"The Millenials are Coming" -- Managing Millennials

As if you didn't have enough management challenges, check out this story, from the November 11 broadcast of CBS news' "60 Minutes". Correspondent Morley Safer talks to researchers and analysts about the psychology and outlook of the so-called millenial generation. Be warned: It's a little scary.

"There are about 80 million of them, born between 1980 and 1995, and they're rapidly taking over from the baby boomers who are now pushing 60. They were raised by doting parents who told them they are special, played in little leagues with no winners or losers, or all winners. They are laden with trophies just for participating and they think your business-as-usual ethic is for the birds. [Don't boss them around, or speak to them too harshly...] And if you persist in the belief you can, take your job and shove it."

See? Maybe "scary" is a bit much, but definitely "daunting" and "formidable" when one considers the difference this generation may require in our approaches to management.

Features of this coming generation, according to the story, include:

• Most are hardworking (great!)
• They know and can operate the tools to get things done (also great!)
• They are impressively clever and resourceful (really great!)
• Some of them are absolutely incorrigible(uh-oh)
• "It's their way or the highway. The rest of us are old, redundant, should be retired." (What?!)

Researchers who have studied the millenial generation say a new style of management is required to get results from this cohort of workers.

• "Speak to them a little bit like a therapist on television might speak to a patient."
• "You can't be harsh."
• "You cannot tell them you're disappointed in them. "
• "You can't really ask them to live and breathe the company. Because they're living and breathing themselves and that keeps them very busy."
• "The era of the buttoned down exec happy to have a job is as dead as the three-Martini lunch." "These young people will tell you what time their yoga class is and the day's work will be organized around the fact that they have this commitment. So you actually envy them. How wonderful it is to be young and have your priorities so clear."
• "The flipside of it is how awful it is to be managing the extension, sort of, of the teenage babysitting pool."

Researcher Mary Crane said: "You now have a generation coming into the workplace that has grown up with the expectation that they will automatically win, and they'll always be rewarded, even for just showing up," Crane says.

Safer responded: "To what extent are you having to tell the boomers, the bosses, the 50- to 60-year-olds, 'The people who got to change are you guys, not them?'" Yeah! Why do current managers have to change? What we're doing is working.

Unfortunately, it may not continue to work going into the future. Previous generations are accustomed to doing what it takes to produce results, and if we're dealing with an entire new generation of workers that require a different approach, we're going to have to make some adjustments, apparently.

Crane: "The boomers do need to hear the message, that they're gonna have to start focusing more on coaching rather than bossing. If this generation in particular, you just tell them, 'You got to do this. You got to do this. You got to do this.' They truly will walk. And every major law firm, every major company knows, this is the future."

You heard it... coaching rather than bossing. Participative management rather than dictating. Providing guidance and resources, focusing on results rather than methods... basically all the things that my boss, Krissi Barr, has been teaching her clients for years.

Krissi Barr is an expert in coaching. I know, because I work for her. You only have to talk to her, or to me, once to know how motivating and encouraging she is, while not coddling or wasting time with things that make no contribution to the bottom line. As her associate, I (Jodi) wholeheartedly affirm that if anyone can teach other managers how to deal with the millennial generation, it's Krissi Barr.

That's my firsthand recommendation, but you don't have my word for it.

She's trained in and certified to teach Paul Hersey's Situational Leadership program, as well as Coach 4 Success, Will to Win, and many incredibly practical and inspirational techniques. (See bio).

It's not just her curriculum vitae that impresses. Doing the various administrative and professional tasks I do as her "jill-of-all-trades", I've seen her at work, seen what she accompishes with people. After my interview with her, I researched the management and leadership training business as a whole. I came to the conclusion that many people out there are offering, in essence, modern-day "snake oil," and asked her about it. She confirmed, "There are lots of consultants out there. What matters is pull-through."

Over the next few months of assembling client data into spreadsheets, being cc'd on e-mails to her clients, seeing clients recommendation letters and their e-mails of gratitude, I realized that she is the "real deal."

Serious stuff, how she works with clients. The programs are just the start for her.

Krissi didn't just take her training and use it to sell programs -- she trains, but also does follow-up, coaching, and ongoing accountability measurement. She has enough passion for and commitment to the work that she does to follow her clients, ensuring that their new knowledge is ingrained such that it becomes behavior, and even habit, to the benefit of all who have worked with her.

The coming generation of "millennials" will be a challenge to those who are accustomed to the previous generations of direct reports. If you thought Gen X'ers were difficult... well, we're all in for a bumpy ride. If you are already experiencing rough terrain with your teams, whatever their generation, I encourage you to call Krissi (513.470.8980) or e-mail her (krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com).

Stress Facts:

52% of employees report that they have considered or made a career decision -- such as looking for a new job, declining a promotion, or leaving a job -- based on workplace stress. Leading sources of stress at work are:

• Low salaries - 44 percent
• Heavy workload -- 41 percent
• Lack of advancement opportunities -- 40 percent
• Uncertain job expectations -- 40 percent
• Long hours -- 39 percent

55%

of employees report being less productive at work as a result of stress.

24%

of workers with household incomes under $50,000 report that they manage their stress poorly, versus 15% with incomes of $50,000 or more.

Lower income adults are more likely than those with higher incomes to experience symptoms of stress

• Physical -- 80% versus 74%
• Psychological -- 77% versus 68%
• Including:
• Irritability or anger -- 54% versus 46%
• Feeling nervous or sad -- 50% versus 42%
• Lack of motivation or energy -- 51% versus 40%

Barr Corporate Success can help you design a plan that will not only reduce your work stress, but take your business to the next level. Call Krissi today to find out how! 513-470-8980.

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Going in Circles at 150 MPH

It's one thing to be excited, motivated, and passionate about our work. It's another to be overwhelmed, consumed, out of balance, and in danger of burn-out. Many of us who have a "high sense of urgency" must be on the lookout for the effects of overwork, over-controlling, and allowing work to over-run our lives.

To re-assess and identify some potential fixes, consider the following:

• What would happen if I did less?
• What tasks can only I do? What can I assign to others?
• Is the business running me, or am I running the business?
• What message am I sending to my employees?
• If I fell under a bus, what would happen to the company?
• Is my family suffering because of my job?
• Am I taking care of myself? How is my physical health?

Many of us pay lip-service to the notion of work-life balance, but continue to neglect it.

Don't fall into the trap.

Neglecting your physical health, the state of your family, and the effects that over-work have on you overall actually costs you productivity. It's easy to enter a spiral of diminishing returns by becoming so overtired, stressed, and physically unconditioned that your time becomes less productive. The key is to make sure is that the right steps toward personal and professional success get done. Without a plan, and regular reassessment of your progress, you can get lost in constant busy-ness that does NOT move you closer to your goals.

Check your professional and personal "vital signs," making limited, intermediate goals that contribute to long-term objectives.

Examples of professional vital signs:

• Have lunch with at least one past customer a week.
• Meet with 4 new customers a week.
• Add X prospects to your database a week.
• Reduce your paperwork or admin by X hours a week.
• Sell X dollars/units a week.

Examples of personal vital signs:

• Spend X hours a week reading inspiring or motivational material.
• Exercise one hour 3 days per week.
• Dedicate non-working hours to your family and hobbies, not more work.
• Listen to one self-improvement or motivational CD per week.

Reassess, review, reallocate, recharge and renew -- step back and make sure you're moving in the right direction. Call or e-mail us today for a complete "vital signs checkup"!

Krissi Barr 513-470-8980, krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

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Good Reads: The Next Generation of Work

From the Indianapolis Star: "Today's age groups express their values and perceive work differently:

• Valuing family: Older men show they value their family by working long hours to make lots of money. Younger workers like to show they value their family by spending more time with them.
• Experience: The older generation tries to maintain its clout by emphasizing experience, which it equates with knowledge. The younger generation values experience not "just because," but by analyzing whether anything was learned or gained from it.
• Respect: Older workers want to be held in higher esteem than their younger peers, because they are older or earn more. Younger people also want esteem and to be listened to, but they have no expectation that they should be deferred to in decision-making.
• Work ethic: Older workers believe younger employees don't want to put in the hours necessary to get ahead. Younger workers are willing to put in the time for their jobs, but they're uninterested in having a lot of "face time" at the office."

To attract the best and brightest of coming generations of workers, companies and managers will likely have to adjust their expectations of what the work day, work week, and work life look like, using communications technology and infrastructure, allowing flexible work schedules that still get the right work done the right way.

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Good reads: "Leader Machines", Fortune, Oct. 2007

In this article, Geoff Colvin demonstrates the power of a leadership-building culture. Instructive excerpts:

"Your competition can copy every advantage you've got -- except one. That's why the world's best companies are realizing that no matter what business they're in, their real business is building leaders. Here's how the champs are doing it."

Fortune teamed with Hewitt HR outsourcing/consulting, and RBL Group to study how companies develop leaders, and which are doing it best. The top "academy companies" --those whose employees move on to top leadership in many best-performing large corporations -- include GE and Procter & Gamble "Says Hewitt's (Robert) Gandossy: 'companies that provide people with opportunities to learn and grow become talent magnets, drawing scarce talent in droves.' By continually attracting the most promising graduates and then developing them, these firms become higher-performing organizations, enhancing their ability to attract the best -- a self-reinforcing cycle that makes the company more dominant every year." Traits shared by the top companies for leadership development:

Invest time and Money:

"At GE, Immelt reviews the top 600. Bill Hawkins of Medtronic (No. 12) spends 50 percent of his time on people issues, and many of the other CEOs reported similar percentages -- making it the largest commitment of time they have." The University of Michigan's Noel Tichy, an acknowledged authority, says checking a CEO's commitment is as simple as looking at the CEO's calendar. "Yet the CEO's time is only the beginning. As those who report directly to the boss see what the focus is, they also become devoted to developing talent, as do their subordinates. It's called the cascading effect.(...) Virtually all of them evaluate executives partly on how well they're developing people."

Identify Promising Leaders Early

GE starts on day one, and many discreetly observe interns to see how they get others to work for and with them.

Choose Assignments Strategically

Eli Lilly (No. 13) president/COO John Lechleiter offers this model: Approximately two-thirds of leadership development is from experience, one-third from mentoring and coaching, and a bit from classroom training.

Develop Leaders Within Their Current Jobs

Divisions struggle when bosses move on after 18-24 months. Nokia (No. 3) and Eli Lilly (No. 13) report great success with current programs that use short-term work assignments and additional assignments outside employees' fields of expertise to develop managers within their current assignments.

Be Passionate About Feedback and Support

Companies on the Fortune list "combine frequent, honest assessment with plent of mentoring and support. So when people are told what skills they need to improve, they're also offered programs or coaching for doing it."

Develop Teams, Not Just Individuals

Immelt says the GE he grew up in did primarily individual training, and that it led to problems. "He'd attend a three week program at Crotonville, but back at work 'I could use only 60 percent what I'd learned because I needed others -- my boss, my IT guy -- to help with the rest.' And maybe they weren't onboard."

Exert Leadership Through Inspiration

How well does it work to make people do what you say by firing and promoting? A.G. Lafley of P&G says, "The command and control model of leadership just won't work 99 percent of the time." Which is why P&G runs a development program called "Inspirational Leadership." American Express similary has "Leadership Inspiring Employee Engagement" and it is mandatory for every VP and above.

Encourage Leaders to be Active in Their Communities

Leaders, the company, and the community can all impact on another in positive ways, benefitting all.

Make Leadership Development Part of the Culture

"Developing leaders isn't a program; it's a way of living. For example, honest feedback has to be culturally okay. At many companies it isn't. Devoting significant time to mentoring has to be accepted. Working for nonprofits has to be encouraged, not just tolerated. Such cultural norms can't be dictated; they have to be in the air." ------ "Good as these companies are, not one of them is satisfied with the way it develops leaders. They all have plans for improvement, mostly by involving more people, working more with teams, and refining their views of what skills tomorrow's leaders will need. None are scaling back." (emphasis added)

Does your company have a culture of leadership development?

Krissi Barr (an alumna of P&G, #2 "Top Company for Leaders") can help. Call her at 513-470-8980 or e-mail krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com. Or for more information, please visit our website.

Coaching -- What executives say

Executive coaching has become a popular leadership development technique. A research study by Christine Turner, published in the Ivey Business Journal, asked executives themselves what benefits, if any, they've received from executive coaching. Turner was guided by questions like: What are the benefits of executive coaching? What are its limitations? What factors are critical to its success? The executives typically cited these goals: to fine-tune their vision for their business, empower and motivate staff, improve communication and listening skills, and become more confident and assertive.

The benefits of executive coaching as a leadership development tool were:

• Continuous one-on-one attention

Since executive coaching takes place over an extended period of time, it becomes a great way to not only acquire but ingrain learned skills. Coaching achieves results superior to attending a course, reading a book, or having a discussion.

"Executive coaching works for the 'leadership, performance, personal effectivenss and 360-degree development (she) wants... Coaching provides a consistent, long-term development that gets embedded and becomes part of your routine."

• Expanded thinking through dialogue with a curious outsider

"Dialogue, fuelled through powerful questions, is at the heart of the coaching process. In coaching conversations, executives think out loud, become more reflective and gain access to their own tacit knowledge and unexplored ideas. The coach's role is to act as a sounding board, confidant, partner, challenger and catalyst for change."

• Self-awareness, including blind spots

"The expression 'no pain, no gain' is true for coaching; it is not easy to be challenged out of your business-as-usual comfort zone." The value is not for a coach to be really nice, or another friend. The value is having someone who sees what you don't see, and says what others won't.

• Personal accountability for development

One can learn proper form in a one-time fitness course, but quickly lose the way by cutting corners, using poor technique, or skipping workouts. Executives, like athletes, benefit from the ongoing personal training that creates momentum and ensures accountability for development and achievement of goals.

• Just-in-time learning

Because it is personal and situation-specific, coaching provides learning on the spot for special situations and new challenges.

Limitations of coaching...

To have the best possible experience with executive coaching, clients need to ensure that their coach offers:

• Defined methodology

Coaching is popular, and many non-expert, non-trained coaches are offering services. Those coaches can be a waste of time, money, and energy, "paid friend" who informally advises, rather than guiding clients to develop new skills and capabilities that generate lasting results. Be careful. Do your homework. Ensure that your coach has extensive business experience, proven methods, and a solid track record. (To read about Krissi Barr's extensive experience and career, please visit http://www.barrcorporatesuccess.com/kbarrbio.php. For real results of clients, please go to: http://www.barrcorporatesuccess.com/success.php)

• Defined shared language

Executive coaches must be familiar with the language of business, and be able to not only speak it well, but offer real-world business expertise. Again, do your homework, and define terms upfront.

• Clarity of focus

While an executive coach can offer brief situational guidance on personal matters, the focus should always return, quickly, to business skills and business results. Executive coaches are not therapists or medical practitioners. Any ethical coach should refer clients to professional therapists for highly personal or dysfunctional situations.

• Continuity between sessions

There should be an "arc of learning" and a defined pattern of progress, follow-up, and ongoing goals. If a coach cannot define, organize and follow a plan, he or she cannot help you do so.

• Measurement of results

Measurement is an important means of making sure that you do what's important, do what matters, to achieve your long-term objectives. When you try to reach a destination, you do so with mile markers and an end destination in mind. Anything else is an aimless stroll through the countryside!

Krissi Barr of Barr Corporate Success is a respected and celebrated executive coach and business consultant offering individual and team coaching. In her twenty-year business career, she achieved amazing results for companies she worked for, and for more than 5 years has independently offered coaching that helps others achieve outstanding results.

For more information, visit Barr Corporate Success.

Getting Past "But..."

A successful career in sales requires not just a tough skin or ability to withstand rejection. The most successful sales reps are able to not just withstand rejection, but also to examine rejections and objections to identify customers' very real needs and concerns. Initial objections from customers aren't simply "no," but a jumping-off point, the beginning of the conversation. Any information the customer offers is a means to discovering and understanding their needs, priorities, and anything in your company's performance with room for improvement.

When are Objections Beneficial? Always!

Objections are a natural part of the buying process. Appreciate them! They show that the customer is actively interested, or he/she wouldn't be wasting their time talking about it. Objections allow dialogue about questions and doubts, give information for strategic moves in the future and the direction of your company's product and service development. They provide an ideal starting point to educate the customer about your products, your service, and your willingness to go the extra mile. Objections reveal the customer’s concerns. When objections are handled well, the result is a good relationship and enhanced trust between customer and sales rep.

Process for Handling Objections:

Step 1 - Encouraging

Draw out the objection. Listen. Don’t try to answer right away. Acknowledge it without interrupting and let the customer express his or her reservations completely. Show empathy and put yourself in their shoes. Empathy defuses antagonism and resistance, transforming confrontation into mutual problem-solving. (Seven habits -- seek first to understand, then to be understood.) Be patient. Your turn comes when the customer feels heard and understood. “I can see how you would be concerned about that.” “I’d feel the same way if I had your responsibility.” “Can you tell me more about that?”

Step 2 - Questioning

Ask questions to clarify the objections and draw out the underlying reservations. Frequently, the real objection is different from what the customer first expressed. (Just as in your personal life -- someone may seem angry about the dishes, but it may go back a few days to when you forgot to make an important call... all anger is not caused by the immediate stressor. ) Don’t interrupt and assume you have it all wrapped up, launching immediately into a "counter." “And then what?” “What are your biggest reservations”? "What other concerns do you have?"

Ask open-ended questions that lead to an informative response, rather than yes/no questions.

If you've ever worked as a telephone market researcher, you may recognize the direction,

"Ask until unproductive."

That's when the agent waits for you to finish, recording all that you say, and then asks, "What other words would you use to describe the dishwashing detergent...?" And they continue to ask until you say, "Can't think of anything else!" Ask those questions again and again until they are unproductive (but not annoying), to be sure you get to the source of any objections, reservations, or negative feelings. You may even see a physical relief of tension in the shoulders of your customer. Who among us isn't less stressed when we feel truly heard, listened to, and understood?

Step 3 - Confirming (Mirroring)

Check your understanding of the objection/problem before responding. Repeat to the customer, using his or her own words in a summary, the concerns that were expressed, demonstrating that you truly understand any problems before you try to provide a solution. Responding too quickly, with incomplete understanding, will undermine your customer's trust.

Step 4 - Providing

Respond to the objection/problem. Answer the objection as specifically, completely, and informatively as possible. Objections and their appropriate responses usually fall into the following categories: Misconception, Skepticism, Real Drawback and Real Complaint.

Misconception

- The customer does not understand the product or service or is misinformed (often with complex products). The customer needs more information, targeted directly to his or her level of expertise, to help them make a purchasing decision, and you are the educator. Approach: Clarify, teach, explain, and resolve. Example: “If I understand correctly, your concern is that our product won’t handle X… and it’s important for you to have a machine/service that handles X… As you can see from our proposal, we can handle X, because our product/service does the following, in this way...”

Skepticism

The customer is not convinced your product will do what you claim. He or she is being cautious or probing for more information. Approach: Prove it. Give solid evidence such as examples, statistics, references, and trials. If needed, ask for sample situations in which the customer will need your product or service and demonstrate how it will function. Generic info may not provide all the information your customer needs, and your creativity and genuineness -- or lack thereof -- will make or break this sale. Customers who are extremely satisfied will be good, objective references for difficult circumstances. Example: “If I understand you correctly, you aren’t sure our people will be available when you need them. We realize that it’s important for you to have weekend service, and others may have promised it but not provided it. Our techs are on call 24x7, and are highly trained reps, not third tier. You know, if it would help to speak with a customer who uses this service, we've been providing that sort of service for Bill Smith over at Acme Industries for 3 years now. Please feel free to call Bill. It might really ease your mind to talk to him about the arrangements we made for them.”

Real Drawback

- Customer has a valid point about some disadvantage, such as price, delivery, or operating specs. Approach: Don't be blindly defensive and make vague references to quality. Show the big picture, then get specific on how certain advantages your product or service provides will outweigh those disadvantages. Lower prices often come at the cost of lower quality or reduced service. You can elicit information about costs that come with the lower price, and demonstrate how those costs are greater than the additional cost of a higher-price, higher-quality product. Try to find out very specifically how any drawback affects the customer, and reason through the benefits that may outweigh those drawbacks. Example: “Yes, our price is higher. I can see why you would be concerned about that. We have had other customers who were also concerned. But they found that the savings both in time and total dollars (combined with the knowledge that they had a reliable resource on hand) far outweigh their initial concerns about price.”

Real Complaint

The customer has had an experience that created an unfavorable impression. That impression stands in the way of moving forward with this account or a purchase. Approach: Show immediate empathy, action and responsiveness. Example: “I'm so sorry that happened. So you felt the last representative wasn’t clear about the service policy, and that you got stuck? That's no good for you or for us, and we will work to make there are no repeats. One idea to make sure nothing like that happens again... let's go over this written scope of work together, to make sure we're on the same page about terms and expectations before you buy. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them."

Step 5 - Checking

Confirm that the objection has been resolved. Ask outright if your response was satisfactory. If not, go back to encouraging the customer, and asking questions to draw out the more objections or unaddressed concerns. Continue working with the customer until the objections are addressed to the 100% satisfaction of the customer. Sales aren't just about products or services, but about relationships with customers. The steps above are all about maintaining that relationship, and responding positively to the fact that the customer is talking to you, sharing concerns with you, and moving toward the customer allowing you to resolve those concerns through a SALE.

Objections are opportunities -- seize them!

Great sales techniques often require real-life practice, roleplaying, and follow-through for long-term results. Krissi Barr of Barr Corporate Success teaches several energizing, invigorating programs that teach concrete and actionable sales techniques, generating Amazing Performance(TM) from your sales program. For more information, please feel free to call Krissi at 513-470-8980 or e-mail krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com! Return to Barr Corporate Success

Make More of Your Time!

You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it. Charles Bruxton

When you pack for a family vacation driving across the country, do you fling your luggage into the back of your car, allowing it to fall however it may? Of course not! You would run out of room!

Instead, you carefully choose the luggage you use so that it will fit in your trunk, pack accordingly, and leave a little room for souvenirs. When you've assembled everything you need to take, you put the big luggage in first, and fit smaller items around it, compactly placing everything so you'll have as much room to move around in the car as possible. You prioritize, compartmentalize, make decisions, and maximize use of space.

Maximizing use of space is much like maximizing use of time. Do you pack your day as thoughtfully as you do your car?

Probably not. Most of us don't. But if you've packed for a big trip, you DO have within you all the skills and practices you need to make the best use of your time.

Some simple time management techniques can increase our output while reducing our stress. Time flies and you are the pilot. Fortunately, some simple planning tips -- some of them counterintuitive -- can help us use our time carefully.

Tips for getting the most out of your day.

Don't work late into the night.

It saps energy and makes you less productive the following day. Surveys show that working late at night causes you to go to bed with a mind racing, recounting today's events and planning tomorrow's, and makes you less likely to get restful sleep. The habit of working late at night also gets built into your schedule and reduces your sense of urgency to finish tasks earlier in the day.

Arrive early, and leave on time.

You can not only boost your productivity, but improve your work-life balance, since family members are impacted more heavily by absence in the evening than leaving earlier in the morning.

Limit the length and number of meetings.

Frequent and uncontrolled routine meetings without defined agendas are a huge time waster for all concerned. Purpose-driven meetings with clear agendas should result in clear accountabilities, and defined follow-up dates, allowing you to focus on tasks that bring the greatest results.

Set aside uninterrupted project time.

Anything that interrupts you and breaks your train of thought costs you time, in the long run. Hang a do-not-disturb sign on your door, turn off your cell phone, route landline calls to voicemail, and turn off "new e-mail" notices.

Make Monday count.

Build some momentum by getting off to a good start Monday, working on individual tasks and digging in on important projects, which helps the rest of the week flow better. Fridays are a good day for staff meetings that to set group agendas that will be addressed by each person on Monday, with a brief follow-up Monday afternoon.

Prepare the night before.

Choose, set out, and, if needed, iron tomorrow's clothing. Pack kids' lunches, set the timer on the coffeepot, and have your packed work bag by the door. You can even preserve morning momentum by filling up your gas tank on the way home, or at lunchtime, rather than in the morning.

Don't over-plan.

The average person can only realistically plan about 50 percent of his or her day. We all generally underestimate the amount of time a task might take by at least 20 percent, and tend not to anticipate and allot extra time for interruptions and other delays. When we overplan, it later costs us time rolling tasks over to the next day and adjusting our daily planners.

Get specifics.

When someone says, "as soon as possible," define exactly what that means, and why. Sometimes, people operate in default crisis mode. Their "as soon as possible" may not be the same as yours -- does that mean drop everything because we need this now, or that we only have a couple of weeks to get X done? Find out, or you will allow unnecessary stress and time pressure to hijack your day.

Our clients often seek our advice on time management, and in addition to these tips, there are more specific steps you can take to produce Amazing Performance(TM). Give Krissi a call at 513-470-8980, or e-mail her, krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com, to find out how Barr Corporate Success can help you.

We'll leave you with a (brutal) quote that might inspire any of us:

"Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." H. Jackson Brown

Let's Get to Work!

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Job Satisfaction on the Wane?

The Conference Board reports that U.S. worker job satisfaction has declined 14 percent in the past two decades, and is still in a declining trend. According to a TNS survey of 5,000 U.S. households, the percentage of workers satisfied with their jobs, by year, was:

• 61 percent (1987)
• 59 percent (1995)
• 51 percent (2000)
• 52 percent (2005)
• 47 percent (2006)

The figures are no cause for alarm, necessarily, but indicate a troublesome trend. Why do we pay close attention to satisfaction trends? Because each employee's job satisfaction statistically correlates with whether he or she will quit, and his or her absenteeism rate. And overall satisfaction rates strongly correlate with productivity and profitability. Management Malpractice reports, “...The decline in job satisfaction is widespread among workers of all ages and across all income brackets. Half of all Americans today say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from nearly 60 percent in 1995.

But among the 50 percent who say they are content, only 14 percent say they are "very satisfied."

This report, which is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households, conducted for The Conference Board by TNS, a leading market information company (LSE: TNN), also includes information collected independently by TNS.

"This information reveals that approximately one-quarter of the American workforce is simply 'showing up to collect a paycheck.' The survey finds that job satisfaction has declined across all income brackets in the last nine years.” from Management Malpractice."

Satisfaction and profitability aren't a dichotomy, but instead are linked reflections of the underlying effectiveness of leadership practices.

If you suspect that your employees are simply showing up to collect a paycheck, all is not lost. Much can be done, with adjustment of management styles, assessments to get the right people in the right seats, and amazing performance goals.

Barr Corporate Success can help drive teams and individuals to outstanding profitability and job satisfaction. Call or e-mail today! Return to Barr Corporate Success For more data and analysis of worker satisfaction, causes, and effects, please see : http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/13/business/workcol14.php, accessed 8/4/07. U.S. Job Satisfaction Keeps Falling, The Conference Board Reports Today. Source: The Conference Board, Feb. 28, 2005 http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=2582, accessed 8/4/07. http://www.managementmalpractice.com/in_the_news.php

"The No As*h@#!@ Rule"

We apologize for using a word that may offend the sensibilities of some. We'll alternate between the vulgarity, and the more accepted "jerk." We hope that after reading, you'll agree it's worth discussing.

As you can tell from the length of the post, we like the book. Read it!

Stanford University professor and Robert Sutton has not only legitimized the word "asshole" in business conversation -- he's made it practically unavoidable.

"It all started in 2003 with a half-serious proposal that I made to Harvard Business Review, when their senior editor Julia Kirby asked if I had any suggestions for HBR's annual list of 'Breakthrough Ideas.' I told Julia that the best business practice I knew of was the 'no asshole rule.'"

Despite Sutton's expectation that no such title would ever be published by HBR, the article was embraced, and drew so much media attention that he followed it up with the frank, amusing and well-researched book, very directly titled The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't. If you're actively dealing with a jerk, read it. You may find help with your current situation, and at worst, will better be able to recognize and avoid assholes in the future.

Sutton offers welcoming reassurance to anyone who has ever thought, "I don't care how productive this guy/woman is, it's just not worth it to put up with him/her."

Experts agree, and for sound business reasons. Assholes are not worth it. Sutton shows that whatever numbers the jerk generates in terms of individual sales or productivity, more comprehensive metrics prove that jerks take a tremendous toll on morale, overall productivity, and unnecessary turnover.

A partial list of factors Sutton suggested we consider when calculating TCA (Total Cost of Assholes)

• Distraction from tasks, the effort devoted to avoiding unpleasant exchanges, recovering from them, avoiding blame.
• Damaged sense of safety and an environment of fear that discourages "discretionary effort," suggestions, risk-taking, learning from own and others' failures, and honest discussion.
• Reduced motivation and energy at work.
• Stress-induced physical and emotional illness.
• Potentially impaired mental acuity.
• Continual and ongoing bullying transforms targets into assholes.
• Absenteeism
• Turnover due to asshole's abusive supervision, plus time spent looking for new job while at work
• Costs of victims' retribution toward the company.
• "Combat pay" for those who stay.
• Time spent "cooling out" victimized customers, contract employees, suppliers, outsiders, and internal employees who are victimized.
• Settlement fees and successful litigation by both victims, and alleged assholes (wrongful termination claims).
• Increased health insurance costs.

When those factors are considered, it becomes apparent that assholes cost more than they are worth. Add in the damage to personal lives, marriages, and other relationships, and assholes become a toxin that must be removed.

Have you experienced or witnessed any of Sutton's "Dirty Dozen"?

These are common everyday actions that assholes use.

• Personal insults
• Invading ones "personal territory"
• Uninvited physical contact
• Threats & intimidation, both verbal and non-verbal
• Sarcastic 'jokes' and 'teasing' used as insult delivery systems
• Withering e-mail flames
• Status slaps intended to humiliate
• Public shaming or 'status degradation' rituals
• Rude interruptions
• Two-faced attacks
• Dirty looks
• Treating people as if they're invisible

If you haven't, then you're among the lucky few. Sutton cites one study showing that 27 percent of workers in a representative sample of Michigan residents experienced mistreatment by someone in the workplace, with one in six reporting persistent psychological abuse. And a 1997 study of 130 U.S. nurses found that an astounding 90 percent reporting being victims of verbal abuse from physicians during the previous year.

If you have, then you're obviously not alone. We empathize. Without real concrete incentive to change, such as forceful intervention from higher-level management or powerbrokers, it is difficult to stop an asshole. While some are unaware of the effect their behavior has on those around them, others may simply not care, or not be able to control themselves.

Sutton writes of several levels of asshole:

• "Temporary assholes" are having a bad day or moment. Miscommunications and frustrating situations can at times bring out the worst in all of us. All of us have probably offended, if only by rolling ones eyes during a difficult meeting. As long as offenses are infrequent, apologized for, and an isolated aberration from usually friendly, respectful behavior, temporary assholes are part of life.
• "Certified assholes" are workplace polluters who "display a persistent pattern of episodes that end with one 'target' after another feeling belittled, put down, humiliated, disrespected, oppressed, de-energized, and generally worse about themselves."
• "Flaming assholes"... 'nuff said.
• "Two-faced backstabbers" are particularly noxious weeds. They "have enough skill and emotional control to save their dirty work for moments when they can't get caught, and are much tougher to stop, even though they do as much damage as a raging maniac."

Sutton proposes two steps for detecting assholes: find those who persistently leave others feeling demeaned and de-energized; then look to see if their victims generally have less power and social standing than the tormentor. The basic hallmark of assholes is "kiss up, kick down." Does the alleged asshole persistently leave the person he interacts with feeling worse about him- or herself?

Hundreds of cross-disciplinary studies have attempted to define practices that lead to greater productivity. Supportive, warm work environments that reward risk-taking and creative thinking are often most productive. Assholes utterly destroy creative, supportive, productive teams and create a contagion of anger, resentment, and bad behavior. The more powerful the asshole, and the longer his or her behavior goes unaddressed, the more widespread the effects, and the harder to recover from.

Sutton writes, "Research on everything from student groups to top management teams reveals that constructive arguments over ideas -- but not nasty personal arguments -- drives greater performance, especially when teams do non-routine work."

Certain industries in particular are haunted by the myth of the "temperamental rock star", which misleads companies into hiring and retaining -- with gritted teeth and clenched fists -- assholes who put up good numbers. They're often considered part of the price of doing business.

Sutton writes, "There is so much evidence that civilized workplaces are not a naive dream, that they do exist, and that pervasive contempt can be replaced with mutual respect when a team or organization is managed right -- and civilized workplaces usually enjoy superior performance as well."

There is hope. The workplace is changing as the nature of our work shifts more to knowledge work requiring good interpersonal relations and teamwork. Owners and management are paying attention. For example, Virgin founder Richard Branson devised a test to avoid assholes; he dressed as a chauffeur and picked up candidates personally. Other companies are actively training HR and other hiring professionals to weed out asshole candidates.

In the meantime, Sutton recommends you ask yourself: "Am I part of the problem, or part of the solution?" Your answer may determine the course of your career.

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Bob Sutton's blog

The Moment of Truth

Freezeframe: A regular mid-level customer, Bob Smith, has just complained to one of your employees. Bob's brow is furrowed, and his right hip is thrust out a bit. He's just run his left hand through his thinning hair, and his right hand is waving slightly out to the side, palm up.

If we looked at your employee, representing you, what would we see? Eye contact? Looking down at the desk/counter? Body language?

...annnnnd "Action!"

What will your employee say? What will he or she do? Will the customer's issue be addressed? Will the customer want to continue doing business with your company?

Feeling confident? Let's up the ante. New research shows that customers fall into discrete categories:

• 43% are shouters - people who tell as many people as possible when they experience bad service.
• 27% are switchers - people who switch to another company and don't tell anyone.
• 15% are seekers - people who try and find a better way to get good service.
• 11% are sulkers - who just put up with the bad service and sulk.
• A full 20 percent will rant to more than 10 friends about their bad experience.

Source: SunGard Availability Services, UK.

And the common wisdom:

• 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers.
• It costs less to keep customers than to find new ones.

A recent McKinsey Quarterly article demonstrates how critical "moments of truth" are in profitability. Customers who experience a high rate of positive outcomes in "moments of truth" broaden their connection with the company, consuming more services. Those who experience negative outcomes tend to leave, or stay but "sulk" by seeking any additional services elsewhere. That's why it's vital that emotion-laden moments when a customer has a problem result in an employee's empathetic, appropriate, and helpful response. That response can either cement relationships or break them. Companies spend fortunes creating and enhancing brands, but without frontline follow-through, customers don't return.

While recruiting employees with high commitment and high emotional intelligence is a good approach, companies must go further. McKinsey suggests that companies can hard-wire excellent customer service by engaging employees in certain ways. It stands to reason that those who have their needs met are more motivated and enabled to meet the needs of others. Companies can best foster that culture of excellence by:

• Stressing a deeper meaning, and clear sense of purpose within frontline work, to integrate work with the values, beliefs, psychological needs, thoughts and feelings of workers.
• Influencing mind-sets of employees to both increase their abilities and help them acquire the right emotional skills.
• Aligning compensation, processes and structures with the goal of customer service, clearly placing value on customer-retaining behaviors.
• Mobilizing frontline mentors to model and teach emotionally intelligent behavior.

You know better than anyone: Is Bob going to leave with a smile on his face?

If you're not sure, call Krissi Barr at 513-470-8980 or e-mail krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

Competition tops challenges list

Study: Senior executives of companies with revenues of $1 billion to $10 billion report that the major business challenges of the next two years are:

• Increased competitive pressures (83 percent)
• Responding rapidly to changing market conditions (67 percent)
• Failure to innovate (60 percent)
• Satisfying customer expectations (52 percent)

Source: Mercer Delta Executive Learning Center and the Economist Intelligence Unit poll of 233 senior execs, as published in USA Today business section.

So that means....

... we should watch what the other guys are doing...?

Yes and no. Yes, watch what other companies are doing. Yes, keep your ear to the ground for what's happening in your industry. But no, you're not going to win by chasing the competition. Your company needs to find its unique strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in order to find the greatest potential for growth.

...we don't have time for strategic planning, since It's all moving so fast...?

No! Strategic planning is more important than ever! Market change is the "sea of business." If you're trying to stay in one spot, you'll get pounded by the waves, sputter, and eventually go under. Those waves can be seen coming: prepare your board, begin paddling in front of them, and your company will ride those waves, right in the curl! That's what strategic planning, done right, can do for you and your business. We can help you spot current and coming business trends based on your knowledge of your industry, find the sweet spots in those waves, and paddle right into them. You also build your "surfing" skills in the process.

We must pressure our workforce to innovate, innovate, innovate!

Nope. As a matter of fact, if you approach it like that, you will shut down innovation completely, and probably cost yourself some big turnover expenses in the process. You know, innately, that innovation is borne out of atmospheres of trust, openness, and risk-taking, and all studies back up your "gut instinct" on that. Imagine a far-fetched example: If someone put you in a room with 10 straws, 16 pins, 6 LifeSavers, and a pair of scissors, you could devise a primitive car in no time. Reading this, relaxed, you're probably generating ideas right now. But if someone were standing over you, threatening physical harm if you failed, you'd be far more likely to poke yourself with a pin than produce workable, much less innovative, model. Great teamwork produces great innovation. If you don't have the former, you're not likely to get the latter.

... satisfy our customers? We are, aren't we?

Is there a note of uncertainty there? Don't just sit there! If you're not sure, find out! The best practice is for everyone in your organization who interacts with customers on a regular basis stay close to the customer, ask questions, learn customer needs, and meet them.

Barr Corporate Success helps businesses meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

To learn how Barr Corporate Success can help your business meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, call Krissi Barr at 513-470-8980 or e-mail krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com.

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You May Need a Consultant If...

Unless you've been on a deserted island for the past 10 or so years, you're likely familiar with Jeff Foxworthy's "... you might be a redneck" stand-up routine. Granted: The one sure way to make humor unfunny is to overanalyze it, so I'll keep my academic musing to a minimum! The key to Foxworthy's successful and universal humor is we have all known, seen, or been what he describes. You may not identify yourself as a redneck, but at some time or another, you may have done some of what he describes, to some degree, and those are the jokes that get the biggest laughs out of us.

Now, switch gears with me, and consider the performance of your company, your team, yourself.

We all face business challenges, both personally and as an organization. Sometimes a business is just not growing as fast as it could and should, is in a rut, or worse -- is shrinking. Sometimes the most difficult part of running a company, division or team is leading the it in the right direction and ultimately putting it on the right path to grow and prosper.

"But we don't need any help, certainly not a consultant!"

That would mean something is badly wrong, right? Not necessarily. Your car runs fine, but might not if you skip regular maintenance and tune-ups. You change the weight of oil in your car for cold/hot weather. Put on snow tires for different road conditions. It's no weakness of your car that you consult a mechanic. Using a consultant to take your business to the next level is no different. Want a Maserati, or a beater?

Go in for a tune-up!

Listen to the watercooler conversation. Look at the numbers. Consider the morale of your teams. Listen to your own thoughts.

If any of the following rings true… you need a consultant!

(May we suggest Barr Corporate Success?)

• “We could seriously use a new $1 million.”
• “Our organization feels stuck.”
• “Revenues and growth are flat or falling.”
• “Sales are sluggish and costs are rising.”
• “Our competitors are gaining market share.”
• “Oh, it’s a bad economy, everyone’s off.”
• “The business just isn’t profitable.”
• “Customer demands are changing constantly – how do we know what they want?”
• “How can we find new customers and markets?”
• “Vendors demand more and more from us all the time.”
• “I'm not sure the right people are in the right positions.”
• “People are burned out, unmotivated, and turnover's on the rise.”
• “No one around here makes decisions.”
• “Does our compensation plan reward good performance?”
• “There goes the rumor mill again. These office politics are wasting time.”
• “Most of my team is -- at best -- 'C' players.”
• “How do we get more out of our partner relationships?”
• “We'd love to be more efficient, but how?”
• “What advantages could we get out of new technology?”
• “Sales are giving away the store!”
• “Our product quality and service is weak.”
• “Product development is taking longer than expected. The market’s not waiting.”
• “We’re considering a merger or an acquisition.”
• “New industry regulations are seriously hindering growth.”
• “Industry rules are changing. Our operations aren't aligned to those changes.”
• “No one seems focused on the bottom line.”
• “We spend more time putting our fires than planning for the future.”
• “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it.”
• “We need some solid strategic alliances.”
• “Succession plan? There is no succession plan.”
• “Strategic vision just isn't there. We need some new ideas to grow the business.”
• “We need more innovative leadership.”
• “We need a business, sales and marketing plan with teeth.”
• “How do I develop leaders from within my company?”
• “How can I get my teammates to be as passionate about the business as I am?”

Sound familiar? We can help.

Call 513-470-8980 or e-mail krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

"So What Exactly Do You Do?"

For most of us, casual social situations sometimes bring the questions, "What line of work are you in?" The most succinct answers, in our case, are "business consultancy," or "strategic planning and implementation." But that's a little pat, and doesn't really answer the question, now does it?

It depends on what a business or organization needs.

With 20+ years of experience in high-level business, an incredible educational pedigree, a deep personal commitment to ongoing learning, and a personal track record of outstanding results, our founder (and chief!) Krissi Barr dives in, takes stock, and gets busy!

What Barr Corporate Success Does

The one constant in business, as in life, is change. Ability to adapt to an ever-changing world is always a basis for success. And since the greatest assets of your company are its people, corporate success reflects your people’s success. BCS works with a team of your key players who are capable of raising company-wide performance to levels colleagues, customers, and competitors would consider the new standard.

The process to getting there is highly customized for your people and organization.

With a bottom-line focus, Barr helps your team:

• Increase net profits – Break the routine and change the rules. Improve the selling process, generate more customers at greater margins, cultivate advantageous vendor partnerships, evaluate and actively work with key performance financial measurements.
• Heighten competitive awareness and advantages – Stand out from the rest. Put into practice the skills, focus, and structure of businesses at the next echelon to capture new opportunities.
• Communicate better internally and externally – Foster creativity. Understand individual behavior, attitudes, values, and communication and how these impact team dynamics, sales, and customer relations. Improve company interactions, supplier relationships, and customer satisfaction.
• Create enthusiasm and excitement – Put fun back into the business. It’s phenomenal to be a winner on a winning team. The team proactively moves forward, not just putting out fires.
• Achieve tactical brilliance in strategic planning and operations – Aim high. Think big. Look for profitability in problems. Goals are specific, relevant, aggressively implemented, and actively tracked.
• Grow yourself, and your people... and reduce costly turnover – Be a star. Live up to your potential. Leadership, individual and team skills are sharpened with a vision for success.
• Cut costs – Leverage your supply chain and purchasing to drive down costs. Optimize operations efficiencies. Implement cost saving processes that cut costs without cutting corners.

The Big Picture

The Barr Corporate Success process is not just about strategic planning. It’s about setting exceptional goals and implementing actionable, measurable, timely actions to facilitate taking ownership for performing at much higher levels. By considering the big picture, business challenges, corporate culture, and personal concerns, Barr pulls all facets (and potential obstacles) together.

Barr helps teams get all oars in the water, pulling in the right direction, in perfect synchrony, to achieve amazing results. To learn more about how, please check us out at www.barrcorporatesuccess.com, or for personal attention, just call us! 513-470-8980. Or e-mail Krissi today! Krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

Relationship Woes?

Good relationships aren't difficult -- bad relationships are! In a business environment, poor relationships are also expensive. An Adecco Staffing survey of 1,000 workers reports that 49 percent of employees say yes, their relationship with their boss directly affects their productivity.

Yeah, it's that important.

Many managers don't really understand what motivates and matters to their employees. We sometimes assume, or think we know, but we don't. Let's look at another study, this time ranking the factors that most influence employee performance. In this study, not only were employees polled, but managers were also asked to predict what those employees' rankings would be. Were the managers right? Take a look.

What Managers Expected Employees to Say

1. High wages
2. Job security
3. Promotion within the company
4. Good working conditions
5. Interesting work

What Employees Really Say Influences Them

1. Full appreciation of work done
2. Feeling of being in on things
3. Help on personal problems
4. Job security
5. High wages

Feeling appreciated and clued-in ranks higher than wages largely because to be appreciated and well-informed prepares us to make outstanding contributions, meet critical goals, and make smart decisions that will result in career growth.

Think of the stereotypical editorial assistant, fetching coffee and doing front-line work -- the pay's not high, the prestige isn't high, and he hasn't chosen that environment to learn different blends of coffee beans. He's learning the business, making a contribution to the big picture, and working toward a fulfilling career.

Make time for important conversations...

Do you have to know the names of your direct reports' pets? Of course not, but knowing your employees' life and career goals helps you leverage what you and your employees have to offer one another into a healthy, productive relationship. A global consumer response survey of 1,625 workers gave some insight into welcome conversation. What aspect is most important when employers communicate with workers?

• Giving insights on how to be more effective (52 percent)
• Showing how to fit into the company's vision (47 percent)
• Explaining the company's vision (45 percent)
• Engaging on a personal level (41 percent)

Build those relationships. To your direct reports, you are the company. The company's strategic goals and how it all fits together comes from you. If you can't sum up those strategic goals, go to your boss, who may go to her boss... It's a conversation that may have unexpected benefits!

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The Chicken or the Egg?

In recent years, many studies have shown that high performing companies have employees with high employee morale, but which came first? Do the employees have high morale because their companies are doing well, or is the company performing well because the employees have high morale?

Morale by a Nose!

In The Enthusiastic Employee (Wharton School of Publishing), we see that high morale does indeed have a causative effect. The stock of companies which showed high morale in 2004 outperformed those in the same industries in 2005, as compared with more than 5,500 other companies in the same industries. Those stock market results are largely driven by earnings statements, creating a visible cause-effect relationship between morale and profit.

How is your company morale? Do you know?

Let your workers do the talking...

Marketers are increasingly investing in non-traditional marketing methods such as viral marketing, targeting trendsetters in conversational marketing. You may have the world's best marketing force already in your employ. Don't underestimate the power of employees who love their jobs, and their companies. Tap into the "viral marketing" you already have at your fingertips, and make sure it's working for you.

Barr Corporate Success is a results-oriented consulting firm helping business leverage leadership, build teams, foster accountability, increase profits and sustain long-term growth. To enjoy the benefit of more than 20 years of management excellence, please e-mail Krissi Barr, krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com.

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Retention, Retention, Retention!

We often hear the truism that the three most important factors in real estate are: location, location and location. A less well-appreciated truism is that one of the most important factors in profitability is one that bears repeating: retention, retention, retention. After all, how can you build intellectual capital, maintain an integrated, functioning workforce, and rapidly adapt to changing market forces if you're continually finding, selecting and training candidates? Capitalize on the investment you've made in the training of employees, and the value you receive from those employees' accumulated knowledge -- don't let the good ones go if you can possibly avoid it.

You will lose at least 6 months' salary -- and up to 18 months' salary, for knowledge worker positions -- to recruit, hire and train a new employee.

No company or manager can control all the forces that might cause employees to leave. Spouses relocate, taking your good people with them... a whole host of other reasons companies cannot control. And of course, if an employee simply cannot meet expectations, both you and that employee would be better served by their finding a new role, either with your company or elsewhere.

However, many, many valuable employees leave for reasons that we can, and should control if we know what's good for business.

Why Do They Leave? Managers might be surprised to find out why workers change jobs. What would your guess be? More money? Nope. Although 97 percent of workers think financial compensation is one of the most important aspects in the workplace, it is not the main reason they change jobs. A Spherion study asked 1,996 randomly selected employed workers what the most important reasons were to change jobs. They answered:

• Growth and earnings potential (30 percent)
• Time and flexibility (23 percent)
• Financial compensation (22 percent)
• Culture, work environment (22 percent)
• Benefits (12 percent)

More cited growth potential than any other single consideration. Just as many listed work culture and environment as important reasons to make a job change as listed financial compensation. Flexibility on time and location is of great importance to those aspiring to excel both professionally and in their family lives. Employers are now facing the challenge of generations interested in self-actualization in both their work and personal lives.

Some managers might be tempted to throw up their hands and roll their eyes, wondering, "Just how far am I supposed to go to keep people happy?" That frustration is understandable, given today's "do more with less" culture.

The good news is that it is well within your power to increase retention -- and the performance of employees who stay -- with some fairly simple interpersonal skills.

• Pay attention to the career arcs of your direct reports, because they do.
• Be flexible when you can be, any way you can be, so employees can have careers and lives.
• Check out salary trends for your industry, so you don't lose $20,000 trying to save $3,000.

Paying attention can really pay off.

Barr Corporate Success is a consultancy firm dedicated to producing amazing results for businesses from Mom & Pop shops to Fortune 500 corporations. If your business is experiencing retention difficulties, it's likely a sign that a change is needed. Barr Corporate Success can show you the way.

For more information, please e-mail Krissi Barr at:

krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

or see our website at www.barrcorporatesuccess.com