The Official Blog of Dale Carnegie North Dakota

North Dakota News of Interest…

John — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:04:31 +0000

Here are some tidbits of information in today’s news that should be of interest to business- and career-minded citizens of the great state of North Dakota…

Northward by northwest: North Bismarck sees growth in commercial and residential areas

Steady growth and development along major transportation routes happens, in part, due to accessibility advantages. As a result, developers and real estate investors often acquire land along key roadways while paying close attention to areas where sites will likely be demanded in the future, whether as commercial, residential or industrial. Read more here…

Oil is just the icing on the cake: Top industries in North Dakota

Oil. Oil, oil, oil. News of North Dakota’s fledgling big-ticket industry threatens to drown out everything else. But there are still a lot of other things going on in the state. And oil isn’t even the biggest. Read more here…

Marketing in a Digital Age

It’s a marketing challenge unique to the 21st century: With the electronic saturation of American culture, brick-and-mortar businesses have found themselves competing for the attention of their targeted consumers — often facing off with a steady, unrelenting stream of information, images, sounds and interactive applications. It’s stiff competition, and the playing field seems to change daily. Read more here…

This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of North Dakota, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in North Dakota. We would love to connect with you on Facebook.

Photo credit: tradeandindustrydev.com

Are You a Micromanager?

Liz Scavnicky-Yaekle — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:55:24 +0000

Micromanagement of employees often stifles teamwork, productivity, creativity and loyalty. It also diminishes trust and adds inordinate amounts of stress.

Ironically, most micromanagers don’t realize the extent to which they micromanage. They are so busy thoroughly inspecting and monitoring the activities of their employees, and rarely put themselves under the magnifying glass of painstaking evaluation.

To determine whether or not you are a micromanager, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have consistent behavioral swings? Are there certain situations, times of the day, week or quarter when you become extremely agitated? For example, do you experience a high level of anxiety every time your quarterly report is due to your superior? Perhaps this causes you to put abnormal amounts of pressure on your employees and babysit their every step.

By reflecting on the patterns of your performance under pressure and respective management style, you will be able to understand what triggers you to micromanage employees. Being aware of those triggers will enable you to catch yourself before escalating an issue to the point of putting the person responsible under undue amounts of stress and strain. Instead, you will learn how to calmly flag potential problems before they escalate and offer solutions that enable your employees to save face.

2. Does the poor performance of an individual on your team cause you to make unfair demands on everyone else? Often times, when a single employee fails to deliver on time or accurately, it causes a leader to dive into crisis mode. He or she becomes overly concerned about the performance of every other person on the team and ultimately micromanages them to minimize further failure.

If a single employee cannot complete the assignment to your satisfaction, engage someone who can. Deciding to do so sooner rather than later will be mutually beneficial. If you identify a veritable performance issue, address it via your organization’s formal performance management process.

Contemplate how your team members can coordinate ways to keep you abreast of their activities so that there is no need for you to fret about how everyone is performing. Perhaps team members can compile and provide a single, comprehensive report on a daily or weekly basis . Your ability to see how everyone is performing at a glance- and overall, will lessen the likelihood of your launching into micromanagement mode.

3. How do you prefer to be managed and treated? Most likely, you appreciate it when your own boss gives you space or refrains from smothering you during a challenge that you are doing your best to overcome. Imagine how it feels to be constantly scrutinized and mistrusted; Not very good.

As a leader, you are charged with empowering your team to make the right decisions and perform their duties to the best of their abilities. Your job is not to squelch, rather it is to support, your employees.

By ascertaining the differences between adding value and acting as a perfectionist, you will minimize your tendencies to micromanage.

5 Factors to Ensure “The Leader In You”

jimv — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:26:00 +0000

We are undergoing enormous change in organizations across the country. Here in North Dakota, the falling price of gas and the health economic outlook give us an edge as we grow our part of the country’s move to success. Lower fuel costs mean momentum and a renewed interest in hiring and that is a good thing.

In The Leader in You: How to Win Friends, Influence People, and Succeed in a Changing World; Dale Carnegie’s words ring very true: “Keep your mind open to change all the time. Welcome it. Court it. It is only by examining and reexamining your opinions and ideas that you can progress.”

Social Media plays a major role in our leadership direction. Facebook, Twitter, and Google + are now tools of opportunity and marketing. This article is really a blog that supports Dale Carnegie principles here in North Dakota. The speed of information and the voluminous amounts of it has to be harnessed for the good of both the organization and business.

This is a critical cultural change for all of us as leaders and managers. Our relationships are different than they were at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Today’s leadership need:

Vision
Values
Direction
Communication
Motivation

Every individual in the organization must be tapped for both talent and creativity. No longer are people just workers or just in the background. The shop floor has incredible ideas. One thing leadership has proven will remain unchanged. If we ask for advice from our employees we will receive it. Involving people, from subordinates to clients and suppliers will make everything a little better. Just ask Mr. Carnegie.

This article in in conjunction with Dale Carnegie training of North Dakota; please click below for further information on workshops and classes.

Photo Credit: Dale Carnegie

5 Elements for Nonverbal Leadership

jimv — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:55:11 +0000

For leadership and management teams across North Dakota and beyond, there is great power in nonverbal communication and the one-on-one message. Only about 35% of any message is purely verbal. Since about 65% of any conversation is received and interpreted by a number of ingredients other than the words that are used, there are many elements to consider:

Inflection: Whether the tone of voice is stern or friendly, it is paid attention to in conversation.
Gestures: Motions like nodding or waving take on interpretive importance in every discussion.
Positioning: Sitting, standing, walking, or leaning into an individual who is listening to the message, influences the words that are being used.
Clothes: People do pay attention to how an individual is dressed. Someone in a suit talking to someone wearing jeans sets up a status difference in the communication.
Facial expressions: People watch faces. Whether it is conscious or unconscious, faces do communicate. A blank stare is always remembered.

The most interesting fact for leaders is that “nonverbal” is prone to misinterpretation, especially when the conversation is emotional or negative in nature. It comes from the point that it is not what one says, but how one says it that is the most important element.

When combined with language, the nonverbal signals can be very effective when someone is conveying ideas, selling something, or convincing someone. The more emotional the situation, the more influence the message has in the conversation.

Everyone has varying degrees of sensitivity or awareness with nonverbal communication. Some notice it more than others. But the two most important aspects of nonverbal communication; kinesics (body language) and paralanguage (tone and inflection) are usually paid attention to in varying situations.

Most employees will believe nonverbal communication as fact. Criminals and actors use this reality in their respective professions. It is important to remember that people are attracted to others by their nonverbal cues. First dates often begin with body language and gestures.

Being aware that it is not what you say but how you say, it will go a long way in relationship building and understanding.

This article on nonverbal communication is in association with the Dale Carnegie workshops and classes found below.

Photo Credit: scoop.it

Fast Track Your Career by Making Yourself Indispensable

John — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:11:27 +0000

Perhaps the most powerful way to accelerate your career path is to make yourself an indispensable asset to your organization.

The rule is this: You will always be paid in direct proportion to what you do, how well you do it, and the difficulty of replacing you. Your aim, therefore, must be to focus on becoming so valuable and important to your company that the company cannot do without you. Your contribution should be so essential that even with market downturns and layoffs, you will be one of the last people that the company would consider letting go.

The way to attain this status is by continually asking yourself, “What does my company need from me?” And “Of all the things that I can do, what are the few things that I do that contribute the most value to my company?”

Finally, when searching for your answers ask yourself this one, final question: “If I could do only one thing all day long, what one thing would that be?” The answer to this question is almost invariably the one task or activity where you contribute the greatest value to your company and to the people around you.

Bonus: For more information on developing skills every organization looks for, join us in Bismark on June 26 for a three-day seminar entitle, “Dale Carnegie Course for Busy Professionals.” We promise your seminar experience will power you beyond your comfort zone and help you stretch for and attain ambitious new goals!

Photo credit: watcharakun

North Dakota News – Kajj’s Wish Come True, Arbor Day Tree-Planting Event, 1,000 Pairs of Shoes & More

Kristina Schneider — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:43:20 +0000

Make-A-Wish & West Fargo Police Department Make Dreams Come True
A little more than a year ago, 4-year-old Kenneth Anthony Johnson, Jr. (also known as Kajj) was diagnosed with Stage 5 Wilms Tumor, a cancer that left him one kidney working at 50%. His only wish was to be a police officer, so the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the West Fargo Police Department joined forces to help make his dream control. In typical police fashion, Kajj even got a chance to eat a doughnut with his coworkers. >>READ MORE

Arbor Day Tree-Planting Event This Saturday
The Fargo Public Library is celebrating Arbor Day this year with a tree planting event for all agents this Saturday, April 28th starting at 10am at the downtown Main Library. City Forester Scott Liudahl will be demonstrating the proper way to plant and care for the trees. In additional, members of the community are invited to help plant 3 decorative flowering treats on the City’s green space located on the north side of the Main Library. This event is free to the public. For more information, visit the library’s website at www.fargolibrary.org.

Help 1,000 Kids Receive a New Pair of Shoes
The Fargo Marathon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Dakota Medical Foundation and Nike are teaming up to help buy new shoes for under privileged children in the Fargo-Moorhead community. On Friday, May 18th, the Fargo Marathon is holding a 5K race. One dollar of each participant’s registration fee will go towards a new pair of shoes and each dollar will be matched by the corporate sponsors of the event. The marathon hopes to get 10,000 participants, which will provide 1,000 pairs of new shoes. As of today, they are halfway there. For more information on this event and to register, go to www.fargomarathon.com. (Source: BCBSND.com)

Two West Fargo High Students Qualify for SkillsUSA Nationals
For West Fargo High School students, Tucker Bucholz and Jesse Suppa, the dream to go to the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Mo. on June 23-27 came true when they won the right to move onto the national competition after placing first in the SkillsUSA state competition in the categories of cabinetry and motorcycle service technology, respectively. Congratulations, Tucker and Jesse! (Source: inforum.com)

This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of North Dakota, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in North Dakota. We would love to connect with you on Facebook.

Photo Credit: valleynewslive.com

Need to Increase Sales? … Tap Into Your Existing Customers!

John — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:35:21 +0000

Your database of customers is an excellent way to increase your sales — either by cross-selling other products and services to them or getting them to recommend your business to someone they know. To strengthen your sales, your friends at Dale Carnegie North Dakota have listed below three quick tips your business can benefit by:

1. Communicate Consistently — Consistent communication though marketing is something done through a series of educational e-mail tips, monthly letters, postcards and newsletters. It builds trust, credibility and brand recognition. Far too many businesses confuse marketing as constant selling, but you cannot sell all the time or your audience will not read your marketing campaigns. Ultimately, you want your business to be your client’s companion, providing supportive and useful information on a regular basis.

2. Customer Service Is More Important Than You Think — Great customer service means going the distance for your customers. By putting them first, you will find that they will be far more likely to recommend you to someone they know.

3. Know What Your Customers Want And Need — You can profoundly deepen your business’ customer loyalty by putting time and energy into learning their wants, wishes, values and priorities. This research can go a long way to helping make your customer’s experience with your organization feel truly unique — something they won’t forget.

When it comes to sales and marketing, it is easy to focus solely on your database of prospects. And while the value of a new customer coming on board is immeasurable, your existing customer base should never be overlooked. By heeding the tips listed above, you will not only create stronger customer loyalty, but also a new stream of revenue to your business.

5 Tips for Finding a Job When You’re Over 50

Kristina Schneider — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:44:53 +0000

In today’s economy, it’s hard enough to find a job fresh out of college or even mid-career. It’s even harder for those over the age of 50. According to AARP, individuals over 50 spend almost twice as long unemployed than those under 50.

Thanks to the folks at MainStreet.com, we found these 5 tips for finding a job over the age of 50.

Play your age up, not down. There’s no hiding your age in an interview, so make it an asset. But instead of focusing on the number, highlight what comes with it: your experience and reliability. Career counselor Vernon Bailey, interviewed in the video, adds, “Younger people might not have that experience, and you’re demonstrating you can do it, because you’ve already done it.”
Learn the tech. If anyone thinks you’re “behind the times” or “out of touch,” prove them wrong. If 81-year-old media mogul @RupertMurdoch can learn to use Twitter, so can you. Behind on industry-specific skills and software? Brush up with some courses or teach yourself. AARP WorkSearch, one of the resources we mentioned in 4 Places for Free Job Training, has an education and training section to help decide what’s right for you and where you can get it.
Settle for less – at first. Go easy on salary negotiations and aim for performance-based bonuses rather than a higher base pay. Bailey says, “Consider what they’re offering with the caveat to renegotiate after six months,” once you’ve proven you deserve more. Focus on getting your foot in the door. If you sense that the employer is wavering because of money, explain you’re flexible and just want to prove yourself – and that they’ll spend less time and money training you than someone younger. If you’re looking to change fields, you might even consider an internship – they’re not just for college kids anymore. According to this Public Radio International story, more than half of companies would consider hiring older workers, but only about 7% say they get over-50 applicants.
Prove you’re a good fit. Any decent job candidate has to show they can adapt to the culture and be a team player. For older workers, this might mean persuading a younger boss you’re not out for his job. Ever worked for a start-up or some other company with a younger culture? Mentioning that might help. If not, make it clear in the interview you’re not there to challenge authority – and don’t imply that you can teach junior a lot of life lessons.
Update and trim your resume. Here’s the AARP’s resume advice, which includes some samples in different styles. But however you choose to organize your work history, don’t include it all – only go back 10 to 15 years. No matter how much experience you have, employers probably won’t skim through more than two pages. The exception is if they specifically ask for a full run-down — like in academia, where you probably need a curriculum vitae. Also be careful with your language. Some terms and phrases that were common and accepted the last time you had to look for work may have become cliche. Try looking at the resume of a younger professional (but not a new college grad’s, because they’re terrible) for guidance.

Photo Credit: MainStreet.com

The Secret to Accumulating Wealth

John — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:22:16 +0000

By now, we’ve all heard of the “Law of Attraction” and its ability to attract the things into your life that you desire. Perhaps you buy into the law, but haven’t put it into practice yet. Or perhaps you don’t believe in it. Whatever the case, there’s no denying that people who continually worry about money create a negative force field of mental energy around them that drives money away from them, and increases their financial problems. They end up earning far less than they desire, or less than they are capable of, and are often overwhelmed by bills and debts. They reap what they sow, and in essence, they become what they think about.

Rich people, on the other hand, fill their minds with thoughts, words, pictures, and images of wealth, affluence, success, productivity, and solutions to problems in the marketplace. They read books and magazines that describe other wealthy people and illustrate the rewards of wealth creation. They think in terms of beautiful homes, cars, clothes, and vacations. They continually expect to enjoy these beautiful things as the result of their efforts.

If you want to be successful, find out how wealthy people think. Find out what they read. Find out how they spend their time. Find out what they talk about and think about and write about, and then do the same things that wealthy people do. Remember, it is up to you to sow only the seeds in your mental garden that you want to see grow in the world around you.

For more information on thinking positive thoughts, consider attending our “Dale Carnegie Course for Busy Professionals,” being held in Bismark on April 24!

Photo credit: KROMKRATHOG

North Dakota News Bites!

John — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:24:12 +0000

More North Dakota Women Own Businesses

There are an estimated 18,400 female-owned businesses in the state of North Dakota. The businesses employ about 19,000 and make about $2 billion in sales, according to the State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, a study of U.S. Census Bureau data commissioned by American Express OPEN. The increase in female-owned businesses is attributed to better access to education, such as online classes with a flexible schedule, making it easier to get a degree and start a company. Read more here…

North Dakota — a Truly Connected State!

North Dakota is now home to the largest fiber optic Internet connection in North America. No matter where you live in south central North Dakota, get ready for the fastest Internet service in existence. A new Internet service was announced in Jamestown today that will be able to reach all people, from the city to the farm. Read more here…

Minot International Airport Prepares for Expansion

Minot’s International Airport was built for 75 to 100 thousand passengers a year, but that level of travel is a distant memory. Projections are for 200-thousand passengers this year to fly out of Minot. That means a very busy, congested, and sometimes frustrating airport…and plans to scrap it for something brand new.
Read more here…

Does America Have More Oil Than Saudi Arabia?

The United States has plenty of oil within US borders—even without the Bakken oil field. We don’t have to rely on foreign oil anymore! It is just a matter of drilling and getting the oil out. Read more here…

Photo credit: citizensincharge.org