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Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy, http://buzz2bucks.com.

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By Ina R. Seno

Before diving into keyword research, type this phrase in your browser’s  search box, “SEO services in Michigan.” Your search engine will pick this up and  show all the relevant or related websites. The words you typed are really  keywords or more accurately a keyword phrase. The sites displayed are the result  of SEO methods performed on those websites. The better the SEO method used, the  higher your rank will be in its pages.

One significant portion of SEO is  choosing the important keywords or keyword phrases through research.

The Meaning of Keyword Research

Keyword research is the method by which you look for the correct keywords for  you to optimize your site. It’s not as easy as you think. It takes a lot of hard  work and diligence to accomplish.

For example, you want to list down the  keywords you can use for violin lessons. You can use Google AdWords Keyword  Tool. It’s used by many people and it’s free. When you get to Google AdWords  Keyword Tool, type violin lessons and a list of suggested keywords are  displayed. Look at the columns on your right side.

One of the columns has Global  Monthly Search Volume as its title. This column informs you the number of  Internet viewers who search for that particular keyword every month. Select  keywords with greater than 2500 search volumes. This will guarantee that there  is a market for that keyword who are really typing and looking for it.

Jot down  the keywords that you have chosen. More importantly, after selecting the  keywords you have to know how many individuals are competing for that keyword.  You can use the free version of Traffic Travis to know the competition for each  word. Utilize keywords with easy competition and those are the ones which you  should use in your blog posts and articles. This will gradually increase your  rank in the search engines.

Keyword Stuffing

Never use the same keyword too many times in a single blog post or article.  Keep the keyword density below two percent. Your blog post or article can get  penalized by the search engines and decrease your ranking. This method was  utilized before to increase the ranking of sites by stuffing articles and blog  posts with keywords. The article loses its meaning. It’s important to bear in  mind that you’re writing for the human readers and not search robots.

Generalization

If you don’t choose the right keywords through research, the search engines  will not know where to locate your site and determine how high it will rank in  its pages. If these significant points are too much to understand, don’t worry,  that’s a natural response. To make the entire process easier and hassle free for  you, find an SEO company that not only handles your keyword research but the  whole SEO method.

For the whole package of SEO solutions, contact us, Michigan SEO Firm. We provide the complete SEO services and  not just keyword research. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.

• “Culture isn’t just one aspect of the game – it is the  game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than the collective  capacity of its people to create value.” Values such as outstanding customer  service, teamwork, excellence, integrity, and stakeholder value don’t translate  into the same kind of behavior in all companies, such as how people actually go  about their work, how they interact with one another, and what motivates them.  Employees’ actions and behaviors emanate from an organization’s culture, not  from agreed-upon values or written policies.

JFD Performance Solutions ( http://www.jfdperfsolutions.com  )
As a business coaching and consulting firm, we specialize in helping  individuals to reach more of their potential, companies to achieve greater  results, and teams to work better together. We help our clients implement  sustainable change and be more successful.

I had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussion of organization  development and change practitioners, whereby three seasoned consultants shared  their insights on culture change at a local professional meeting. Each of these  individuals were seasoned internal consultants for major corporations or  academic institutions, and each was responsible for initiating, facilitating,  and overseeing culture change programs in their organizations.

I was moved and  inspired by their wisdom and wish to share some of that wisdom with others  facing similar challenges.

Lesson 1.

Build the Infrastructure, Be the Bridge

One of the panelists shared that he saw his role as helping to build the  infrastructure for change. He described how culture change comes about with both  a shift in thinking and in behaviors. While he can not control others’  behaviors, he certainly can control his own.

This was one of the key insights he  had after attending institution-wide workshops and events regarding the new  culture they were trying to build to execute the new organizational strategy.

He  kept the various large group meetings and training events top of mind whenever  he was interacting with his clients. He would purposefully use language and  model new ways of behaving and interacting. When appropriate, he would ask  questions of his clients regarding the conclusions they had reached after being  exposed to the institution’s initiatives, and what they believed they could  control or direct within their span of influence.

He focused on synchronization  – between his local constituents and clients and the university as a whole – so  that the institution could begin operating in a more connected fashion. He  summed up his actions in building this infrastructure by saying that his role  was to be a bridge for his clients – between the clients’ local agenda and the  university’s goals – to connect today’s reality to tomorrow’s possibilities.

As change agents for our organizations, our role often is to be the bridge  between the old and the new. How we construct this bridge and the foundation  upon which it sets directly impacts our clients’ ability to traverse across it  and reach the destination. This panelist’s comments echo the sentiments of  Charlie and Edie Seashore’s work on self as an instrument and Edgar Schein’s  classic writings on process consultation.

At our best, we can be a powerful  medium to help our clients achieve the change they long for in their lives. At  our worst, we can inhibit, block, and even prevent that change from happening.  We have a great responsibility to uphold in this arena.

Lesson 2. Courageously Advocate for Alignment

The second panelist chose to share insights with the group on where he had  “screwed up” culture change initiatives in the past. His cautionary tale  included three potential traps for the change agent: 1) focusing on events,  meetings, or activities as opposed to the entire journey and process, 2) putting  HR in charge of a culture change program that ultimately needs to be driven and  managed within the business, and 3) allowing existing policies and procedures to  remain unchanged even in the face of misalignment to the new stated goals of the  initiative.

This panelist was extremely candid in his appraisal of his own past  performance, as he believed that earlier in his career he lacked the courage and  conviction to “push executives to change policies that were not in sync with the  new direction.” Unfortunately, this is a common experience.

Organizations on one  hand advocate a new strategy and direction for their people, but on the other  hand fail to set people up for success to achieve that strategy. One of the  easiest ways to destroy an initiative is to actually encourage people to do  things that undermine the new direction. Stephen Kerr’s classic article. On  the Folly of Rewarding A While Hoping for B, summarizes this phenomenon  well.

Essentially, it reminds us that people do those things for which they are  rewarded. Not getting the desired behavior from your employees? It is quite  possible that your policies, procedures, rewards, and consequences are out of  alignment with stated goals and objectives.

Lesson 3. Eat the Elephant Ear, Not the Entire Elephant

Just the mention of the phrase “culture change” can stop people in their  tracks. “What? You want to change how we do things around here? Good luck!” The  third panelist quite eloquently explained how approaching culture change in bite  sized pieces can be the fastest and most direct route to the goal. As part of a  large retail corporation, this executive focused on culture change in concert  with the launch of a rebranding strategy for one of its divisions.

The culture  change work was positioned as an enabler to allow the new strategy to take root  and flourish. Because it was connected to real business goals and measurable  results, it gained traction and attention. In addition, the rebranding was a  success and consequently, the activities undertaken to help accomplish it were  highly regarded.

Sometimes eating the elephant can be overwhelming, so focusing  on just the elephant ear at first – perhaps with a sprinkle of powdered sugar -  can be much more appetizing and digestible.

In a few short hours, I gleaned valuable insights from these three leaders  that would have taken me many years to acquire on my own. I hope their wisdom  aids others who are helping develop and instill new cultures in their  organizations.

Deb Peluso is the President/CEO of The Change Collaborative, LLC based in  Columbus, Ohio. Connect with us at http://www.thechangecollaborative.com or on Twitter via  @changecollab.

By Grant Webb

With our economy performing so poorly, it is of paramount importance that  every business cut costs and ultimately improve their bottom line. Just about  every business has cash flow to gain by becoming more economical in their  spending and utilization of funds. Recently, Six Sigma Certification training  has emerged as the best methodology to implement company wide regardless of your  business type or sector.

This approach has been proven effective by just about  every entity that has implemented this type of strategy.

The end goal of applying the methods of Six Sigma practices is to reduce  waste along with service breaks or failures during any company’s business  processes. These methods include a data driven approach to monitoring,  controlling, and enhancing business performance. By virtually eliminating  product and service defects, a company can further streamline their product or  service delivery and client satisfaction.

To take this a bit further, what does it mean to implement these methods  company wide? Initially, it means you as a business have to first admit that as  a whole, your processes can improve and processes improve as employee skills  improve.

Which areas can be improved upon depends on the different processes  that are required to maintain functional flow. Obviously the larger your  business is the more processes there are in place. By at least paying for  managerial employees to obtain the various certifications offered by Six Sigma,  they can then implement product and process related improvements via their  inferior staff members.

Your ROI will be greater than your out of pocket expense

The end goal is to reduce unnecessary costs, improve  upon product or service delivery, and to turn your business into the optimally  functioning business it deserves to be. Though the costs per employee to obtain  this certification is relatively high, the return on your investment stands to  be much greater than your out of pocket expense. This is the reasoning behind  businesses paying for their employee’s to become certified in this  methodology.

While this certification is ultimately geared towards improving any  businesses functionality, it is not aimed at any one type of business. It’s  applications are vast and include but are not limited to the healthcare  industry, financial services, and information technology. When applied to  healthcare, this proven methodology eliminates steps that are not valuable,  reduces defects and variation in patient outcomes, resulting in more efficient  processes and a more consistent patient outcome.

You will learn how to implement core competencies of Six Sigma

And for financial  professionals, you will benefit by learning how to implement core competencies  of Six Sigma which will prompt you to make more informed business decisions and  guide projects that end with improved bottom-line results.

Currently the most effective method of improving business function is for  company employees to obtain their Six Sigma Certification. If you are interested in making  yourself more marketable and more profitable for any given company, you should  read up on the vast benefits of Six Sigma Training now!

By Tinker Barnett

In 2005, nearly 60% of human resource professionals in large companies  reported conflict between younger and older workers. This has  not changed much today. Some business owners and managers in my community are so  frustrated with young workers that they have decided not to hire them ever  again.

I am always sorry to hear this because not hiring young people is not a  solution. Rather, it is a lose-lose situation for companies that want to remain  successful in the long-term and for Generation Y (Gen Y) who are increasingly  unemployed and lack work experience.

There is a better way.

If you are a business owner or manager age 45 to 70, it is possible that Gen  Y will not begin to think and act the way you do at work, not soon enough  anyway. Openness and willingness to look at new ways of getting-work-done is a  faster, longer-lasting way out of frustration at work.

At first, it may feel like you are giving-in to your least-experienced  workers and as though you’ve relinquished power and control. It is important to  know that frustration with employees is less about Generation Y and more about  the “waves of change” they ride. Change causes all of us to feel a lack of  confidence until we accept it and take responsibility to work with it.

Gen Yers to set the norm in the future

Recent research projects that Gen Yers will set the new norm for the  workplace in 2014 when they become 50% of the workforce. They will be put into  key leadership positions faster and have less time to get ready than Boomers  did. If this is true, it is good to start listening now to how Generation Y  employees intend to make the workplace better. Maybe you will want to get a head  start on them.

Here are 4 Clues for how Generation Y will change the workplace once they are  in charge:

Clue #1. Meetings will be productive and most will last only 30 minutes.  Everyone will come prepared and know exactly what the team is doing. Gen Y hates  to waste time and this is causing some of the greatest conflict among  generations.

Clue #2. Gen Y will promote people who are clear about who are competent,  trustworthy, and relate to employees in ways that inspire them to be their best,  not because they are senior and have “put in more time”.

Clue #3. Gen Y will find mentors to get their careers jump-started, throwing  out the “sink-or-swim” style of management. They will be terrific mentors  themselves, bringing “mentoring-up” to the workplace and teaching values of  collaboration, innovation, and social connection to the next generation of  workers.

Clue #4. Gen Y will re-invent retirement as many retreats – not one, spread  out over time. The economy is too uncertain and they will live too long to  regularly sacrifice family and fun in hopes of an extended period for doing what  they really want to do (like their parents expected). For Gen Y, living is for  today, not to be put-off.

And, if you can take time to get to know Gen Y employees, they will want to  learn from you and you will have less frustration at work.

Workplace frustration can be minimized

Bottom line, workplace frustration can be minimized when people of different  generations are understood and validated for characteristics they are pretty  much stuck with.

Want to know more? I invite you to claim your free instant access to my white  paper, “Workplace Frustration: How to Reduce It and Manage Generation Y For An  Increase in Company Profits”. For a limited time you’ll find it at my slide-up  when you visit http://GenerationalDivideCoaching.com.

From Tinker Barnett, Bridges LLC

“Connecting Generations in the Workplace”

Keep Your Business Alive

The business world is a highly competitive and rapidly changing domain. The  way to survive is to reshape according to the needs of circumstances. In  leadership, you have to accept the fact of change.

Resisting change leads  nowhere but a dead end. You and your organization are going to be stalled, if  not completely shut down.

Gaining and keeping customers keep a business alive. Your customers want  excellent service and more. If you cannot provide these to customers, your  competitors will. That´s why your organization needs to reshape itself quickly  to change so it can offer what customers need.

Top leadership in the  organization realizes the significance of preserving their resources. They  cannot just throw away money at every problem. Executive leaders also know the  importance of having highly committed and flexible workers. As a leader, you  need to be able to implement action that allows the organization to quickly and  smoothly adapt to change.

4 Different Changes Of An Organization

Throughout its growth, an organization normally goes through 4 different  changes:

• Formative period. The organization is just getting started. The  founding vision or purpose of the organization has no formal definitions yet.  This is a stage of a lot of experimentation and innovation. Changes of  creativity and discovery enable the organization to beat obstacles and achieve  breakthroughs.
• Rapid growth period. The organization implements direction and  organization so that it can sustain its growth and solidify gains. The purpose  of the organization and on the mainstream business is being clarified and  defined.
• Mature period. The organization develops a strong growth curve that  levels off to the general velocity of the economy. Change and modifications are  needed so that the organization can maintain established markets and achieve  maximum gains.
• Declining period. This is a rough ride for the organization. It  often means reorganization and downsizing. Tough objectives are developed,  although there is compassionate implementation. To survive, the organization  needs to get out of the old and cross the threshold towards something new. There  is starting again of the four periods, beginning a new process that determines  success.

Depending on the pace, some organizations may go through with the 4-period  change process rapidly, while others undergo these growth stages for decades. If  there is no follow- through with the needed changes in any of the 4 growth  periods, an organization would falter and eventually die.

“Continual Improvement

In Japanese, there is the concept of “kaizen” which means “continual  improvement”. The quest to do better is never-ending. Changing is doing better.  Standing still makes the competition get ahead. Congregate your resources and  solidify your strength so you can revitalize, move on, catch up with the pace  and get to the top.

By the way, do you want to learn more about leadership in your company? If  so, download your FREE eBook here: Guide to Elegant Courage Leadership

Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com

No Time For Nonsense In The Workplace

Your workplace is an area with lots of objectives to meet, tasks to  accomplish, undertakings to resolve, and deadlines to beat. Along the way, you  face lots of hindrances. You undergo a lot of distractions, problems, and  challenges. With all these in your head, you could not afford to think about the  little issues in your workplace. But, you will be forced to face a bothersome  concern about tireless whiners when you overhear their nonsense whatnots.

The sickening cry of a whiner is something you do not want to hear in the  middle of your intense operation. But you, as a leader, may not be able to  control this expressive act of your employee when he is in such an annoying  mood. You are absolutely aware that if this whining persists in a couple of  minutes, everybody will be distracted. You will be furious. Your work will be  disrupted. Things will be in chaos.

How To Deal With A Workplace Whiner

• There are several ways to deal with whiners. First is that you don’t feed  the dog. Never fall in the trap of that individual. If you express sympathy to a  whiner’s sentiments, he or she will just realize that whining is a good trick to  attract your attention and lure you. You become easily influenced and fooled.  The whiner will redirect you, and control you instead. Whining is not a  therapeutic coping mechanism. You must not tolerate this in your area as much as  possible.
• Second, impose clearly that if someone unconsciously whines, let them know  that it may only be allowed at a tolerable level. Let the whiner know that it  should last only for several seconds, with no annoying repetitions nor  infuriating mumbling, nagging, etc. Call their attention right away. Correct the  wrongful act, so that you will show your employees that you are not happy with  the whining.
• Lastly, as a leader, it is best that beforehand, oblige everybody to not  engage at all in whining. Your workplace is not a whine zone. Let everyone  understand that you are serious and strict about it. You have lots of things to  do. Tireless complaints will not help any of you to finish your goals.

For a whiner, it becomes helpful for them to do their tasks if he mumble,  nag, or whine while working. These acts become their way to resist but still  persist. It is their way to express themselves. But for everybody else, a  whining co-worker is a nuisance. It does not bring any good to the success of  the organization, but rather a headache.

By the way, do you want to learn more about leadership in your company? If  so, download your FREE ebook here: Guide to Elegant Courage Leadership

Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com

By the way, do you want to learn more about leadership in your company? If so, download your FREE ebook here: Guide to Elegant Courage Leadership

Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com

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