How to Manage and Improve Poor Employee Performance | businessnewsdaily.com

July 14, 2021July 12, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Learn how to identify and improve poor employee performance.

Evaluate employees’ performance by comparing their output and behaviors to the agreed-upon expectations.
Have an in-person discussion with an underperforming employee to identify the reasons for poor performance and create an improvement plan.
Document the employee’s performance and improvement plan to evaluate their future performance and protect your business.
This article is for small business owners, HR professionals and managers who have underperforming employees.

What Is the Most Important Step in Prioritizing Goals? | Life Hack

July 14, 2021July 12, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of attending one of Tony Robbins’ seminars, you have likely heard him say, “successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” I’ve found that he was spot-on—questions reflect how we see the world. As a productivity consultant, one of the most important questions I ask my clients is, “what is the most important step in prioritizing goals?”

Every CEO, executive, manager, and entrepreneur knows the importance of setting goals, but not everyone understands how to set them properly. In fact, many people make the mistake of confusing goals with dreams.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming. It’s often a great place to visit from time to time, but as Napoleon Hill said, “a goal is a dream with a deadline.” It gets the point across, but there’s a little more to it.

How to Produce a Podcast: Fundamentals | AllBusiness.com

July 13, 2021July 11, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Do you have expert knowledge in marketing, finance, or another topic that you would love to share with the world? Hosting your own podcast is a fantastic way to establish your position as a thought leader and share your expertise with a potentially large audience. Podcasts have exploded in popularity in recent years and have become the preferred entertainment medium for countless consumers all over the world.

If you are ready to produce a podcast, it is important that you follow some key fundamental steps.

16 Tips for a Successful Lunch Meeting | Small Business Trends

July 12, 2021July 11, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As more and more business meetings move out of conference rooms and to more casual settings like lunch meetings, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Having a successful lunch meeting can yield a lot of benefits, since it can be a bit more relaxed and informal, and you can have more candid conversations.

To help you maximize your chances of success, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to lunch meetings filled with helpful tips and tricks.

What is a Working Lunch Meeting?

A working lunch meeting is a straightforward part of working life and can take several forms. You can have working meetings outside of the office by going to a nearby restaurant.

Or if you’re meeting a prospective client, taking them out to lunch can help you get to know them better in a more casual way, and you can conduct the meeting on neutral territory. Alternatively, you might invite attendees to a lunch meeting in the office, such as hosting a luncheon in a conference room.

Source: Read More

How startups with brand purpose can thrive | The Startup Magazine

July 9, 2021July 8, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Establishing a start-up business can be daunting, especially with so much competition around. However, one way that is emerging to ensure success is to focus on brand purpose and how your company can connect with customers on a deeper level.

A recent report published by Feefo found that 74% of customers always consider a brand’s values before purchasing from them. But to allow your business to succeed, we must first try to understand brand purpose is so powerful.

Feefo’s Marketing Director, Keith Povey, says: “It’s been an incredibly volatile 12 months for businesses, which has seen a seismic shift in consumer behaviour, some aspects of which will have a long-lasting effect on how buyers think, act and spend. That said, our research shows that for those businesses that are agile and realign their marketing strategies, there are many opportunities to improve brand awareness, perception and loyalty. Those that respond and act with the medium to long term in mind will see greater returns over the next few years than those that see this period as nothing more than a dip, due to external circumstances.”

2 inexpensive ways to turn shelf unit to a standing desk | IKEA Hackers

July 7, 2021July 5, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Two simple and inexpensive ways to turn IKEA shelf units into a standing desk. Very useful for the current WFH situations.

#1 GERSBY standing desk

I prefer to work standing up. And I’ve spent the majority of my career working upright.

I took the jump and retrained as a software engineer at the start of 2020. My first job as a junior involves working remotely. A sit-down desk did not cut it, so I got hacking.

Luckily I had a GERSBY bookcase spare.

30 Essential Pieces of Free (and Open) Software for Windows | The Simple Dollar

July 7, 2021July 5, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

We live in a golden age of computer software, where there are freely available software packages for almost any purpose. But isn’t there no such thing as a free lunch? Who makes free software, and why?

Some free software is the result of people simply writing programs that they find useful and sharing them with others. Some free software is ad-supported. Other free software packages are given away using the “freemium” model, which means the basic version is free with some advanced features available for paying customers. Still other free software packages are made available by large companies as enticement to get you to try their other software.

With these options and the easy access to software that the internet provides, there are tons of great software choices out there that you don’t have to pay a dime for.

The Pandemic Changed Sleep Habits. Maybe That’s a Good Thing | WIRED

July 6, 2021July 5, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

FOR MANY PEOPLE, the pandemic has completely changed the morning routine. No more running to catch the subway or racing to get to campus. So we’re sleeping in. According to one study out of the University of Colorado Boulder, students attending class remotely slept an average of 30 minutes longer during the week, and 24 minutes longer on the weekend, than they had during the regular pre-pandemic semester. They also shifted their wake times, getting out of bed nearly an hour later on school days. And it’s not just American students who have been spending more time snoozing; other studies found that during early lockdowns in Argentina and Europe, people slept longer and woke up later.

Céline Vetter, one of the authors of the Colorado study, says it’s hard to conclude from this data whether the pandemic has been good for our sleep habits, but it has revealed something else that’s important. “What it really says is that work is really a powerful determinant of our sleep behavior,” says Vetter, who directs the university’s Circadian and Sleep Epidemiology Lab. In other words, work schedules fundamentally change how and when people sleep, often causing them to sleep less—and rise earlier—than they would if they were just following their own circadian rhythm.

5 Tips for Improving Your Work-Life Balance | Getentrepreneurial.com

July 1, 2021June 28, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Work-life balance is the one thing that most of us crave, but few of us really attain. This doesn’t mean it’s not worth pursuing, but in today’s busy, work-focused world, it can be hard to separate time for yourself and your family. Fortunately, we have a few ways to help you inch closer to a healthy, viable work-life balance!

Allow Free Time in Your Schedule

Many people just assume that free time happens naturally once they clock out from work. While this may be true for some, it’s not true for most people. As soon as you get home from work (even if you work from home), you’re likely bombarded with chores, family obligations, and a long personal to-do list. Therefore, it’s vital that you set aside real free time in your schedule. Even if it’s just one or two hours a week, it is a great way to actually recharge your batteries. During this time, you don’t need to feel obligated to do anything but relax and enjoy yourself!

Samsung’s next Galaxy smartwatch will work more like an Apple Watch | Mashable

June 30, 2021June 28, 2021 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

On Monday, Samsung held a virtual event for Mobile World Congress where it showed off an all-new smartwatch interface: One UI Watch. Built in partnership with Google, it creates a more unified experience between the company’s Galaxy smartwatches and Android phones.

One UI Watch comes only a short while after Google announced it was joining forces with Samsung and merging the two companies’ smartwatch operating systems — Wear OS and Tizen, respectively. While we have yet to see what the new operating system looks like, this new interface gives us somewhat of an idea.