Quality Business Tips
Better Business Practices
You’ve worked with QBS to improve your office equipment, website and IT infrastructure, but that’s not all we can provide to make your business as successful as possible.
Starting with this communication, we are going to regularly send out tips for better business practices, personnel management and other topics with which your business is involved each day. We welcome your feedback!
Standing Out At Meetings
- Try to keep a problem-solving attitude and persona, rather than one that includes blame or excuses.
- Be future-oriented. The past serves as a reminder for consideration, not a predictor of results.
- Focus on what can be done, rather than your or your group’s limitations.
- As difficult as it may be, try to keep what’s best for the business in mind when considering things that may affect you personally.
- Follow-up on assignments generated during the meeting may prevent further meetings on the same subject.
Conflict resolution
- Ask those who disagree to paraphrase one another’s comments. This may help the people involved learn if they really understand one another.
- Ask each person to write down what the other person needs to do in order to satisfy expectations. Then, exchange the lists and try to reach an acceptable compromise.
- Have each conflicting person write down questions for those opposing them. This allows each person to signal their concerns about the others’ position.
- Make it know that all opinions will be carefully considered, but respect the experts and give their opinions more weight.
- Make it clear that sometimes, one or more team members may have to admit they are wrong, and that admission is a sign of strength.
Communications
- Express opinions as opinion, rather than irrefutable facts. Example: “Steve will resign if we don’t give him this raise.” Better to put it like this: “Perhaps giving Steve this raise, which I believe he’s worked for and deserves, will keep him from interviewing with other companies.”
- Rule out the use of accusatory questions when attempting to find out the reason behind someone’s words or actions. Example: “How can you even think of…” Better to calmly present the issue, ask for the rationale, and spend some time considering the response.
- Try not to make the acceptance or rejection of your ideas an all-or-nothing proposition. Giving people the ability to make a choice among several selections is paramount to getting results.
- Rather than immediately attempting to communicate information you believe will not be popular, spend a few minutes prior thinking about commonalities between you and the recipient(s) of that information. Begin the discussion with mention of those commonalities.
- Get your dates, times, names, etc., all in line and memorized so when you speak to others, you don’t mentally or verbally second-guess yourself, which can cause the listener(s) to doubt your statements.
We’re hoping these tips are useful to your business. QBS has been helping businesses all over Maryland with award-winning office equipment and a variety of IT services that cover all aspects of your technology infrastructure.
Contact us today to discuss how we can improve your business practices through the most efficient use of technology and possibly save your company money in the process!
Gary Abosch
Senior Director, IT & Service Operations
Quality Business Solutions
410-337-3700