2016年8月6日 星期六

當銷售部門與財務部門衝突時

在許多公司里,我們都經常發生銷售部門與財務部門發生衝突的狀況。銷售部門會指責財務部門過分嫉妒他們的銷售表現,或是過度卡住商品的出貨。而財務部門總是認為銷售部門從來不誠實,實現的業績與原來的預測總是差異很大,或是客戶欠款遲遲未能收回,或是突來的急單讓採購、倉庫來不及備貨。種種類似的爭議是總經理等層峰執行人員最耗費心力的內部管理工作。
誰應該是解決這樣內部衝突主要的負責人?這樣的內部衝突能夠事前避免嗎?
事實上,這是可以預先防範的,多數的銷售發展,都是可以預先掌握的,而銷售部門最高主管應該是負責處理公司內部溝通的最主要人員。
銷售主管首先應該與他的銷售團隊建立起密切的工作關係,讓銷售人員都願意誠實報告業務發展狀況,提供接近準確的銷售預測數據,而銷售主管也能夠對下屬銷售員負責,掌握公司各項資源與作業的配合狀況,尤其是與財務部門的溝通。
由於財務部門的天性就是非黑即白,不像銷售部門傾向於保留一些猶豫緩衝的空間。因此,銷售主管一定要與財務主管取得一定的共識,建立起某種遊戲規則,例如庫存週轉天數、應收賬款目標管理天數,等等。銷售部門主管必須以按日查覈的態度,密切追蹤實際的業務進度,對財務部門負責,他也應該對財務部門如果能夠確實滿足共同達成的目標,給與各種激勵,例如在主管月會上作公開表揚。
要克服部門之間的衝突,必須建立起【信任】與【影響力】的基礎,而前者是後者的基石。爲什麽財務部門總是不信任銷售部門?因為,他們過去被欺騙怕了。
如果在兩個部門之間不能建立起可以相互信任的基礎,對於公司管理效率與實際作業的傷害是很嚴重的。況且,客戶方面是根本不會理會我方內部發生的政治衝突,他們會悶聲不吭的將後續的訂單轉給公司的其他競爭者。當然,公司通常都會是後知後覺,而更大的災難已經發生了。
所以,公司執行管理主管們都不能允許這種內部敵人來重傷到業務的發展。公司管理層必須發展出一套實際可靠的溝通流程。這套資訊溝通流程應該經過一段時間的測試,端段時間的測試與修正,讓它得到公司各部門與客戶都能在實際作業上得到認可。

When the sales department clashes with the financial department
In many companies, we often encounter conflict between sales department and finance department. The sales department will accuse the financial department of being too jealous of their sales performance, or over blocking the shipment of goods. And the financial department always thinks that the sales department is never honest, the actual achievement with the original forecast is always different, or the customer's arrears are slow to recover, or the rush order is not ready for the purchase and warehouse. All sorts of similar disputes are the most cost effective internal management work of the general manager and other top level executives.

Who should be the main responsible person to solve such internal conflicts? Can such internal conflicts be avoided in advance?
In fact, this can be prevented, most of the sales development, can be pre-mastered, and the top management of the sales department should be responsible for dealing with the company's internal communication of the most important personnel.
The sales manager should first establish a close working relationship with his sales team, so that the sales staff are willing to report the development of the business honestly and provide close and accurate sales forecast data, and the sales manager is responsible for the sales staff of the subordinates to master the cooperation between the resources and the operations of the company, especially communication with the finance department.
Because the nature of the financial sector is either black or white, unlike the sales department, it tends to retain some hesitant buffer space. Therefore, the sales manager must make certain consensus with the financial manager to establish some game rules, such as the number of inventory turnover days, the number of accounts receivable management days, and so on. The manager of the sales department must take a daily check, closely track the actual progress of the business, be responsible for the financial department, and give a variety of incentives to the financial department if it can indeed meet the common goals, such as public praise at the monthly meeting.
To overcome conflicts between departments, we must establish the basis of trust and influence, while the former is the cornerstone of the latter. Why does the finance department always distrust the sales department? Because they were deceived in the past.
If the foundation of mutual trust can not be established between the two departments, the harm to the management efficiency and actual operation of the company is very serious. Moreover, the client side does not pay any attention to the political conflict that happens inside us, and they will be dumb and dump the subsequent orders to the other competitors of the company. Of course, companies usually have a sense of aftermath, and a bigger disaster has happened.
Therefore, the executive management of the company can not allow such internal enemies to seriously hurt the development of the business. Company management must develop a practical and reliable communication process. This information communication process should be tested for a period of time, test and correction of end time, so that it can be recognized by all departments and customers in the actual operation.

團隊組合的三個基本要素

什麽是團隊?是什麽因素讓團隊成員可以一起運作?即使你不能保證你的團隊會成功運作,但是如果你提供了以下的要素,成功的機會會提高了許多:
  1. 有共同的目的。大多數的團隊成員來自四方,一定會有一個有意義的目標才會讓他們聚集在一起來合作。
  2. 不同的技能組合。如果團隊中的每位成員的技能與觀點都是一樣的,那會是一個很危險的組合。你應該聚集具有不同的技術或是知識經驗的人,讓他們能夠以多樣化的能力來解決問題,或作集體決策。
  3. 共同負責。你不能夠以要挾的方式來要求大家承諾責任,而應該讓團隊中的成員都能夠對完成任務目標有一致的意見,而使得彼此都能夠相互信任,相互承諾責任。
Three basic elements of team composition
What is a team? What are the factors that enable team members to work together? Even if you can't guarantee that your team will work successfully, if you offer the following elements, chances of success will increase a lot.
  1. There is a common purpose. Most of the team members come from the Quartet and will have a meaningful goal to get them to work together.
  2. Combination of different skills. If each team member's skills and views are the same, it will be a very dangerous combination. You should gather people with different skills or knowledge and experience, so that they can solve problems or make collective decisions with a variety of capabilities.
  3. Joint responsibility. You can't ask for commitment in the way of coercion, but you should let the members of the team have the same opinion on the task goal, and make each other trust each other and promise each other responsibility.

間接管理你的團隊

一個卓越的團隊是不能用紀律來領導管理的。一個能夠成功協作的團隊,不是依循它的老闆要求他如何運作,而是靠著團隊成員對自己的期待與要求。
身為團隊領導者,你的工作不是去盯著每位團隊成員,而是將團隊組合起來,讓他們對目標與任務形成共識。然後,你可以運用團隊成員間的同儕關係,讓他們對相互的行為產生影響力。讓他們認真工作不是為了取悅你,而是讓他們之間能夠維持高昂的團隊士氣。
如果團隊成員中有某人掉隊了,你自己不要直接跳下去管理,讓他的同儕來點化他,給他回饋意見。
這樣間接領導管理的方式,對於那些習慣直接控制的領導者可能會覺得不適應,但是,如果能夠讓團隊成員感覺到歸屬感,最終的成果通常會比較理想。

Manage your team indirectly
An excellent team cannot be led by discipline. A successful team does not depend on how its boss wants it to work, but on the expectations and demands of its members.
As a team leader, your job is not to keep an eye on each team member, but to put the team together and get them to agree on goals and tasks. Then you can use peer relationships among team members to influence them. Let them work hard not to please you, but to maintain a high team morale between them.
If one of the team members drops out of line, don't jump down and manage it yourself. Ask his peers to enlighten him and give him feedback.
This way of indirect leadership may be unfit for leaders who are accustomed to direct control, but the final results are usually ideal if the team members feel a sense of belonging.

2016年8月5日 星期五

讓你的高效員工作無聊的工作

雖然這不是正統的作法,但是為了讓你的組織不斷進步,你應該考慮將你的高效員工投入在一些無聊的工作上。
這是因為當公司不斷的在發展,就會產生許多一些平庸而無聊的作業程序,但是,很少人會願意承擔這樣的工作。
這就是為什麼你需要你最佳的人投入在這樣的細微作業上。他會很敏感的發現其中的無效率環節,并重新改造,讓作業恢復生機,產生新的機會。
你的明星員工也許不樂意做這些事,但是你的責任就是讓他能夠將這些無聊的工作成為令人興奮、而且是關鍵的重大變化。當然,你要因此而獎勵他的傑出表現。

Let your efficient workers work boring jobs
It's not orthodox, but in order to keep your organization moving forward, you should consider putting your efficient employees into boring jobs.
This is because as the company continues to grow, there will be a lot of mediocre and boring business processes, but few people will be willing to undertake such work.
That's why you need your best people to invest in such subtle assignments. He will be very sensitive to find inefficient links, and re-engineering, so that work to revitalize, creating new opportunities.
Your star employee may not be willing to do these things, but your responsibility is to enable him to make these boring jobs exciting and crucial changes. Of course, you should reward him for his outstanding performance.

實施教導要演示與說明

你過去是如何教導員工的?是否會讓他每隔幾分鐘就過來問你一下呢?
要知道,人們一般是透過觀察來學習的,所以,與其告訴他如何解決問題,不如直接演示給他看。演示每一個步驟,并解釋每一步的背後理由。然後,讓學員任意的提出各種問題。
這樣做,不僅能夠讓學員打好每個工作的扎實基礎,同時也可以讓你自己更深入了解工作的每個步驟。

Teaching should be demonstrated and explained
How did you teach your employees in the past? Will you ask him to come and ask you every few minutes?
You know, people usually learn by observation, so instead of telling them how to solve problems, show them directly. Demonstrate each step and explain the reasons behind each step. Then, let the students ask questions at will.
By doing so, you can not only lay a solid foundation for each job, but also let yourself understand each step of the work more deeply.

2016年8月4日 星期四

承認你並不知道所有答案

堅持一切要自己做決策的領導者通常會發現與員工之間發生脫節現象。如果員工不對組織決策參與負責,你的領導風格大概已經有問題了。
如果你過於決斷,請退後一步。承認你和團隊成員已經有了一些隔閡。你應該將你個人于組織的目標分享給團隊成員,然後承認你並沒有全部的答案,你需要他們的協助來達成目標。
這樣,可以讓你的員工可以參與到組織的決策,而邁向成功。表現出你的人性領導,如此可以激勵其他人願意跟隨你的領導。

Admit that you don't know all the answers
Leaders who insist on making decisions on their own usually find that they are out of touch with their employees. If employees are not responsible for organizational decision making, your leadership style may be problematic.
If you are overly decisive, please take a step back. Admit that you have already had some gaps with your team members. You should share your personal goals with the team members and admit that you don't have all the answers, and you need their help to achieve them.
In this way, your employees can participate in the organization's decision-making and succeed. Showing your humanity leadership can inspire others to follow your lead.

2016年8月3日 星期三

接受暫時的方案

當你宣佈要推動一個新的項目,或是做出一項變動,你的團隊成員通常希望能夠做出一個可以一勞永逸,可以恒久執行的方案。
但是,事實上,沒有什麽是可以恒久不變的。要做出一個可以長期不變的方案,通常是不實際的,並且可能要花費很長的時間才能得到可以接受的解決方案。
那麼,何不考慮也接受暫時可行的方案呢?
一個暫時的解決方案,可以先應付一定時間內的需求。當這樣的時間過去后,實施的環境條件也變化了,屆時,你可以再推動一個新的變革。而這樣不斷變動的情況,正是商業的常態。

Accept a tentative plan
When you announce that you want to push a new project or make a change, your team members usually want to be able to come up with a solution that will last forever.
But, in fact, nothing can remain unchanged. It is usually impractical and may take a long time to arrive at an acceptable solution to achieve a long-term solution.
Then why not consider accepting a tentative plan?
A temporary solution can deal with the demand within a certain time. When that time passes and the environmental conditions for implementation change, you can push for a new change. And this constantly changing situation is the normal business.

2016年8月2日 星期二

參與他們的發展故事來激勵員工

如何激勵員工以激發出他們更高的工作績效,對於多數領導者都是很大的挑戰。對於許多員工來說,他會感受到激勵,是因為他自己也想要讓別人知道他是如何成功的。
舉例來說,你的明星員工經常做出超越你所期待的績效,是因為他認為他就是那種會讓人留下他具有這樣表現實力的印象。又如,有的員工會在遞交他的文件前,反復檢查,因為他就是希望讓人認知他是那種完美型的人物。
對於這樣有自覺的高效員工,你應該注意到他們個別的獨特差異,鼓勵他們繼續這樣做,並提出你如何希望他們的作法能夠滿足你的需求,加深他們對自我堅持的印象。

Take part in their development story to motivate employees
How to motivate employees to achieve higher performance is a big challenge for most leaders. For many employees, he feels motivated because he wants to let others know how successful he is.
For example, your star employee often does more than you expect because he thinks he's the kind of person who gives the impression that he's capable of doing so. Another example is that some employees check his papers over and over again before submitting them, because he just wants to be known as the perfect person.
For such conscious and efficient employees, you should be aware of their individual differences, encourage them to continue to do so, and suggest how you want their approach to meet your needs and deepen their impression of self-adherence.

不要等到危機發生才來提高組織能力

危機通常能夠刺激人們將他的能力提高到一個新的水準。但是,你絕對不願意在危機來臨時才來提高你的組織能力。那麼,你如何能夠在災難發生前就將組織的潛在能力挖掘出來呢? 
試試以下幾招: 
  1. 急迫感。人們通常能夠體認時間的急迫性。告訴大家一個清楚的設定時間,並且讓大家知道如果屆時沒有完成的話會發生什麼結果。你不需要加以煽風點火,人們自己會知道嚴重性。
  2. 同情心。人們在付出時,通常會希望獲得一些感情的連結。你應該讓你的員工知道他們的努力對於其他同事以及客戶有哪些影響。
  3. 創新。在危機發生時,沒有時間或耐心來依照平常的程序安排工作。請將公司裡多餘而不需要的障礙去除掉,將平常會耗費時間的程序拿掉,讓大家能夠將針對危機解決問題當成最高要務。另外一方面,在危機發生時,也不會有時間進行創新活動,因此,在危機發生前就應該推動創新,提高組織能力。缺乏創新,通常也是組織陷入危機的原因之一。
Don't wait for the crisis to improve your organizational ability
Crises usually stimulate people to raise their capabilities to a new level. However, you are absolutely unwilling to improve your organizational capability when the crisis comes. So how can you unearth the potential of an organization before disaster strikes?
Try the following:
  1. Feeling of urgency. People are usually able to recognize the urgency of time. Tell everyone a clear set time and let you know what will happen if it is not completed. You don't need to fan the flames, people will know the seriousness.
  2. Sympathy. When people are giving, they usually want to get some emotional connections. You should let your employees know what impact their efforts have on other colleagues and customers.
  3. Innovation. In times of crisis, there is no time or patience to arrange work in accordance with usual procedures. Please remove the unnecessary obstacles in the company and remove the usual time consuming procedures so that you can treat the crisis as the top priority. On the other hand, when there is no crisis, there will be no time for innovative activities. Therefore, we should promote innovation and improve organizational capabilities before the crisis. Lack of innovation is usually one of the reasons why organizations are in crisis.

不要只考慮你自己的存活能力

愈來愈多企業在蕭條時期更關注在如何維護自己的存活能力。有些企業當成是慈善工作,而有些更聰明的,將其納入是企業的核心商業模式。
在你關注企業的存活能力的時候,不要只看自己企業的運營形式。在你看企業內部的運營之時,同時將眼光看到更寬廣的領域,去瞭解你的公司在整個供應鏈當中的價值。你的存活模式,不應該只是調整企業的運作,而應該同時考慮到對於供應商、經銷商以及終端消費者。你的包裝、分銷以及價格決策如何影響到整個供應鏈的變化?
這不僅是個道德的考慮,而是企業持續發展的關鍵。

Don't just consider your own viability

More and more enterprises are paying more attention to how to maintain their viability during the depression. Some enterprises are regarded as charitable work, while others are smarter to incorporate them into the core business mode of an enterprise.
When you are concerned about the viability of enterprises, do not just look at the form of operation of their own businesses. As you look at your internal operations, you'll also look at a broader range of areas to understand the value of your company throughout the supply chain. Your survival model should not only adjust the operation of the business, but also take into account the suppliers, dealers and end-users. How does your packaging, distribution and price decisions affect the entire supply chain?
This is not only a moral consideration, but also the key to sustainable development of enterprises.