Anyone who has taken a business management in college has heard of  Abraham Maslow and his hiarchy of needs. Even though his paper, “A Theory Of Human Motivation“, was written in 1943 it is still very relevant today. But it seems that in the midst of all the stress of downsizing and reorganization, too many managers have forgotten it’s principals.

While the lines of communication breakdown with more and more closed door meetings at the office; employees are left to imagine what is really happening. Are jobs in jeopardy? Who’s name is on the list? All of this additional stress causes a uncontrolled neurological shift in the brain. Employees revert to “Fight or Flight” mode. You can feel the hard drive spinning in your head as it searches for information on what to do. Creativity is beyond the reach of your brain during these times. All you can access are past experiences. Sound familiar?

To relieve stress in the organization, management needs to be forthright and honest. If cuts are coming, announce the news with the assurance that the company will do all it can to help those laid off. Yes this may cost additional dollars, but you will help prevent sabotage. Employees need to know that you care about them. This will go a long ways to easing conflicts and help prevent angry outbursts.

Once cuts have been made the remainder of the staff needs reassurance of their value to the company. All of these things will free up creativity in the organization.

Ken Cole

A Second Look Business Consulting

You have probably been forced to slash your advertising budget. Business people are discovering that social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter will bring new customers. Just think of it as a new and inexpensive way to advertise.

Many of you have probably heard of the sites, but don’t know where to start. There are new companies forming to meet your needs. Just make them prove the results! The Internet is full of scams. Don’t fall for the, “we’ll keep doing it until it works” line.

Unlike traditional advertising, there is no need to spend thousands of dollars and wait months to measure the results. The typical investment is less then $700 and the good ones will offer a money back guarantee.

You can see marked results in as little time as a week. You can measure the additional traffic to your website by viewing your sites analytical reports. Examine the report to see how long people are staying on your site and the number of pages they view.

If your web traffic has increased, but the phone is still isn’t ringing, it’s time to re-evaluate the content on your website. Most websites will allow you to make changes yourself, rather then needing to pay your hosting company. Remember, it’s your website. You should be able to make content adjustments.

If you need help sifting through the information, get help from those you know and trust. That is part of the mission of this site.

Ken Cole