Michelle Benjamin – CEO of Benjamin Enterprises

Although it might not feel like it, spring is here. This is the perfect opportunity to schedule some teambuilding activities. It is warm enough to go outside and the summer vacations haven’t started yet so try these ideas for building a stronger team.

Ask your employees – Get input from your employees on what they would like to do. By soliciting their input, your employees will feel that their opinion matters and will be more likely to not only attend the event, but participate once they are there.

Get outside – Have a picnic lunch outside. Whether it is the outdoor tables at your office, or a picnic shelter at a local park, get outside. Bring along a Frisbee, football or a kite to add some activity to the mix.

Support the Home Team – Get tickets for a minor league baseball team game, soccer team or roller derby team. Most cities have at least one of these types of teams that everyone can get behind.

Take the Afternoon Off – Head out to the bowling alley, arcade or Fun Park with the whole gang. Just the act of getting out of the office with the team will reduce stress for everyone. Create some contests and award the winners some token prizes. Make sure you create teams to participate and not just have individual contests.

Support a Cause – Local charities and organizations are always on the lookout for volunteers. Find one that is close to the heart of the business and volunteer your time. This sense of “giving back” to the community as a team will go far in building that team dynamic.

A strong team is critical to the success of any business. Building that team is an ongoing effort for all members. Spring is an excellent time to ramp up your teambuilding activities. There is a sense of rebirth and renewal in nature that can also apply to your team.

Michelle Benjamin – CEO of Benjamin Enterprises

With colleges, universities and high schools wrapping up the school year, there will be many students looking for internships. These students will be looking for businesses within their career field for opportunities to gain real world experience sometimes receiving a small salary in return. So should you consider an internship program for your business?

Review Your Business Needs - Take a good hard look at your projected workload for the next few months. Do you need help? If so and you are willing to put forth some effort to do training, you should definitely consider setting up an internship. Small businesses especially can benefit from an internship program since they will be getting an extra worker for a smaller salary.

Create the Job Description – This is one of the most important parts of creating the internship. Too many times, businesses will just hire an intern with no real idea of what they will be doing. By creating a specific job description which includes detailed roles and responsibilities, you will ensure that you are getting qualified candidates who are interested in the job.

Paid or Unpaid – Decide on whether this will be a paid or unpaid internship. Legally you can have an unpaid internship as long as you abide by labor laws. You can find out more about those here. Also keep in mind that you will have a larger pool of candidates to recruit from if you are offering a salary.

Contact the Schools - Reach out to the job placement offices at your local colleges and universities with the job description. Depending on the job requirements, you can also reach out to local high schools and consider rising juniors or seniors for you position.

Interview the Candidates – Treat these interviews like you would any interview for a potential employee. While these potentials might not have as much experience, it is important to make sure that their attitude and work ethic are a fit for your business.

An internship is a great opportunity for both the business and the intern. The business receives additional labor at a lower cost and the intern receives on the job experience that will look good on their resume when seeking a full time job. Just make sure to abide by the law when it comes to paid/unpaid work opportunities and that you have a well-documented and defined job description. Then, both you and your intern will benefit from the experience.

Michelle Benjamin – CEO of Benjamin Enterprises

Many companies have gone global when it comes to outsourcing. Whether it is for manufacturing, materials or services, companies looked first to Mexico, and now to Asia (China, India, Vietnam) in an effort to reduce costs. The overlying thought was that these products and services were too expensive to be purchased in the United States. Is that still the case? With the huge push especially in the food industry to use local products, I think it is worth the time and money to re-evaluate the local choice.

For small businesses especially, there are several reasons why it makes sense to utilize local businesses.

Volume – These businesses often don’t have the volume to make it worth it to purchase from another country; or in some cases from across the country or across the state. The shipping costs alone could eat into any savings on the products purchased. In some cases, you might even be able to pick up the product thus removing any shipping related costs.

Relationships – Small businesses need relationships more than a larger business. Word of mouth from one business to another can make or break a business. If you partner with local businesses, they will in turn refer you to other businesses that are their customers. Think of it as a free referral program for your business.

Go Green – Reducing our carbon footprint is top of mind not only in business, but in our everyday life. By using local vendors, you can reduce your carbon footprint since any fuel consumption related to shipping is smaller. In some cases, this could even lead to green certifications which would give your business more exposure.

Fueling the Community – We have all heard the politicians talk about how small businesses will drive the jobs recovery. You can do your part by using local vendors who will then be able to continue employing their current workforce and potentially hire additional workers.

Over the past few years, US based businesses have taken major steps to become competitive with businesses based overseas. In some cases, it may still make sense to procure goods and services from overseas companies, but I do think it is time to revisit the decision.

Michelle Benjamin – CEO of Benjamin Enterprises

7 Steps to Surviving a Bad Boss

By Adrienne Burke | Profit Minded

When we defined the 5 traits of the worst bosses here last month, we hit a nerve. Among the more than 3,000 readers who commented, many said things like, “This describes my boss, but what can I do about it?” After all, as tempting as it is some days, it’s just not practical for most of us to up and quit when a boss is making us miserable.

For answers on how to handle a less-than-stellar supervisor, we went back to Michelle Benjamin, CEO and founder of Benjamin Enterprises and an expert in helping companies improve their management cultures. Benjamin’s spinoff TalentReady grooms middle managers for leadership positions as they climb the ranks, so her forté is to help rising stars get beyond bad bosses, as well as to avoid becoming them.

Here are 7 steps to survival with a bad boss—some of them a bit of tough love for employees—derived from our conversation with Michelle Benjamin.

1. Look in the mirror. It might not be what you want to hear, but Benjamin suggests any employee facing bad management first do a reality check. “This topic brings me back to when I was an employee, not a boss,” Benjamin says. “In the past, when I saw a ‘help-wanted’ ad, I thought it meant that the company had an open position. But as a boss, I know the true meaning of that ad is that the boss needs help. There is a need for a job to get done. Money is exchanged for that help you are hired to bring,” she points out.

If you report to someone you consider a bad boss, your first task is to “ask yourself if you recognize why you were hired,” says Benjamin. “Look at your own weaknesses and what you might be doing to contribute to a bad situation.”

If indeed you are there to help the boss and the business, you recognize why you were hired, “and your intentions are pure,” Benjamin says, “then it’s about having the courage to ask for the time for a deep conversation with your boss. The solution lies within you to either take the steps to change the situation or to make the move to leave the environment.”

2. Recognize that your boss is human. “No one is perfect. Not you or your boss,” says Benjamin. “We all have strengths and weaknesses. Can you use your strengths to improve things?” Say, for instance, you are frustrated by a boss who doesn’t communicate her expectations. If you can recognize that behavior, not the boss, as the problem, then start requesting meetings with your boss to discuss the parameters of new projects. “Ask, ‘Has this been done before? If it has, show me what success looks like, or what a bad result looks like’,” Benjamin says. “Talk through the task so that you and your boss are on the same wavelength. That conversation not only lets you know what you need to do to succeed, but shows that you have intentions to help and lays the foundation for transparency.”

What if that boss won’t accept the meeting? Or what if he checks at his email or text messages every two minutes while you’re meeting? “Those things are disrespectful. Make sure you are communicating your intention and listening for the response from the boss to see if she is willing to align,” Benjamin advises. “If not, then this is not going to work out.”

3. Remember that diverse teams solve problems best. Just because someone has divergent views from yours doesn’t make her a bad boss or mean you can’t work together. Studies have shown that the more diverse a team, the more innovative solutions it can conceive. Says Benjamin: “You should have the freedom to bring up suggestions and explain your rationales, and see if you can come away with a compromise. But ultimately we’re talking about a conversation with the boss, and you need to say, ‘I’m here to help you. Here are my thoughts, but I defer to you.’”

4. Ask for a private meeting. A group meeting is not the place to bring up issues with your boss, nor the place to try to bring more transparency to an organization by broaching subjects that haven’t been broached before, Benjamin says. Ask your boss for a one-on-one closed-door meeting.

If you want to suggest greater transparency, for instance, ask about it behind closed doors. Benjamin suggests saying, “I noticed that certain things are not discussed in meetings. Why? I really feel it would be good for the team to know how much money has been lost on this project. Help me to understand why certain things can’t be mentioned in a meeting.”

5. Rehearse at home. Before confronting a boss about what’s bothering you, zero in on three top issues and practice how you will bring them up. “If you give more than three it becomes a boss bash,” Benjamin says. “There might be 10 issues, but pick your top three. Then go into that meeting, announce what your intentions are, convey that your heart is pure and that you’re there to help the business and the boss to achieve the best possible results.” Benjamin says it should take you no longer than five minutes to express yourself. “Then, be quiet and listen. The boss’s answers will either open a door for you to go deeper with that company, or they will show you that it is time to leave.”

6. Establish trust. Included in Benjamin’s definition of “having pure intention” is that you don’t join in water cooler complaint sessions, and you don’t spread or listen to office gossip. “In your private meetings with your boss, it would be fair for you to say, ‘what is heard here stays here.’” Breaking down barriers to build trust between the boss and employees will open the door for transparency, Benjamin says. “People don’t feel they can be transparent because they don’t trust a person. Building trust takes time.”

7. Be willing to talk about blind spots. “Our education systems don’t prepare people for management. Bosses are forced to learn on the job. If they’re really fortunate they have an exceptional leader they can emulate,” Benjamin says. “But more often than not it’s trial and error, and more error than the employee or manager would like.”

You and your boss have blind spots. “We don’t always see ourselves the way others are seeing us,” Benjamin says. “Be willing to talk about it. I’ve seen it work. So much can be solved that way.” She compares it to gently pointing out to a friend that they use the phrase “you know” three times in every sentence. It’s a behavior they aren’t even aware of, but once it’s pointed out they can take notice and change. “Someone who can become a trusted employee will ask, ‘Can we have a meeting about this?’”

Click to view the story on Yahoo!

Michelle Benjamin – CEO of Benjamin Enterprises

5 Traits of the Worst Bosses

By Adrienne Burke | Yahoo! Small Business Advisor

Bad management can be like porn: hard to define, but you know it when you see it.

Michelle Benjamin, CEO and founder of Benjamin Enterprises with offices in New York, North Carolina, and Washington, DC, has spent nearly 30 years in the business of helping companies improve their management culture. Her spinoff TalentReady specifically grooms middle managers for leadership positions as they climb the ranks. She has some specific insights into what makes someone a bad boss. Fundamentally, she says, a poor leader is someone who “does not prepare their business for today’s challenges or tomorrow’s opportunities.”

The ways bad bosses do that are many, as are the damages to a business’s prospects. Some companies seem to be productive in spite of a bad boss’s shortcomings, but according to Benjamin’s experience, with truly great management the same businesses could really thrive.

Here are five traits of a boss who can make employees miserable and hamper a business’s chances of success.

1. Arrogant. “Bad bosses put themselves above the team and create a culture where it’s ‘me or us in management against them,’” Benjamin says. “I’ve worked with clients where the hallmark of the company is to recognize who’s the boss, where there is a separation of ‘us’ from ‘them.’”

Benjamin says when leadership is arrogant, there also tends to be a difference between the public agenda and the “behind-closed-door agenda.” Having a hidden agenda, she says, usurps team spirit. “It usually comes from a place of management wanting to protect their knowledge or power: ‘I know more than you and I’m not going to share,’” she says. “It serves no purpose and it’s a complete waste of time.”

2. Opaque. It’s not a new idea that transparency in management can instill trust and enable an organization to run better. But that wisdom hasn’t trickled down to many bad bosses. Benjamin points to workplaces where workers in cubicles next to each other send emails instead of speaking. “They’re protecting their backs by documenting correspondence,” Benjamin says. “They’re afraid that if they don’t document something they’ll be the fall guy. That’s the result of a lack of transparency; it’s extremely defeating.”

3. Taciturn. Similarly, bad bosses minimize the threats to a business unit, and don’t share information about threats with the team, Benjamin says. That prevents people from adding value by participating in the problem-solving process. She encourages managers to communicate about problems openly: “Say, ‘this is what I’m seeing, and this is what I want to see happen.’ And hold the team accountable.” Benjamin says just doing this creates openness and dispels barriers. “It opens up a whole new dialog.”

4. Undisciplined. Bad bosses have poor delegation skills and they don’t manage the team. For instance, Benjamin points to what she calls drive-by delegation. “They see someone at the water cooler and say, ‘I’ve been thinking about this, I’d like you to do this,’ but they don’t look back until two weeks later when the project is going in the wrong direction.” Instead, Benjamin says, a good manager would say, “Let’s sit down and let me give you examples of what I expect this project to look like and what it will look like for you to meet my expectations. Also, let me show you what I don’t want.”

To be sure, Benjamin notes, zooming in on small details and taking time to explain expectations is not micromanagement, but the opposite: “You’re making sure that what you have asked or delegated is meeting your expectations. It takes discipline.”

5. Detached. Benjamin says that a good boss truly cares about employees, and that’s not just some warm-and-fuzzy philosophy. “To delegate and manage well you’ve got to know the strengths of your people, and the only way is to get to know them.” It takes time and good listening skills to know each team member’s strengths, skills, and skill gaps, she says. But with those insights, a great boss can (and is willing to) coach people to meet the expectations of the business or business unit.

Says Benjamin, “Listening to your team helps create a culture of high expectations; that’s the reason for showing the example of what you’re looking for: you want it to meet that level of satisfaction.”

Can a bad boss learn to be a good boss? “People can learn those skills, but it requires a deep desire,” Benjamin says. “I believe it can be done.” The key, she says, is “don’t drink your own Kool-Aid; if you’re the boss, you must have the vulnerability to recognize you have weaknesses and seek ways to change. You can’t do that with arrogance.”

Click to view the story on Yahoo!

Michelle Benjamin – CEO of Benjamin Enterprises

We have all heard and most likely used the term “Talent Management”, but do we really know what it means? By definition, talent management is “is the science of using strategic HR to improve business value and make it possible for companies and organizations to reach their goals”. In layman’s terms, think of Talent Management as the 4 R’s: Recruiting, Retaining, Rejuvenating and Rewarding.

Recruiting – This is the process of finding and hiring qualified workers to fill your vacancies. Gone are the days of posting a classified ad in the paper and sifting through mailed-in resumes. Today your search is online. Job boards, Social Networks and Corporate Websites are where you post your openings today. Recruiting doesn’t end once the position is filled. It also includes the onboarding and integration process. These steps will allow for a smooth transition from candidate to employee.

Retaining – Once you have hired your employees, you want to make sure that they stay with your company. Your corporate culture has a lot to do with employee retention. Employees need to buy into the corporate beliefs and strategies so make sure that they are clear and concise. Make sure that your employees have input into the decision-making process. If employees feel that their opinion matters, they will have increased loyalty to the company and will be more likely to stay. Rejuvenating and Rewarding also play a role in employee retention. Keep that in mind when you are designing your learning and performance management programs.

Rejuvenating – You are never too old to learn. Rejuvenate your employees by offering them learning and growth opportunities. Offer them skills and career paths that will allow them to grow and succeed within the company.

Rewarding – Everyone likes to be rewarded for a job well done. By developing a performance management system, your employees can easily see how they are doing with respect to meeting corporate goals. This system should allow for at least annual reviews of all employees. The outcomes of these reviews can then be used for assigning bonuses and merit increases to employees.

Human capital is one of the most important parts of any business. How we manage that human capital has a direct impact on the success of the business. Use these 4 R’s to create a talent management solution that will allow your business to thrive and your employees to flourish.

Michelle Benjamin – CEO of Benjamin Enterprises

First of all, any corporate recognized holidays are corporate policy and need to be followed and adhered to as such. These holidays should be decided upon and communicated to your workforce well in advance of the beginning of the year. It should be made clear that there will be no work performed on these recognized holidays.

Many corporations allow for a number of Flexible Holidays that employees can take throughout the year. These days can be utilized by employees for holidays they would like to observe that are not identified as a “corporate holiday”. In addition to a Flexible Holiday, employees can always utilize any vacation time or paid time off to observe additional holidays.

Many organizations have annual celebrations for holidays that may not be celebrated by the entire workforce. So how can you have these celebrations and not offend or alienate a segment of your workforce?

• Make the celebration generic – Instead of having a Christmas Party, have a Holiday celebration or a Year End Celebration. A “Holiday Celebration” can include several different holidays (Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa). A “Year End Celebration” can be used as a time to reflect on the accomplishments of the company over the previous year.

• Limit departmental celebrations – Within the organization, different departments may want to have their own celebrations. While these celebrations are well-meaning, they may unintentionally offend others. By limiting these individual celebrations, you can reduce the likelihood that portions of the workforce will feel alienated.

Some of you may read this article and think that it limits celebrations in the corporate environment. While it may, it also ensures that any celebration that occurs is inclusive of the entire workforce. You may think that having a departmental Christmas dinner is not a big deal, but how would you feel if you were part of that department and were Jewish? No one wants to feel left out or the third wheel when it comes to celebrations. By taking into account the diversity of your workforce, you can make sure that doesn’t happen.

The Sequestration Budget Cuts: The Clock Is Ticking.

The budget talks continue, and here are four graphs that sum up the situation. Kevin Drum says there is no sequestration deal to be made. Matt Miller says the sequestration is overhyped. Alex Seitz-Wald believes you should be afraid. Deborah Solomon says that a new proposal from Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles “shows how Washington’s affinity for small deals that tackle the deficit incrementally are deepening the nation’s fiscal hole.” Michelle Benjamin says that Congress should employ basic small-business principles to help balance the budget. Officials at the Federal Reserve disagree on how to increase employment.

Click Here to Read the Full Article.

Michelle Benjamin – CEO of Benjamin Enterprises

• Survey your Employees – Ask them if they have ideas for diversifying the workforce. While they may seem to all be the same on the outside, what is inside is different and those differences can be shared and celebrated. In addition to getting creative ideas, it will also give your employees the feeling of being valued and appreciated.

• Set up Diversity Sessions – Setup a session with your team once a month where you can have either an outside speaker come in and talk about diversity or have some of your own employees share their diverse experiences. These learning sessions can open minds and also increase the amount of respect that employees have for each other.

• Go on a Field Trip – Even if it is just for lunch or for a quick trip outside the office, experience something new. Maybe a new cuisine for lunch (Thai or Japanese) or a visit to a museum or lecture can open your eyes to the differences that exist in our environment.

• Get Creative – Consider reaching out to local high schools or universities and offering an internship. These positions can be unpaid or paid a stipend which would be less expensive than a full time position. These students can infuse energy and a new outlook into the workplace. You can also use them to bring your current employees up to speed on trends, technology and the thought processes of that generation.

When we think about diversity, we think about creating a formal program and deploying it for new hires. While that is a great worthwhile effort, in some cases, it just isn’t feasible. By thinking outside of the box and putting these tips to work for you, you can infuse diversity into your current workforce.