One of the great things about being a kid is that you get to constantly ask Why? even when you know the answer. Why is it so? But why? Why? etc as any parent will attest. The adult version of this is being a philosopher but still being able to ask the same question, Why? So if you’ll indulge my philosophical tendencies, I want to ask you why?

At this festive time of the year many people attend functions with people they have never met. Sooner or later the conversation turns to ‘So what do you do?’. To which we all provide the standard ‘resume’ answer. Like a good philosopher I like to ask why? rather than what?

So here’s my question. Why do you do what you do? Why do you work? Why do you get up in the morning?

Try this experiment yourself. Ask people why they do what they do. I’ll bet you get one of three answers in the following percentages.

70% of respondents will simply say ‘I don’t know’. Amazing eh? They are doing something everyday (like working) but they can’t tell you why they are doing it. This is kind of like using a map without knowing the destination isn’t it? It kinda makes the map useless doesn’t it?

20% of respondents will say they want a ‘better’ this or ‘more’ of that, etc. This is certainly a more focused answer but notice how words like ‘better’ and ‘more’ are very vague. ‘Better’ than what? How much ‘more’? They are vague because people are afraid to set definitive goals because if they do they run the risk of failure. It is much easier to be vague because if you fail you can cover it up by saying ‘well we did more’ or ‘we actually did better’ even if that is not the case.

The last 10% of respondents will tell you with great details why they do what they do. For example, they may say they are saving to buy a purple Bell Jet Ranger helicopter so they can learn how to fly and use it every weekend. You see the difference? A very definitive goal.

There are some major benefits of setting very specific goals as well. The first is measurement. If you say you want ‘more’ money how do you measure that? Is that $1 more or $1,000 more? However, if you say you want $1 million more then you can measure exactly how close you are to reaching your goal. I also believe that having a very specific goal can provide you with that extra little incentive when things are tough and not looking so bright. Chances are if you have set yourself goals like ‘more’ you’ll quit or accept far less than what you really want to achieve. However, if you have a very specific goal it provides focus and generally provides a greater drive to achieve simply because it is far more real. That little extra push through the tough time is generally what separates those who succeed and those who don’t. It is such a tiny thing but it makes such a world of difference.

You can have as many goals as you want but my advice is to make them as specific as you can. Sure, you may not achieve them but I think you’ll be surprised how many you do actually achieve if you make them specific. Have the confidence to go after what you really want and don’t be afraid to be specific. People who do achieve normally have very, very specific goals and don’t forget to constantly measure and adjust as you go along. It is only the unfounded fear of failure that is holding you back.

Of course don’t forget to act like a child, a-hem, I mean philosopher at the next social function you attend and ask why? rather than what? Listen to the responds you get to see whether my thumbnail demographics are correct. Getting specific is a small and subtle change but, in my experience, it separates those who do from those who want.

I have setup a new page on the main CIAOPS web site that contains all the most popular CIAOPS publications. You can now purchase them all directly from this page. You can find the publications page at:

http://www.ciaops.com/publications/

Going forward with this new e-commerce system it will allow me to sell a greater range of products and extend the CIAOPS Affiliate program to cover all of these items. The items will still be available via the original sites because they provide distribution via Amazon, iBook, Nook, etc which this new system doesn’t facilitate.

Hopefully, it means more choice and a better experience for those looking to get hold of my publications. If you do you the new system I’d appreciate your feedback (good or bad) as I am always looking to improve things for customers.

One of the greatest advantages that Internet based technologies can provide is leverage. Nothing could be more the case than with social media. Unfortunately, too many businesses and professionals fail to see the potential that it can provide themselves and their businesses. Probably the most effective social network for business is Linkedin (www.linkedin.com).

You may be surprised to know that Linkedin in has been around for over 10 years! It was around long before Facebook and Twitter as a source of connecting business people together. Linkedin allows you to create a profile for yourself or your business into which can put all sorts of information. Many professionals use Linkedin as a ‘living CV’ where they can post their career and achievement records for others to view. Sharing that information with others help them grow their potential network and makes it easier for others to locate people with the right skills.

This is where the key technology of search begins to reveal the true power of Linkedin, for not only can you share your information with others, independent parties can search Linkedin and locate individuals with the skills they need. This is reason why so many HR people use Linkedin to locate and target individuals with the skills they require. Posting resumes and trawling employment website is now ‘old school’, the highest quality applicants are signed up via Linkedin even before a job is offered.

This means that if you are not using Linkedin your competition probably already is. So what can you do to catch up? Firstly, you’ll need to create a Linkedin account and then fill in the information about yourself. The more professional information you provide the better. It is also important to include a professional headshot as part of the profile so if you don’t have one of these go out and get one. Once you have all your information entered start looking for people and associates you know who are already on Linkedin. When you find them send them an invite to ‘connect’ with you on Linkedin.

Once you network starts to grow make sure that Linkedin becomes an ongoing part of your business strategy. Don’t let the information you have entered get stale. Revisit your account regularly and ensure it is always as current as possible. As you meet new contacts look them up on Linkedin and as them to ‘connect’ with you. Always be looking to grow your network and don’t afraid to ask people in your network for introductions to other on Linkedin.

When you start to feel comfortable with Linkedin use the testimonial feature to ask business contacts and clients for referrals. These referrals can be directly posted on your profile for all to see. Nothing lends credibility like endorsement so always continue to seek them out and grow the number that you have. Once the endorsements start to flow make sure you direct other information about your business to your Linkedin information. Use it on your website, business cards, etc.

The more you work with Linkedin the more powerful you will find it. When you need something you can  ask your network of contacts, you can search their skills for what you need and you can join any number of special interest Linkedin groups on the very topic that you are seeking assistance on. The power of search means that when you need something or somebody professionally chances are it will be in Linkedin. Remember, Linkedin is a business tool. It is something that you’ll need to understand and continue to work with to obtain benefit. However, when you do you’ll find that power of leverage will return far more than you will ever invest in it.

I find it quite amusing when people say they can’t find good employees. It is not that I don’t understand the struggles they have, what however brings a smile to my face is the way they go about it.

In most cases they simply create a wanted ad and post to some online job board in the ‘hope’ that the right person will apply. The result is normally that they are flooded with hundreds of irrelevant and unsuitable candidates. Those that may make it past the initial resume screen typically fail at the next hurdle which is a pre-interview knowledge test.

Even people that manage to succeed in overcoming these hurdles generally don’t interview well and end up being rejected. If you add all that up it is a lot of time, effort and money for very little result. Why? Simple. Things work differently now.

Chances are that the good employees you are searching for are already employed by someone else. If they are any good they are in high demand and probably not really thinking of changing jobs. If they are they are most likely going to lured away to another post without even the need for an interview. It makes far more sense to fill a position you need with someone whom you already know can do the job doesn’t it?

So how do you find these good people? Same way you find additional business, networking and referrals. You need to be cultivating and growing your business AND contact network constantly. This will expose you to people who would some day potentially make good employees or know people who would make good employees. Chances are that they are already happily employed, you however need to continue to maintain contact until there comes a time when they are considering making a move.

Tools like social networking, especially in this case something like Linkedin, should be your weapon of choice in growing and maintaining your professional network. You can in fact use Linkedin as a recruitment tool where you can search for people based on skill and experience, connect and then stay in touch. You can also use Linkedin to post jobs and keep people abreast of what is happening in your business.

Bottom line? You need to be constantly recruiting as it is unlikely that good people are going to respond to job ads. They will be typically already be snapped up by someone who makes them a job offer the minute they consider a change and they do this because they take the time to stay in touch with these prospects. You need to let the world know what an attractive business you have and why people should want to be employed within it. Most importantly, the smart ones are leveraging technologies like Linkedin to make this recruitment process much easier. If you are doing things the old way with ads on job sites I hate to tell you that the good people have already been taken.

As I pass the local cafe strip this morning I noticed a recently opened cafe had a for lease sign in the window. It would be unsurprising to me if they have unfortunately gone out of business because to my mind they had missed some very important opportunities to stay in contact with their customers.

To start with, the cafe never had an email address. How many people live via their email these days? I did have cause to contact the cafe about an event I was organizing there and guess what? An email is so much easier than looking up their phone details and they are free! Strike 1.

Next, they never had a web site. Not even a basic one. It isn’t difficult to create a very basic free one page web site with a registered domain. I have created lots of my own special interest web sites using the free Google Sites tool (www.ciaops.org.au if where you’ll find them). They are far from perfect or Web 2.0’ized but guess what? They are up there and they work. They get the message out. Having a web site would have been really handy when the cafe decided to change their opening hours unbeknownst to me until I arrived on the doorstep early one morning for a meeting. I can tell you that I was not please at all that the only way I could find out about this was by coming to the establishment. Strike 2.

I am only assuming here, but surely it isn’t too difficult to get your establishment listed in local Internet guides, coffee sites, etc? This is where I would think that you start attracting a regular audience and community. You make it easy for them to provide feedback, you solicit comments and you reward regular customers. Hell, even a Facebook page is easy to set up these days. I can’t understand why they didn’t make it easy for people to ‘check in’ on Facebook or Four Square. Why? Because the people that do this sort of thing are the influences. They are the people that other look and see what they are doing and then follow. These influencers are connected. They expect the places they frequent to be connected and easy to ‘check in’ to. So, strike 3 and you’re out.

I watched with interest as this local cafe started up. I frequented the establishment in an effort to support a local business but I could see that it was going to struggle without embracing even the simplest of technologies. Just like water and electricity any business needs to embrace technology and explore what can help them retain customers and better engage with them. Surprisingly, much of the technology is free and simply requires a little bit of effort to setup and maintain. It is all about using the best tools for your business and technology is something EVERY business owner needs to have on their tool belt.