FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

I chose to work in the area of financial management because I was inspired by an article written by one of my mentors about creating financial serenity in one's life. In creating financial serenity, we aim for self-support, the ability to always sustain ourselves independently no matter what the outer conditions may be (Peterson, 2000). An aspect that I would like to continue to work on in this area is learning more about e-commerce. That is why I have chosen to research this topic for my first feature article in the SBDC quarterly newsletter.

TIME MANAGEMENT

At a recent meeting of the Public Relations Society of Canada I attended, Tom Haibreck of Tom Haibreck Communications commented that a crucial skill for PR executives is time management. PR is fee based, where you bill by the hour. Clients are paying and want you to make the most of your time. I also find this at the SBDC where I currently work. We have to account for every hour we spend working. Everything we do for each client has to be documented, so how I spend my time is constantly up for review by management and by my clients. That is why I chose to focus and develop more knowledge and skills in this area. It is also important for me to be effective at managing time in my personal life. "Time is life -- nothing more, nothing less. The way you spend your hours and your days is the way you spend your life".

NEGOTIATION

Negotiating skills are such that they can transfer and be used in other types of communication. They are skills that assist in developing power. Negotiating is one of the ten working roles of a manager according to Mintzberg. Many top managers are becoming more and more like political leaders engaged in balancing acts among pressure groups of every conceivable kind. A manager is forced into the negotiator role in order to deal with conflict demands. Negotiation happens every day in interactions with people. It involves an understanding of active listening. This is why I chose to pursue some development in this area.

OBSERVATION OF JENNIFER SHELTON - NEGOTIATING SKILLS

I've had the opportunity to know Jen for a long time and have observed several episodes in her life where she has practiced negotiating skills. I will comment to one particular job related negotiation.

When Jen was working to build and start up a coffee shop for a private owner, there were many things that came up during the construction and start up which required her to negotiate with both suppliers and the owner of the shop. Jen is naturally very friendly and people oriented, and this is evident in all of her work relationships. In this particular case she had great personal relationships both with suppliers and the owner of the shop. On numerous occasions Jen had to negotiate for better quality goods which often were higher priced. This often was an initial concern for the owner. Jen always seemed to succeed at attaining her owner's support, not in a confrontational or argumentative way, but in a way that the owner was convinced her reasoning made sense. Jen's successful negotiating with suppliers was very influenced by her fairness and friendly relationships with them. Suppliers wanted to work with her and help her succeed.

Jen is an excellent negotiator when she has a cause to believe in and when it involves negotiation for others or for a common goal. Her natural relationship-oriented style assists her in winning others to her cause and her reasoning. Jen likes to employ reason and cause when she negotiates. Jen is also very non-confrontational with others, which I don't feel is at all a bad thing. I do think Jen may want to work on learning some methods of negotiation for things for herself which allow her to negotiate successfully in her natural style (i.e.: not becoming someone else).

Kim Mobach
Quality Assurance Manager
SUN RICHH FRESH FOODS INC.
[email protected]

COMMENTS OF JENNIFER'S NEGOTIATION SKILLS

I have worked with Jennifer Shelton very closely over the past few years. From what I have observed, Jennifer presents herself in a calm and professional manner during negations. She remains this way throughout the process. A strength I see in Jennifer is her ability to connect on a personal level with others involved in the negotiation process. She makes them feel comfortable and accepted, thus contributing to successful negotiation - win-win for both parties involved in the negotiation.

Aaron Korneychuk
Assistant Manager JavaKAVA Coffee House
[email protected]

Since that time I have worked specifically in this area and now am much more confident employing specific strong negotiation tactics when necessary. As I continue to be aware of the skills involved with negotiation, I aim to be able to adapt between the different strategies of negotiation and use them in response to different circumstances. Managers who can adapt different strategies, depending on the nature of the conflict, are likely to be most effective (Savage, Blair, & Sorenson, 1989).

CREATIVITY & CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

My experience with creative problem solving led me to this conclusion: Effective creative problem solvers develop a large repertoire of approaches to problem solving. These types of people generate more conceptual options. They become more flexible in their thinking. Then through gaining an understanding of the strategies and from experience in problem solving, they develop a sense of appropriateness of what is going to be the most useful strategy at any particular time. That is what I want to aim for. I want to continue to develop my repertoire of problem solving approaches. I can see this happening by my just being open and aware to possibilities and new ideas around me. I will incorporate more variety into my reading material. I want to continue to practice the discipline of creative problem solving every time I come across a difficult obstacle. By doing this I will gain more experience and become more effective at deciding which approach will best fit a situation.

Another area I will continue to work on and grow and develop is fostering innovation and creativity among the people I work with. I also plan to get involved in more creative activities such as art and photography classes. This type of experience will open my mind and senses to experience and express life in a different way than I am used to. This will also strengthen the mental discipline it takes to see things in a different way, such as in symbols. The repertoire of creative problem solving approaches is something I plan to continue to add to as I continue my life-long learning in this area.

MOTIVATION

The skill area of motivation, changing incentives, is important to me for many reasons. Part of every manager and leader's role is to help followers continue to work toward accomplishing a goal. Leadership creates a vision of the future and consists of directing and influencing the work group in task-related activities. Managing is broader than leadership and consists of planning, organizing, controlling, leading, and motivating. Motivation is intrinsic to the individual and refers to what moves him or her to action. Managers lead by creating the environment that makes the employees want to act in the interests of the company.

There will always be people who stay more focused than others. It is imperative that a manager knows how to work with people to be able to identify what is in the way of keeping that person from doing what is required of them and then find a reasonable solution to keep them motivated. It is also very important to me that the people working towards the goal feel satisfied while doing it.

In the experience of putting together a motivational plan for someone, I discovered how beneficial it is to surround the individual with support and accountability. I have noted that I can predict that people soon become very accustomed and comfortable with their current routine/plan. At that point they may need motivation to turn their development into something more exceptional and to set higher standards for themselves. As their motivator, this process would begin for me by clearly describing the goal or target behavior. I would need to clearly lay out the expectations and work with them in establishing new objectives. I would also keep in mind that it might be important to provide a mentor or someone who is skilled and successful in this area, so they would have an example to follow and who would also give them feedback and guidance.

DEVELOPING POWER

In my research in developing power, the best piece of advice I received was from my current manager. He explained that his main strategy for developing power is through creating strategic relationships. Inability to think strategically is one of the main reasons for derailment of managers (McCall & Lombardo, 1983). My manager recommended the following: to get to know who the influencers are, to create relationships with them, and to understand their needs, then tell them your story.

I have been told by objective sources that my credibility gives me power. In the article, The Necessary Art of Persuasion, the two biggest sources for power and credibility are expertise and relationships. People with high credibility usually have demonstrated over time that they can be trusted to listen and to work in the best interest of others. They have also consistently shown strong emotional character and integrity. This is a strength I will continue to develop. I also plan to develop expertise and legitimacy, visibility, effort, and flexibility in the work that I do.

Re: Jennifer Shelton, Developing Power. By Judy Jacksen
[email protected] Corporate Communications Technology
Jennifer has a strong ability to build relationships within an organization. Her personality is non threatening and allows people to freely offer their ideas and suggestions without feeling like they may jeopardize anything by being honest. This is a very valuable attribute in positions of public relations.

During Jennifer's time at CCT, she was able to work closely with staff and a large group of instructors and was the liaison between management and staff. Jennifer was able to draw out suggestions and ideas that never would have been made available to management without her unique way of building trust.

Since Jennifer left, some of the ideas that she put forward to management are being used and others are seriously under consideration. She has an ability to work on two levels, one with staff, the other with presenting her own ideas to management. Her actions show she has the capability of handling difficult situations. Jennifer makes a great team player.