Employees sometimes make mistakes or violations.  If the mistakes or violations will adversely affect the productivity or integrity of the company, you call the employee in your office and give him or her a reprimand.

There are five serious errors which a manager or leader can make in reprimanding.

1.  Failing to get facts.    Don’t accept hearsay evidence or go on general impressions but be sure to have all the facts before jumping.

2.  Acting while angry.  Do it when you are calm and be as impartial as possible in making a decision to reprimand. Make a self-evaluation, perhaps it was possibly your fault that the error or violation occurred.

3.  Being vague about the offense.  Let the person know the general charge and the specific details of the offense.  Don’t refer to general complaints or refuse to give details.

4.  Not considering the other person’s side of the story. Listen to the person’s  full story about what happened and the reasons why he did what he did. There may be mitigating circumstances, conflicting orders or even unclear orders you gave which were at fault.

5.  Neglecting to keep records.  Disciplinary reprimands should always be recorded in the personnel folder of the person to become part of his or her work history  and as evidence in the event of further disciplinary requirements.  In many cases, people who were known to be unsatisfactory employees over the years have been reinstated after discharge because the company could produce no proofs that the person had ever been told of his shortcomings.

These are the blunders that I know and if you have some in your list please share them with us by leaving your comments below this post. We love to hear from you.

Your friend,

Nimia Acebes

In my  article on How to Know What Areas Need Improvement , the first guide that I give is to focus on costs.

The article stresses that whatever your organization is, whether you are operating for profit or with a budget, like a government agency, the good result of initiating with a cost reduction is great.

This doesn’t mean that we eliminate necessary services, such as income-generating activity, in order to reduce costs.  It means producing more products and services for every amount that the organization spends.

You must analyze and act assertively on how the present operating expenses can produce more products and services or  how the same volume or products and services can be produced at lesser costs.

A manager’s basic function is to get the work done, but certainly not at any cost.  Finding ways to improve your operations with better, less wasteful methods is as important a contribution to your company as meeting production quotas and schedules.  Here’s how to balance the two areas of responsibility:

*  Use Time Well. Wasted time is one of the costliest elements in any operation.  A manager can cut this waste by engaging the right equipment, the right materials and the right people at the right time.  Time is the essential element.  The lack of any factor at the right time holds up the job and increases costs.  Learn these facts about each operation:  how long it takes, how many people are needed, how the work flows from station to station, and the capacity of each station.

*  Coordinate Correctly. After determining just what has to be done, where, and by whom, each step must be coordinated.  Proper coordination can eliminate waiting for assignments or supplies, cut down chasing time for information or materials, and assure optimum use of workers and equipment.

*  Insure Proper Work Flow. Sometimes poor work flow just sort of grows from a lack of any real planning.  Improper work flow results in uneven workloads and unproductive waiting time.  Don’t let time-wasting bad habits develop into accepted procedures.

*  Schedule Carefully. Any kind of bottleneck adds to costs, but you can avoid some of them with proper scheduling.  Even the occasional rush job should not throw off your schedule if you have padded in a little extra time for the inevitable emergencies.  If you don’t need the time, you don’t have to use it.  But if you do need it, using it won’t create excessive costs.

*  Use Manpower Efficiently. Failing to use available manpower to the fullest potential is always the costliest item of doing business.  Target these areas of waste:

-        Using more workers on a job than are actually needed.

-        Not having enough workers on a job, resulting in unnecessary overtime.

-        Using highly paid, skilled workers on jobs that lower paid workers can do.

-        Failure to use skilled workers in their specialties for reasons of day-to-day expediency.

-        Failure to give adequate on-the-job training.

-        Not policing the overtime.  Is it really necessary or would realistic scheduling help reduce it?

As good executive, you shall act as role model in terms of cost reduction. According to John Maxwell, When they need to cut cost, many executives will sacrifice employees ahead of their own corporate perks. They see their OWN picture instead of the big picture. I believe that a leader should not ask others to make sacrifices until he’s made some himself. A good employee is simply too valuable to let go without exhausting other options.

If you have any other cost reduction ideas to include in this list, I shall be very glad to hear from you.

Your friend,

Nimia Acebes

Sometime in November 2009, I wrote an article on the Five Tips to Remember When Setting Performance Targets with Employees.  This is to guide you in effectively managing performance of your employees.

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey shares with us the following five elements to be present during performance agreements with employees:

1.  Desired Results

2.  Guidelines

3.  Resources

4.  Accountability

5.  Consequences

Desired Results. Identify the output and when it is accomplished.   Focus on results not methods.

Let us not fall into the activity trap, which means we are so entangled in activity that we lose sight of the reason of the activity.  The activity, thus, become an end in itself.  The means has become the end.  The goal is lost in a bout of methods.  That is why we have employees who are so busy working daily but could not achieve the desired result at the targeted time because they are so busy with so many activities and methods which are counterproductive and even harmful.

Guidelines. Specify the parameters in terms of quantity, quality and time, principles, policies, etc., within which the results are to be achieved.

Resources. Identify the human, financial, technical, or organizational support available to help accomplish the results.  Tell the employees to whom or to where shall they go for help when they find problem in accomplishing their desired results.

Accountability. Set up the standards of performance and the time of evaluation.

Consequences. Specify – good and bad, natural and logical – what does and will happen as a result of the evaluation.

In performance agreements, Stephen Covey says: consequences become the natural or logical result of performance rather than a reward or punishment arbitrarily handled out by the person in charge.

If these elements are mutually understood and agreed upon by you and your employees,  performance appraisal would be easy, as the employees could judge and evaluate their own performance based on these criteria.

A Regional Director is conducting Performance Agreement discussion with her supervisors.

I’m inviting you to give your views on this article by leaving your comments below this post.

Your friend,

Nimia Acebes

Life is like a roller-coaster.  Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. It matters not whether you’re very down, as long as, you strive to get up every time you fall.

I experienced an unforgettable trial in my life and career in the mid of 2002.  I was relieved as Department Manager of the government corporation where I work, when the former incumbent reassumed office upon returning home after finishing her scholarship grant at a foreign country.

At first, I felt depressed, especially, when I was just reassigned as a staff of a top executive.  However, I didn’t lose hope and I looked for ways to go on with my life.

Here are the ways I adopted to survive from this trial:

1.  Never Blame and Hate Anybody. Everything happens for a reason and we are responsible for our own lives.  Stop blaming others, if you want to make the most of your talent and be successful.

If you keep on hating somebody, you couldn’t keep your focus on your self-improvement. Life is too short, so don’t spend it wastefully by hating others.

When I was relieved, I could have sought the assistance of  the Civil Service Commission or the CES board for my case, as I have a CESO rank.  But, I didn’t do that because I didn’t want to spoil my relationship with my big bosses.  In this case, stirring up the waters might not enable me to catch fish.

2.  Think Positive. Look at the positive in every trial.  There are no negative incidents only incidents which help in your improvement and strengthen your character so that you may rise to new altitude. There are no failures, only lessons.

Troubles and trials make life more interesting.  Keep in mind that nothing lasts forever.  These, too, will pass.

3.  Think of the Opportunity it Can Give. When I was relieved, I used it as an opportunity to complete my Executive Leadership Program with the CESboard.

Likewise, I used it as an opportunity to research on latest updates pertaining to my field of work so that I will have the right knowledge when the time for me to head an office comes.

4.  Devote Time to Personal and Career Development Activities. Invest in yourself.  Sharpen your saw. Organize your time.  Devote at least one hour in the morning for your personal and career development activities so that when you are given again another opportunity to hold a higher position, you are prepared for it.

Your daily personal and career development activities include meditation, visualization of your day and what you want to become, reading of inspirational books and articles and listening to motivational CDs and tapes.

At the start of 2003, I wrote my career development plan.  My goal was to be a Regional Director and the target date was not later than December 31, 2003.  I listed down my activities and worked on it, to attain my goal.

5.  Persevere. At that time, bringing my goal to reality seemed impossible as I was still frozen as staff of a top executive, with no assurance of being placed to a managerial position in the near future.

But I carried on as these words of Napoleon Hill inspired me:

“whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.”

I believed that if I have a written plan and persist in developing myself and my career, I can achieve my goal.

6.  Have a Strong Faith in the Divine Providence. I believe that God has a purpose for everything that happens in our life.  If we place everything in the Lord’s hands, whatever happens, it is the Lord’s will and it is for our own good.

Always bear in mind that the darkest part of the night is just before dawn.

In April 2003, I received an order designating me again as Department Manager.  In May 2003, I was promoted to a position which is one salary grade higher than my present position.  On November 25, 2003, I was assigned as Regional Director of a Regional Office whose head retired from the service.  I attained my goal before the target date.

Life’s journey is not always easy.  Now and then, we pass through bumpy roads and stormy seas and we have to survive all these to attain our goal.

I know you also have your own survival ways to tell and I’m glad if you could share it with us by leaving your comments below this article.

Your friend,

Nimia Acebes

“The Dream Book has helped me achieve some amazing things – I’ve started a church, finishedmy first book, and bought a new home and a new car. This concept has opened the doors to my dreams and goals, and destroyed the attitude of mediocrity I’d had for a long time. The real story is not about what I’m accomplishing through The Dream Book, but rather what The Dream Book is accomplishing inside of me.” – Brian from Wisconsin

Psychological research shows that we tend to be happiest when we feel we have control over our lives. When we feel in control, we’re generally upbeat, optimistic and positive. On the other hand, when we feel like we’re being controlled by outside circumstances – work, marriage, childhood problems, etc. – we feel weak, angry, stressed out and negative.

Most people want to have more control over their lives, but they simply don’t know how to make it happen.  They feel pushed down the whitewater rapids of life without any paddle to steer them or a map to guide them. The solution is fairly straightforward…

Accept Responsibility

The first step to taking control of your life is to accept complete responsibility for where you’re at right now, how you got here, and where you’re going in the future. I can tell you with absolute certainty that you will never achieve lasting success if you don’t take responsibility for yourself and your life.

When I set those initial dreams and goals, I realized that no one was going to help me achieve them unless I helped myself first. If I was going to live my dreams, it had to start with me – my attitude, my thoughts, my actions. I finally understood at a gut level the old saying, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” I discovered this is the same type of realization that all successful people come to eventually. They reach a turning point in their lives when they recognize that they are the only ones who can take control of their future. Sadly, there are countless people who spend their lives feeling sorry for themselves, blaming others for where they’re at in life and what they don’t have. These people allow past events and circumstances to dictate today’s actions.

You must realize that you are the greatest determining factor in your future and that today’s actions equal tomorrow’s results. Where you’re going in life is a product of your attitude, beliefs, thoughts, actions and reactions to the challenges you face. The good news is that the more you accept responsibility for your life, the more powerful and confident you feel. Why? Because you’re in control! When you decide to stop blaming others and stop accepting your own excuses, you will see that you can create the future you desire.

Clarifying your dreams, setting goals and developing a plan to achieve them puts you in control. This process becomes the navigation system for your future. When you put your dreams and goals in writing, you immediately begin to steer your life in the direction you want to go. As you move toward your goals, you become more energized and more confident in yourself and your abilities. Every step you take increases your belief that you can achieve your goals and live your dreams.

Make A Commitment

If you’re serious about achieving all that you want to accomplish in life, you’re going to have to make a commitment – a commitment to yourself – to take the steps necessary to get there. Achieving your dreams and goals is simple, but it’s certainly not easy. It will take a lot of hard work, focus, dedication, discipline and persistence. It will require that you keep a positive attitude and that you grow personally and professionally.

And, it will involve some time…it takes time to properly define your dreams and set your goals. Your greatest responsibility to yourself, your family and your career is to invest whatever time is required to become totally clear about your dreams and goals and how you’re going to achieve them. But remember that a relatively small investment of time now will produce big payoffs as your dreams become reality.

Perhaps you’re hesitant to commit to your dreams and goals because deep down you don’t truly believe you can accomplish them. I will prove to you that you can.

Stop for a moment and think about some of your most significant life accomplishments, things that were once just dreams or thoughts in your mind. These could be such things as getting married, graduating from college, buying a home or getting a job in a certain profession. Perhaps your accomplishments include having children, buying a sports car, achieving a promotion or award, earning or saving a certain amount of money or taking a “dream” vacation.

Now, list five of your biggest accomplishments in the spaces below:

What do you think? Are you surprised at what you’ve accomplished? Most people tend to forget about or discount all the things they’ve achieved. I’d be willing to bet there was a point in time when you didn’t believe you could accomplish some of these things…but you did! You achieved them because you committed to them and focused on them until they became real. Listing these previous dreams and goals that you’ve accomplished opens your mind to the belief that you can accomplish the dreams and goals you set for your future.

But, if you’re still not convinced you can achieve your dreams and goals, I’m going to ask you to trust me and the literally thousands of people who’ve realized their dreams and goals by following the process shared in this book. These are people just like me and you – people who decided to take control of their lives, make a commitment, follow the steps, and are now living their dreams.

An ancient Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Make that step today. Accept responsibility for your future and take control of your life. Make a commitment to utilize this personal achievement technology. Read the Personal Commitment statement on the following page, then sign it, date it, and start achieving your dreams!

Take Control of Your Life:

1. Accept responsibility for where you are and where you’re going;

2. List your five biggest accomplishments;

3. Make a commitment to follow the plan for personal achievement in The Dream Book.

This post is taken with permission from The Dream Book by Billy Cox. Please visit www.dreamit.tv to download the whole book.