. Set up the books.

Figure out if you’re using a cash or accrual system, determine the fiscal year for the business and set up a recordkeeping system.

19. Choose a business location.

Select a location that best fits the needs of your business, one that offers an opportunity for growth, the right level of competition and proximity to suppliers. It should also be accessible to customers.

20. Don’t worry about an office.

If you’re not making any revenue, then don't concern yourself with an office or warehouse ust yet.

21. A patent can wait.

Patents can cost thousands of dollars. Wait to pursue this route until you have a few customers paying the bills. A patent is less useful if you can't enforce it or have the money to see it through. 

22. Be flexible.

Chances are that your original idea will have to be modified. Being able to pivot and adapt to create what customers want will determine if your business will fail or succeed.

23. Share your ideas with friends and family.

Your nearest and dearest will most likely be the most honest with you about your business. Don’t hesitate to seek their advice and suggestions.

24. Ignore the naysayers.

At the same time, there’s a difference between constructive criticism and someone's quick jab projecting that your business will fail. Follow the example of French Internet mogul Xavier Niel and ignore them.

25. Don’t become angry.

If your idea is rejected by customers or investors, don't just succumb to anger. Find out what they didn’t like, make adjustments and go back to them when you’ve made the changes. There's the possibility that the timing was wrong as well.

26. Deliver the product or service fast.

Your business is a work in progress and if you launch your product or service quickly, you will be able to build a community of customers who can provide valuable feedback that can help you improve the offerings. In the words of LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, "If you're not embarrassed by your first product release, you've released too late

27. Offer new products or services.

If you already have customers, be sure to hold on to them by providing new products or services.

28. Be patient.

Always keep in mind that success won’t happen overnight. It’s going to take some time before you make a profit.

29. Overdeliver at first.

Once you land a new client, be sure to go above and beyond the call of duty for at least the first month. You’ll have this customer hooked from then on.

30. Blog all the time.

Don’t be ashamed to share both your triumphs and struggles. Customers will enjoy your honesty.

31. Avoid fights with partners

If you have disagreements with partners, then sever ties as soon as possible. In-house bickering will prevent you from focusing on growing the business.

32. Don’t worry about dilution.

So an investor has required a stake in the company. Recognize the fact that eventually at one point or another you'll have to give up some control of the business. Accept it and move on.

33. Hire a copywriter.

Unless you’re an excellent writer, hire a copywriter to compose emails for highly targeted customers. A copywriter will also prove handy for press releases and other pieces to spread brand awareness or provide business updates.

34. Prepare for meetings.

When preparing for a meeting with a client, read up on everything that’s available, steeping yourself in information about the industry, that firm's employees and its competition.

35. Don’t fear the competition.

Don’t bad-mouth the competition when talking to investors or customers. There’s no need to become an object of pity. In fact, talking in this manner might even point customers to a competitor who may offer a product or service that you don’t. Remember, when competition exists, there’s a market for your business. Use that knowledge as inspiration to outperform a rival.

36. Benefit from word-of-mouth.

Nothing beats some good old-fashioned word-of-mouth marketing. Let friends, family members and influencers in your field spread the word about your product or service.

37. Network.

Don’t be afraid to get out there and show your face to the public, whether at a conference or just being out and about with friend on a Friday night. But try to stay local because travel can dwindle your budget.

38. Provide outstanding customer service.

Interacting with people is a big part of the job. Your business may gain new customers because you made them feel important. For example, Zappos wasn’t the first online store to sell shoes, but the company perfected its customer-service department and won over shoppers.

39. Be sure your website functions.

Potential customers want to know as much about your business as possible and they should be able to quickly access that kind of information on your website.

40. Don’t be overly concerned by the economy.

Some of the best businesses have launched during a recession. In fact, half of the Fortune 500 companies listed in 2009 were founded during such times, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

41. Make sure clients pay their bills.

Always be certain to receive payment for your products or services. Instead of being taken advantage of of, establish a time frame for payment. It also wouldn’t hurt to accept credit cards and have an online payment system set up.

42. Find the right employees.

Hire the right people for the job. Even though it's your business, you won't be skilled at every task, which is why you need qualified people to complete the work.

43. Assign responsibilities.

Eelegate attainable tasks to employees. This is all about effective management.

44. Know that honesty is the best policy.

If any issues with employees emerge, be sure that they are addressed. No one enjoys being talked about behind their back.

45. Remember that opposites attract.

Hire people with skills and personalities that are the opposite to yours. They’ll challenge you and will bring different skills and talents to the business that you don't.

46. Say goodbye to your social life.

You’re going to spend a lot of time devoted to the business. Even if you plan a night out, you may leave early because a lightbulb just went off. Hopefully those closest in your life will understand.

47. Recognize that you'll be the final person to be paid.

As the CEO, you’re the last to collect a check. That’s just how it works until there’s adequate revenue.

48. Arrive at a useful definition of success.

Just because your business hasn’t made you a millionaire (yet) doesn’t mean that your enterprise is a failure. If you’re able to make some sort of profit doing something that you’re passionate about, isn’t that a success story?

49. Realize when it's time to move on.

Failure is inevitable. If things aren’t working out and you’ve done all you can, then put aside your pride and close up shop. Something like this is not easy to accept. But it’s for the best.

50. Don’t just rely on the advice of others.

Despite my offering up all of these tips for you, perhaps the most important piece of advice is something learned the hard way: While many people may offer a startup assiistance, recognize that in the end you’re the person running the show and the one responsible for the company's success and failure. If you understand what worked and what didn’t, you’ll burnish the skills and knowledge to run your business. 

From Entrepreneur

5 Presentation Lessons From Apple's New Rock Star

Since I wrote a book titled The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, I’ve been searching for a presenter -- at Apple or any other company -- who comes close to sharing Jobs’ presence on stage. It hasn’t been easy. Jobs was charismatic, inspiring, humorous, dramatic, engaging and polished, and his slides were beautifully designed.

Apple is giving one vice president more time on stage and he’s the most compelling business presenter I’ve seen in a long time. His name is Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering.

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced Federighi as “Superman” at Apple’s annual WWDC developers conference on June 2. Cook may have been referring to Federighi’s presentation skills. Federighi commanded 70 percent of the entire presentation and clearly stole the show, given the reaction he attracted in the audience and among bloggers who covered the event.

Here are five very specific presentation techniques that Federighi does very effectively, techniques that you can -- and should -- use in your next presentation.

1. Raise the energy level. Federighi doesn’t just walk on stage. He leaps, strides and exudes passion and enthusiasm in his voice and gestures. He has a smile on his face. He laughs easily. His energy level is high -- much higher than the average presenter.

Most people deliver a presentation in the same tone of voice and use the same energy as though they were speaking in hushed tones to a colleague in the hallway. A mission-critical presentation is not a casual conversation. It’s a performance. A performer such as Federighi brings up the energy in the room as soon as he walks in.

Apple

2. Make people laugh. Most business presentations are dry, boring and stuffy. Federighi didn’t get the memo. Right out of the gate he injects humor in his presentation. He kicked off a discussion of the new Apple operating system, “Yosemite,” by poking fun at the “crack product-marketing team” that develops names.

“We shoved them in their VW mini bus and set them out on the road. They ventured south and discovered OS X Oxnard … before boldly venturing north, landing at OS X ‘weed.’ Strangely, this had large pockets of support within the product marketing organization,” Federighi said as 6,000 attendees laughed and cheered.

Throughout the presentation he poked good-natured fun at himself, especially his mane of white hair, which he jokingly refers to as “hair force one.”

When Federighi was demonstrating new phone features, he was interrupted by a call from his mother (all of this is planned and rehearsed, of course).

“She surely wants to grill me about the newest fourth-tier LVM compiler, but this is not the right time,” he said as he hung up on her. The audience good-naturedly groaned. “I’m sorry,” Federighi responded. “She’s a wonderful, wonderful woman, but this is my space,” he said with a smile.

3. Keep your body language ‘open.’ Federighi has commanding presence. He doesn’t cross his arms or slouch. He has a constant smile and maintains an open posture, which means his palms are up and his arms are kept above the waist. Your body language speaks volumes before you say a word.

Apple

4. Design simple, visual slides. The average presentation slide has 40 words. It’s nearly impossible to find 40 words in 10 of Federighi’s slides. His slides were photographs, images and animations that complemented his message. This is called picture superiority, which means that information is more easily retained when it is presented as pictures instead of text.

I’m not suggesting that you avoid text completely. There were plenty of words in Apple’s WWDC 14 presentation, but images and simple numbers made up the preponderance of the slides.

5. Stick to the 10-minute rule. John Medina, a University of Washington brain researcher, came up with the “10-minute rule.” He says that no matter how engaging a speaker is, the audience will naturally tune out after approximately 10 minutes. The cure is to build in soft-breaks to re-engage the audience. Federighi doesn’t break the 10-minute rule.

For example, he spoke for two minutes before introducing a video of a new Apple ad (soft break). The ad lasted one minute and Federighi re-appeared to discuss a new feature of the software. He presented slides for another four minutes before showing a demonstration of the product (soft break). The demo was swift, lasting exactly five minutes. Federighi then picked up the clicker and went back to his slides.

By building in soft breaks every few minutes, Federighi can do what very few presenters can accomplish -- he can keep the attention of the audience for an hour.

You may never speak in front of an audience of 6,000 developers or customers as Federighi does, but the techniques that made him the most talked-about presenter at the Apple developer conference are the same techniques that will help you win over any audience.

From Entrepreneur

Starting up All Over Again: Useful Hindsight From 7 Entrepreneurs

Seasoned entrepreneurs weigh in on what they wish they had known when 
they were just starting out.

We asked members of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) to look back and share one piece of advice they would have given their past entrepreneurial selves.

Know Your Personality

"Learn everything you can about yourself. I really wanted to know why I made the choices that I did, so I completed a range of personality profiles. This way, I could better identify my personal constraints, strengths, and communication style."

Damien James, EO Australia--Victoria

Founder and CEO, Aged Foot Care

Mind the Numbers

"I used to put finance and everything surrounding it at the bottom of my priorities. Now, I follow best practices for accounting and produce quarterly audited reports. I close the books monthly and watch the cash flow like a hawk. Keeping a better grasp on numbers from the start would have certainly made us more professional, increased our credibility with our stakeholders, and avoided some of the painful global expansion decisions we made."

Saahil Mehta, EO U.A.E.

Managing Director, ResNet World

Find the Right Partner

"I would have aligned myself with a more experienced partner, from whom I could leverage real work experience and network. When I started in business, I had no experience, no network, and limited resources. Had I partnered with someone to teach me the ropes and provide me with even some of these resources, my entrepreneurial journey would have been much less of a struggle."

Josh Frey, EO DC

Founder, On Sale Promos

Be Yourself

"I spent a lot of time earlier in my career trying to be who I thought others wanted me to be or how I thought I should act or dress. Over time, I came to realize that the more I embraced my own strengths, weaknesses, and core values, the better I do. This has also attracted the right people around me, who respect and appreciate my authenticity and share my values."

Robert Glazer, EO Boston

Founder and Managing Director, Acceleration Partners

Build Systems Into Your Company

"Standard operating procedures are critical as you grow, but even basic systems to keep you and your clients organized will go a long way. We use a lot of cloud services and project management tools and have instructions written up for everyone. These systems need to be followed closely but they reduce mistakes and ensure everything is done properly with greater ease."

Curtis Priest, EO Toronto

Partner and CEO, Pixelcarve

Align the Team

"It is crucial to make sure everyone--you, your business partners and your team--are aligned on the company mission, vision, and values. Check in regularly--at least every quarter--to make sure everyone is on the same page. When things have gone most wrong, it's been when we have not agreed on the vision, aims, and direction we want to take the business."

Julia Langkraehr, EO UK--London

Strategic Coach, Julia Langkraehr

Learn From Mistakes

"Instead of wallowing in mistakes, learn from them and move on. There's a lot of insight to be gleaned from a situation in which things go poorly and it can be valuable. Incessantly retracing steps or going over an unfixable situation is useless. Instead, focus on the future and how to have positive interactions and experiences."

Keith Roberts, EO Colorado

Founder and President, Zenman

From Inc.