“How can I be a better leader or manager?” “What must I do to become a good and effective manager? Can you please give me some tips, rules, or suggestions?”

Personally I believe that a leader or manager is not born, but made. There is no born leader or manager, because the principles and practices of management and leadership could be learned by doing.

Very recently I’ve found a sort of twelve (12) guidelines and tips on the web, and I am sharing these to Harvey and to you, my readers.

1. Always smile. Smiles are contagious and will make others feel positive when you’re around.

2. Don’t play favorites. Playing favorites can bias your judgment and impair your leadership abilities. Treat your employees equally.

3. Never discuss employee matters with their co-workers. This kind of gossip always gets back to the person and will make you look unprofessional.

4. Provide motivation. Sometimes employees need a morale boost. Provide them with encouragement to get a project rolling.

5. Be open to constructive criticism. It may not always be what you want to hear, but listening to constructive criticism gives you the chance to learn and grow from your mistakes.

6. Explain things simply. Don’t use big words or technical jargon just to sound smart and impress others. Your employees will understand and perform better if you explain simply and clearly what you need.

7. Instruct rather than order. You may be the boss, but you don’t have to be bossy. You’ll have more success if your requests are more tactfully delivered.

8. Stand up for employees. If other departments or managers are bearing down hard on your employees, stand up for them.

9. Get the facts first. Before you pass judgment on a situation, make sure you have the whole story. Listen to employees and refrain from questioning anyone’s integrity without first ensuring that you’ve gathered all the data.

10. Make a difference to your employees. Don’t just be a generic manager — stand out as a leader and role model for your employees.

11. Gain your employees’ trust and respect. You’ll have a much easier time managing employees when they respect your rules and boundaries and trust your leadership.

12. Remember that ethics matter above all. Be honest and reliable.

 Of course, there is no hard and fast rules in leading and in managing. It is situational. You decide and act based on a given situation and circumstances, with your objective and goals in mind.

So, what you do with the above 12 tips and guidelines are entirely up to you.

However, few of us are prepared for the kind of stress business owners often experience. If you’re a startup owner, you may be struggling to keep your stress levels under control. Since the success of your business hinges upon your mental well being and ability to do your job, you have to learn how to manage and minimize the stressors in your life.

This isn’t always easy, but it can be done. Here are a few tips to help you stay sane in the crazy world of business ownership:

• Make prioritizing tasks a priority – You probably have what seems like hundreds of things on your agenda each day, and each of those things probably seems important to you. However, it’s crucial that you take a step back and focus on doing what needs to be done right away. It’s not a mistake to put some things on the backburner. You can get those things done when you have some extra time or you can delegate non-essential tasks to your employees. Trying to do more than you can realistically handle is a recipe for stress.

• Don’t forget about your health – Your ability to do well as a business owner depends on your mental and physical health. So, eat healthy, exercise often, and spend time doing non-work-related things that you enjoy. Keeping yourself healthy will allow you to be better equipped to deal with stress and the challenges of your demanding job.

• Don’t lose sight of the big picture – Things will go wrong. You and your employees will make mistakes. Unless something happens that seriously threatens the health of your business, don’t sweat the small stuff. You’ll have a much easier time if you can focus on the big picture, take mistakes with a grain of salt, and learn from everything that goes wrong.

• Figure out ways to make your job easier – Research and invest in software that will help make your job and life easier. If your budget allows for it, consider hiring an assistant to help you with all the paperwork, data entry, reporting, and correspondence associated with your job. Next time you go on a business trip, consider flying on a jet charter and skipping the chaotic and unpleasant experience at the airport. Do what you can to lighten your load and make things simpler. Eliminating all the stressors you possibly can makes a world of difference.

The foregoing article was a guest post by Logan. Logan is a guest blogger on the subjects of startup management, entrepreneur self-help, and the benefits of business travel on private jet charters.

*source of image: myhealthliving.com

Playing with the big boys means that business owners have access to a larger customer base and the potential for faster growth and larger profits.

However, being a smaller player in the big leagues means that small to mid-sized businesses have to do more with fewer resources in order to keep up with larger companies and establish their place in customer’s minds.

Good marketing advice is a critical part of improving your business strategy. While business owners are sometimes unwilling to spend money unless they’re purchasing something tangible in relation to their business, paying for expert marketing advice is as important an investment as hiring quality employees. In the long run, good marketing can only help increase your sales and build your brand.

A well-run, efficient company will, of course, be more successful than one in which the skilled workers are bogged down with chores like data-entry and record keeping.

A highly-skilled worker’s time is expensive. The hours they, and you, spend on tasks like handling payroll and keeping up on ever-changing tax law could be better spent on delivering high-quality products and services to your customers. Hiring an umbrella company to handle some of your record keeping and administration duties frees your staff to concentrate on more important tasks – such as growing your business.

Employee training not only builds value for your company, it also saves you time and money. Peter Schultz once said: “Hire character. Train skill.”

As a small-business owner, you’ve already gone through the process of screening and hiring quality people. As your business grows, it makes more sense to offer your staff training, to keep their skills fresh and current and to stay competitive as an employer. Your staff is your biggest investment, and training helps ensure you’re getting the most for your money.

Social media should be part of a solid marketing and advertising campaign. Business is about relationships, and those relationships, in a global economy, are largely built through electronic communications. Building a network helps you create focused marketing that reaches a target audience.

Depending on the type of product or service your company offers, and whether you have the time, interest and skill available, a blog can be a powerful tool for building an online identity that your customers can relate to. Don’t have time or inclination to write and keep up on a blog? Consider hiring a freelance writer. A small investment can bring big returns.

An online presence needs a foundation. A Facebook page is a great way to reach out to your customers, but to be taken seriously in today’s market it’s important to have a website.

The design doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should include contact information, including a phone number customers can call for service and a physical address, if applicable. If your site includes sales, the electronic shopping cart should be readily accessible. Everything about your online presence should be directed toward making the customer experience a positive one.

As a real estate broker, one of the condominium projects in Bacolod City that I have just included in my realty brokerage list of the properties to sell is Cityscape Residences.  

Cityscapes Residences will soon rise in Bacolod’s prime address, right in the heart of the city, and is now on a pre-selling stage.

In the past, some of my clients were asking me if there will be a condominium building to be built near the Capitol lagoon area on Lacson Street, as they want to live near the famed Capitol lagoon and park, wildlife conservation center, fastfood chains and restaurants, and with easy access to banks, schools, hospitals, shopping centers.

Now, Cityscape Residences is the answer, as it will soon rise this year in the area. The residential condominium will be located at 5^th & 6^th Streets, adjacent to the main street of Lacson, which is presently considered Bacolod’s new downtown area and foodstrip alley.

Cityscape Residences will become Bacolod’s luxurious yet affordable condominium, compete with amenities that makes living convenient and pleasant.

Consider the amenities and facilities:

1. Lobby and reception
2. Shopping and entertainment
3. Swimming pool at the roofdeck
4. 2 elevator units
5. Automatic fire alarm system
6. Standby generator
7. Basement parking area

Cityscape Residences is a 12-storey building elegantly designed with complete balance between aesthetics, privacy, the coolness, tranquility and lifestyle you want to experience by the moment you live there.

Cityscape Residences is a project of MYVAN Properties and Development Inc. MYVAN is a Cebu City-based real estate developer. It has a track record in developing affordable, luxurious residential and commercial condominiums situated in prime areas of Cebu and Mandaue City, Philippines.

Do you want to have a unit or two now at Cityscape Residences while still on a pre-selling price?

To reserve or buy a unit, or for inquiries, please e-mail me at eligat_ph@yahoo.com, or leave your name and e-mail address in the comment section below.

And since managing people involves leadership, what kind of a leader are you?

The Oft-repeated problems in management and leadership

These are the oft-repeated questions asked by business owners, managers and supervisors in many seminars and one-on-one consultation, as far as I can remember. These are age-old problems in management and leadership.

How do you get your workers’ loyalty?

Again, how do you get the loyalty of your workers? Once you have gained your workers’ loyalty, how do you hold their loyalty for long?

Winning the loyalty of your people in the workplace may not be difficult. But more difficult is making their loyalty last, and make them stay in the organization.

This is so because of competition, where some firms just “pirate” your good people to join them by offering them bigger pay, incentives, and more fringe benefits.

Leadership and Motivation are the key

Through the years I have observed that the best way to gain and hold the loyalty of your personnel is to show interest in them and care for them, by your words and actions, in everything you do.

This involves leadership. And what kind of a leader are you? Leadership is action, not position. This means you must develop leadership ability.

Leadership ability is what you’re capable of doing, that you must know how to motivate your people. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.

A good manager or leader knows how to act, to do. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

Leadership is action

In the final analysis, it is wonderful when the people believe in their leader.  But it is more wonderful when the leader believes in the people, in their capacity to work productively, to be efficient and effective.

This way, the human resources in the organization are maximized to bring results, more output, higher profits.

It boils down to managing people, in leading them, getting their loyalty and retaining their loyalty, for effective business performance.

Now is the time to buy low and make an investment in your community.

With the economy reeling from the housing market crash, real estate prices have hit the floor and are on their way back up. If you want to take advantage of it, you can’t afford to wait until everybody thinks it’s a good idea; but things are definitely looking up. Here are a few reasons you should consider investing in real estate this year.

1. Real estate prices are stabilizing

We’re all still shell-shocked from the phenomenal crash in housing prices four years ago, but the bubble has burst. The market’s severe correction ended last year, and prices have been drifting and settling since then. While we probably won’t see a return to the artificially-inflated prices we saw in 2006 and 2007, the shock to the system is over; prices will go up, slowly, from here. What this means is that real estate investing is no longer the kind of high-stakes game of chicken that it once was; but that’s a good thing. If you want a healthy, stable investment that will grow in value because of organic growth in demand (instead of a volatile speculative bubble), the new real estate market is not a bad place to be.

2. Interest rates aren’t going to get any lower

The Federal Reserve has pushed interest rates to the floor to try to alleviate consumer anxiety and get people buying again. Now that people are responding and the economy is warming up again, we can’t expect the gravy train of low-cost borrowing to continue. Now is the time to buy. Low interest rates also affect your other investment opportunities; it’s hard to find a place to put your money that will give a decent return. The steady appreciation of your real estate is a good alternative to the current less-than-desirable interest rates.

One paradox of investment is that it pays to go against the crowd. There are a few people who make big money every time the market stampedes off a cliff, because they have the sense to see it coming. If you want to make money in good times, you need to see risks no one else sees; but if you want to make money in hard times like today, you have to notice opportunities that others are overlooking. Real estate is still spooky to the average investor, but that’s an opportunity—that fear is what is keeping prices and interest rates so impossibly low. Once everybody relaxes and starts buying again, prices and interest rates will equalize and an opportunity to make good money will be lost.

3. In the absence of complex financial instruments, people will move back to basics

In the aftermath of the crash, demand for wildly intricate financial instruments has plummeted, and it’s not likely to come back. Accordingly, as the economy recovers, the things we choose to invest in will change; instead of derivatives and insanely over-leveraged “imaginary money”, people are going to want to put their money in real assets—the safest of which is a home. As dark as the forecast may seem, the economy doesn’t stay down; sooner or later, people are going to come out of hiding, and they’re going to need somewhere to invest their money. If you have a solid investment in real estate, this increased demand in real, tangible assets will make your investment appreciate faster than it could otherwise.

Karen Davis is a real estate investing mentor from Houston Texas. Karen began as a member at Lifestyles Unlimited in 2008, and has since bought and sold 12 single family properties. She became a Mentor and Trainer and currently owns 8 single family properties.

With real estate sale prices still low and rent prices rising, this may be the perfect time to purchase your first investment property.

Life as a landlord isn’t risk-free, but the profit potential is significant. You’ll earn a return on your investment in two ways. In the immediate term, you’ll earn revenue from rent. In the long term, the property’s value should appreciate.

The keys to a successful venture are choosing the right property for your goals and conducting due diligence to ensure that your investment is a sound one.

1. Know what you’re getting into. Buying the property and getting it ready to list is only half the battle. You’ll need to screen tenants, respond quickly to repair requests, collect rent and engage in other responsibilities. If you’re more interested in the financial side of investment, consider using a property manager.

2. Get your financing in order. If you’re planning to mortgage the property, you’ll need 20 to 30 percent down and you’ll pay a higher interest rate than you’d pay for a primary residence. You’ll also need to have several months’ worth of expenses saved. This cushion covers your expenses during vacancies. Order a copy of your credit report well before you’re ready to buy so you have time to clear up errors and make good on any outstanding derogatory items.

3. Find a great real estate agent. An agent with experience in representing investors can research available properties faster and more efficiently than you can research them on your own. Be upfront with the agent about your motivation, your budget and your financial goals. Partner with an agent who’ll work with you through the whole process, from buying the investment property to leasing it and managing it, if you decide not to manage it yourself.

4. Do your homework. Work with the agent to research rents. Tour a few available units with solid rental histories to get a sense of what you can expect to charge for the type of property you’re looking for. Also sit down with your agent to review rental market data for the area where you’re interested in investing to see what features are likely to earn the best return on your investment. Know, for example, the ideal number of bedrooms and baths and the most appealing locations. Yard size and the existence or absence of a basement and garage are other factors to consider.

5. Order inspections. A thorough inspection by a licensed home inspector is a must, no matter how experienced you are in home improvements. Depending on the location and your lender’s requirements, inspections might include air quality, well, septic, water quality, wood-boring insect and radon in addition to your structural inspection.

6. Bring in a contractor. Your state law may prohibit your home inspector from offering an estimate for the cost of necessary and recommended repairs. For that you need a contractor. Get several estimates, and add 25 percent to the one you choose. Get the contractor’s guarantee that the work will be finished by a specific date, barring situations beyond the contractor’s control, such as weather or material availability.

7. Beware of properties that need more than cosmetic repairs unless you can afford a delay before listing it for rent. The faster you can whip the property into shape and get it listed, the faster you’ll see a return on your investment.

This guest post is by Daria Kelly Uhlig. Daria is a real estate agent and works for SurfWear, as a social media marketing consultant in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. She writes for numerous business and finance Web sites.

*source of image: liveinthephilippines.com

I recently attended the Winning Disciplines for Success event at the SMX Convention Center at Pasay City, Metro Manila.

In attendance are more than 2,000 go-getting, change-making, success-driven individuals from all walks of like.

I saw celebrities, business executives andstudents come together with one goal in mind: to learn how to be successful.

The half day event left a lasting impression and further strengthened my ideas about how to achieve success in all aspects of my life. In those 5 hours of talks from Francis Kong and his powerhouse guests, I learned more than my brain could probably absorb.

I thought I’d pass along the most valuable life lessons I learned. Because it doesn’t matter if you’re an executive or a student, we can all benefit from a few winning disciplines that would catapult us to success.

1. The key to success is delayed gratification or personal discipline.

 Francis Kong kicked off the event with a fresh insight on discipline. He says that the word discipline has a negative connotation because it reminds us of what our parents and teachers have inculcated in our minds. When in fact, discipline is not just about rules and regimen. Personal discipline was illustrated in a video he showed about the Marshmallow Test. Children were offered a marshmallow but told that if they could resist eating it for a given time, they would be given 2. Kids who passed this experiment later became successful in life.

 2. We all have a special software wired into our head called imagination.

 When an award winning director tells you, you have creative power, you better believe it. Jeric Soriano talked about potential and how we can harness our power to create. He talked about 3 simple steps: First, change the way you think by changing the pictures you see in your heart. I never realized that we can consciously choose our thoughts in the same way we choose our clothes each day. Second, change the way you speak. Jeric reminds us that words carry a powerful creative force. He says that the words we put into our minds turn into images. The impact therefore becomes even greater as a mere word we place on our mind grows organically first into several images then into scenes and eventually into a storyline. Third, change the way you react to things. He says: “Don’t tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how BIG your GOD is.”

 3. Don’t just dream- make your dream come true!

After Jeric, his very talented film director son Paul Soriano spoke next. Paul share how he came back to the Philippines after growing up in America. He wanted to be a film director and at age 25, he approached Gary Valenciano by saying, “Hey let’s make your music video!” Talk about young confidence! He told us that the burden of the film maker is how to present a story. “There’s a lot of great stories out there,” he says. “But if you don’t know how to tell it, it’s still bad.” He reminded us that we have to take that extra step- dream and execute it!

4. You can look like your 25 year old self.

Dyan Castillejo was so inspiring as she hops onstage saying “I feel like I’m just 25!” And she really looks it! Dressed in spandex and high heels, she looks like the embodiment of youth. She shared a fewtips on how she keeps healthy and feels great in her 40s. 1 Decide to make exercise a happy necessity in life. She came with her weights and exercise ball. She showed a few exercises that can be done on a daily basis. 2 Set new goals like joining triathlons, learning a new sport, go outdoors and make it fun! Dyan has been training ever since she was a kid. So she learned to make things interesting by trying new things and switching her exercise routine regularly. 3 Good nutrition is very important. She talked about how we should have a “colorful” plate and that meant a balanced diet.

5. Earn you authority- don’t just inherit it.

Butch Jimenez tells the story of how, as a son of a business tycoon, he had difficulty proving his worth to his employees. Eventually, he had to find his own way in business and formed business ventures such as Trumpets and GMA films. He had to earn authority and not just inherit it from his father in order to achieve business success.

6. You will always attract what you are.

Francis Kong ended the event by talking about Emotional Discipline. He stressed that “We are not necessarily attracted to another person because of their strength, but we are usually attracted to another person because of our own weaknesses.” It was a welcome reminder that we have to choose well when it comes to our life partner. We have to constantly improve and develop ourselves in order to attract the best partner we could ever have. Someone who shares the same desire to be successful in their niche.

I walked away from that event with so many things to think about and reflect in my life.

Life after all is composed of habits and disciplines that in themselves seem trivial, but when perceived as a whole, determine if we make it as winner.

About the writer. Lois Yasay is a trainer by profession and a traveler by passion. She is slowly realizing her dream of making a living by doing what she loves. She blogs at  Passion in Action and is currently working as a Project Manager for Inspire Leadership Consultancy.

Indeed, the unemployment problem of the Philippines can be remedied by job creation and employment generation by businesspersons and entrepreneurs.

That is why when AIESEC-University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman invited my blog Business Sphere to be one of its media partners, I immediately agreed. I know that AIESEC is also into leadership training, business opportunities seeking and management development for college students. I believe that entrepreneurial, leadership and business trainings must start from college, or even in high school.

What is AIESEC?

It is a global, non-political, independent, and not-for-profit organization run by students and recent graduates of institutions of higher learning. Its members are interested in world issues, leadership and management, and is present in 110 countries and territories with over 50,000 members.

In the Philippines, AIESEC UP Diliman formed in 1968, is the first local chapter of AIESEC in the Philippines.

The AIESEC Global Business Seminar in Manila

The AIESEC Global Business Seminar is an exclusive two-day event for top-notch university students and student leaders in Metro Manila.

The seminar is limited to 150 students to gain insights on personal branding as well as to learn how to achieve global impact through business. It is scheduled on February 18 & 25, 2012.

The seminar is aimed at providing the students with the fundamental and practical knowledge necessary for business starters. The participants will get first hand information from the speakers who are noted for being pioneers and leaders in their respective fields.

For more information, you can visit the AIESEC Global Business Seminar on this site: agbs2012.weebly.com

Sharina told me, by e-mail, that she is a Singaporean who lives in Hong Kong, and owns a store selling cell phones and cell phone accessories in Hongkong.

Indeed, as a management consultant, I am well aware that many businesses could not earn enough, while a great number go bankrupt. There are many studies that every year about 80% of new businesses die. Even existing enterprises collapse.

What are the reasons why businesses collapse and fail?

Well, the main reason is still the same year in and year out: lack of marketing strategies.

Sure, the market is there. People are buying products and services everyday to meet their needs and wants.

However, it is the lack of strategies or the inability of the owners of these failed businesses to sell to their target market, to their niche, that is the main cause of business failure.

I’m always saying that marketing is the most important function of business, because without a market there is no business. Thus, to make your business survive, you need marketing strategies.

To make your business grow, you need marketing strategies. To make your business profitable, you need marketing strategies.

The following are the five tested marketing strategies to help you grow your business and make it profitable.

1. What is your business? What is your business mission?  Why does your company exist? What is its reason for existence? These are the basic questions. Like in any human situation, you cannot handle any business unless you know what it is for.

Therefore, you must know why you have put up your business in the first place. This is the first step in designing marketing strategies.

2. Who are your customers? Your business is to serve your customers to generate revenue and profit.  It is important to have a niche in the market, that segment, class or groups of customers  who need your products and services, and serve them well.

In the face of competition, having a market niche is a key to business success.

3. What are your Strengths and Weaknesses? It is necessary to know your strengths, for example, quality products and services, friendly customer service, good customer relations, competitive pricing, good location. It is also important to know your weaknesses, for example, lack of funds, limited marketing knowhow, poor promotion, etc.

Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you a lot in devising marketing strategies that work.

4. What are your Opportunities and Threats? Opportunities are those favorable factors outside of your business that can help you achieve your objectives, like increasing demand for your products and services due to increasing population, availability of funds for expansion.

Threats are those unfavorable factors outside your business that can hinder you from achieving your objectives, like intense competition, sluggish demand, economic downtown.

Knowing your opportunities and threats can help you devise marketing strategies that will maximize your opportunities and minimize your threats.

5. What will you do now? Having designed your marketing strategies, the best thing is to implement them. Take action. Your strategies are useless if you cannot implement them.

With the foregoing five basic marketing strategies as a guide, the rest is up to you on how to grow your business and make it profitable.

source of image: businessmp.com