Here Are The Top 5 High Performance Employee Motivation Techniques

These employee motivation techniques are the key to boosting team and business performance. Implementing these five techniques will deliver increased performance and create a workplace that buzzes

Provide Meaningful and Challenging Work

When people feel that the work they are doing is meaningful - makes a difference in some way - and provides them with challenges that stretch them (but also mesh with their ability to achieve them) they become internally motivated. In other words they don't need anyone standing around coercing them into higher levels of performance.
Even the most mundane of work can be motivating if the leader helps the team member put into context the value their work brings either to the consumer or to the organization.
A great leader is able to help inspire and motivate people by getting them to see beyond the immediacy of what they are doing to the bigger picture. This story illustrates a great example of how hospital ward orderly is able to create meaning in their job.
Providing challenging work is also intrinsically motivating for people - the vast majority of people want to feel that their potential is being regularly challenged. When the team leader provides the team member with the environment that enables, for example, learning new techniques or taking on additional tasks this can engage them more fully.

Set Clear Targets and Expectations and Measure Performance

Imagine you were bowling and no-one told you the aim of the game and each time you bowled the ball as it got half way down the alley a curtain came down so you couldn't actually see how many pins you had knocked over. How long do you think you'd remain interested, excited, engaged by the game? If you are like most people not too long!


It's the same in organizational life. People can be all fired up and ready to give of their best, but if they don't know what is excellent performance or don't know when they've performed excellently or don't know what the aim of the game is ... you can pretty well shut the gate on motivation. Spelling out specific targets, goals, and expectations for behavior and performance need not be anything complicated ... it just needs to be done and people need to get regular and timely feedback on how they are performing against those goals.

Give Regular, Direct, Supportive Feedback

Feedback - both positive and performance improving - is vital to continuous improvement and done well it motivates and inspires people to continually move toward using more of their potential.
Feedback needs to be timely, specific and presented in such a way that the individual is clear about what behaviors or skills they need to modify (or continue using) in order to improve performance. If providing performance enhancing feedback isn't a strength for you, then download the ebook "Influence Your Way To Success"

Design People's Roles So They Can Use Their Strengths

Assigning people to specific tasks and duties that play to their strengths is one of the best employee motivation techniques. Research has shown, more than anything, people who are able to make use of their strengths on a regular basis while at work are more likely to work in teams that perform at higher levels.
When people are playing to their strengths on a regular basis - they feel effective, focused and fulfilled ... a win for them and for their organization. The person becomes more internally motivated ... feeling upbeat and enthused by what they are doing ... and will feel inspired to continue more.

Enable Input and Choice In How Work Gets Done

95% of people (regardless of their walk of life) want to do a good job, feel pride in what they do, have good relationships with their co-workers and feel they are contributing in a meaningful way. In other words, they are set up by their own internal nature to be a high performer.
Unfortunately in many organizations managers turn the majority of their focus toward the 5% of people who are allergic to work and then instigate rules,polices and practices (such as close supervision) to control this 5%. As you can imagine all that does is demean, annoy and demotivate the 95% who are motivated to do their best. You are wasting the talent and natural motivation that the overwhelming majority of people bring to the workplace.
Provide people with a forum where they can provide their input in to how work is performed. Giving people control over how they perform the work is intensely motivating.

5 Cara Mencintai Pekerjaan Anda

Bagi sebagian orang bahwa bekerja merupakan beban yang harus ditanggung, terlebih untuk orang yang bekerja di kantor dan terkena jam kerja, semakin lama akan mengalami kejenuhan akut, dan hanya sedikit orang yang mampu mencintai pekerjaannya. Bahkan sebuah survey menyebutkan bahwa sebagian orang yang bekerja tidak mampu mencintai pekerjaannya. Mereka bertahan dengan pekerjaan tersebut hanya berorientasi penghasilan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidup. Bagaimana cara mencintai pekerjaan anda? 

Menurut sebuah polling yang diadakan situs Gallup.com, banyak pekerja di Amerika yang merasa tak nyaman dengan pekerjaan mereka. Yang lebih mengejutkan, rasa tidak nyaman ini bukan disebabkan permasalahan gaji, atau lama dan hari kerja, melainkan tentang jenis pekerjaan yang mereka lakukan. 

Berdasarkan penelitian yang dilakukan di Harvard Business School, melakukan pekerjaan yang berarti dan membuat banyak kemajuan dalam pekerjaan bisa membuat orang merasa bahagia dalam bekerja. Mereka yang bahagia banyak memiliki ide-ide baru dan jauh lebih kreatif. Sebaliknya, karyawan yang tidak menikmati pekerjaan bisa berakibat buruk pada karyawan itu sendiri ataupun pada perusahaan.

"Ketika orang tidak peduli tentang pekerjaan atau atasan mereka, mereka pasti akan sering absen, tidak produktif, dan memiliki kualitas pekerjaan yang buruk," ungkap Teresa Amabile, profesor dari Harvard.

Teresa dan rekan penelitinya, Steven Kramer, melakukan percobaan dengan mengumpulkan sekitar 12.000 eksemplar buku harian elektronik dari 238 karyawan pada tujuh perusahaan yang berbeda. Teresa menemukan bahwa sepertiga responden tidak bahagia dengan pekerjaannya, tidak termotivasi untuk bekerja, dan merasakan kedua hal ini. Lebih buruk lagi, karyawan sering merasa muak dengan pekerjaan mereka.

Teresa juga mendapati bahwa faktor yang paling penting untuk merasa bahagia dalam bekerja adalah adanya penghargaan dari perusahaan. Hal ini yang melecut mereka untuk terus membuat kemajuan. "Selama mereka memiliki pengalaman yang berharga dalam pekerjaan karena mereka merasa berguna, maka kemajuan ini akan diikuti dengan sukacita dan kegembiraan dalam bekerja," tukasnya. 

Sayangnya, masih banyak atasan yang tidak menyadari pentingnya hal ini. Ketika Teresa dan Steven meminta para manajer dari 669 perusahaan yang diteliti untuk memberikan peringkat dalam hal motivasi karyawan, mereka memberikan "dukungan untuk maju" pada peringkat terakhir. Tim peneliti ini yakin bahwa para manajer harus lebih berpikir tentang cara mendukung karyawan dengan menghapus hambatan, memberikan bantuan, dan mengakui usaha mereka. 

Terlepas dari apa yang dilakukan perusahaan untuk Anda, sebagai pekerja Anda juga harus berusaha untuk mencintai pekerjaan Anda. Ada berbagai cara yang bisa dilakukan untuk itu:

1. Punya tujuan yang jelas. 
Atasan harus memberikan tujuan yang harus dicapai dalam pekerjaan. Pahami alasan Anda bekerja. Usahakan tujuan ini hanya dalam jangka pendek dan bisa dicapai, tidak mengada-ada. Pertama, cobalah untuk memperjelas tujuan Anda sendiri dengan informasi yang Anda miliki. "Lalu, temukan cara untuk mendapat kejelasan dari atasan Anda. Tujuan dalam bekerja bisa membantu Anda untuk lebih bersemangat dan fokus dalam bekerja," ungkap Teresa.

2. Bekerja mandiri. 
Beberapa orang butuh kebebasan untuk mencapai tujuannya dalam bekerja. Jika pekerjaan Anda mengharuskan Anda untuk bekerja dalam tim, cobalah untuk berpikir kreatif sesuai dengan ide Anda, jangan mudah terpengaruh orang lain. Namun, ini bukan berarti bahwa Anda tidak boleh meminta bantuan orang lain ketika Anda memang membutuhkannya. 

3. Lengkapi dengan fasilitas. 
Hal ini sangat berhubungan dengan kemampuan dan kreativitas Anda. Tak jarang, sumber daya yang terbatas bisa menyebabkan seseorang merasa frustrasi dalam bekerja. Langkah awalnya, cobalah untuk berpikir kreatif dan menemukan cara untuk bisa menyelesaikan pekerjaan dengan sumber daya yang tersedia.

4. Tentukan "deadline". 
Batas waktu dalam bekerja adalah hal yang wajar. "Kami menemukan bahwa secara umum tekanan waktu yang ekstrem adalah hal yang buruk untuk produktivitas dan kreativitas," ungkap Teresa. Jika deadline Anda terlalu ketat, coba diskusikan dengan atasan. Jika tidak, Anda akan merasa seperti dikejar-kejar oleh pekerjaan yang tiada habisnya.

5. Belajar dari masalah. 
Ketika mengalami kegagalan, Anda mungkin akan menjadi sasaran kemarahan atasan dan rekan kerja Anda. Jika hal ini terjadi, jangan cepat putus asa. Renungkan dengan bijak, dan cobalah untuk mencari tahu apa yang salah, dan mengapa bisa terjadi. "Rekan kerja bisa membuat rasa 'aman' saat berdiskusi tentang masalah dalam pekerjaan. Diskusikan kegagalan Anda dengan mereka dan petiklah pelajaran dari mereka," ungkap Teresa.

Motivating Your Staff (No Speeches Required)

With the recession finally in our rearview mirror (so they say), most companies are finally beginning to get back to business. But the past year has left its mark: many employees are in a funk. They are fearful, overworked, distrustful and have less enthusiasm and passion than ever. And many leaders are continually frustrated by their team's performance, low morale and engagement. The answer, says author Jon Gordon, doesn't involve fancy technology, a new piece of equipment or extensive R&D.  In fact, the answer lies in a basic human emotion: motivation.

Gordon isn't advocating for a mass hiring of motivational speakers to address America's sluggish workforce. In fact, he says that motivational speeches don't work. "But," he explains, "Leaders who motivate do. Now, more than ever, a leader's job is to motivate and rally his or her team through challenging times. You can't outsource motivation. It is the leaders and managers who must motivate."
Gordon continues, "Most business leaders want to take the emotion out of business, but that is a huge mistake. When fear and negativity are the primary emotions people in your organization are feeling, you have to counter that with an even more powerful emotion, such as faith, belief and optimism. And your success in that depends on your ability to motivate." He explains that motivation has long been considered a soft skill that was hard to quantify. But what leaders are realizing is that it's quickly becoming a vital part of their everyday job descriptions.

Nobody knows this better than Gordon. In 2007, Gordon released “The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy” with low sales and little acclaim. A business fable, with strategies for overcoming adversity and negativity and bringing out the best in your team, the book saw its largest jump in sales this past year, becoming a WSJ bestseller when the economy was at its worst. Why? Because businesses everywhere were struggling, and their leaders were looking for answers.
In his books, Gordon gives leaders the tools they need to take their teams through tough times. Some strategies he offers to motivate your people (and get the results you want) are:

Lead with optimism. The engine for America's growth and prosperity has always been its "can do" attitude and spirit. Unfortunately, in the past year, optimism has been in short supply. Between the doom and gloom media coverage, the workplace rumor mill and the overall uncertainty of the economy, it seems that pessimism has become the name of the game. Gordon says that, as a leader, your most important weapon against pessimism is to transfer your optimism and vision to others. This inspires others to think and act in ways that drive results. 

"Leadership is a transfer of belief – and great leaders inspire their teams to believe they can succeed," he explains. "As a leader and manager, you are not just leading and managing people, but you are also leading and managing their beliefs. You must utilize every opportunity available to transfer your optimism. Optimism is a competitive advantage, and you need to convey it in all you say and do. As one of the greatest American innovators, Henry Ford said, ‘Think you can or think you can't – either way, you are correct.’”

Share the vision. It's not enough to just be optimistic. You must give your team and organization something to be optimistic about. Talk about where you have been, where you are and where you are going. Share your plan for a brighter and better future, talk about the actions you must take, and constantly reiterate the reasons why you will be successful.

"Create a vision statement that inspires and rallies your team and organization," Gordon suggests. "Not a page-long vision statement filled with buzzwords, but a rallying cry that means something to the people who invest a majority of their day working for you. This vision statement can't just exist on a piece of paper. It must come to life in the hearts and minds of your employees. So it's up to you to share it, reinforce it and inspire your people to live and breathe it every day. A positive vision for the future leads to powerful actions today."

Does Your Salon Need an Extreme Messaging Makeover?

Have you ever driven past a billboard that would cause an accident if anyone actually read the whole thing? That advertiser missed the opportunity to reach and influence the target audience. When time and money are wasted, it’s probably time for an extreme messaging makeover.

There are five main ways to begin working toward your extreme messaging makeover:

1. Focus on One Big Idea
From the time we wake up until we crash at the end of a long day, we’re bombarded with messages. As consumers, we can’t afford to spend more time processing information unless we are sure we need it. We remember creative messages that are memorable and make an emotional impact. We relate to them – and more importantly from a business perspective – they have the most impact when they’re focused on one main idea.

Think about ads or slogans that you probably couldn’t forget if you wanted to…

Can You Hear Me Now?

Don’t Leave Home Without It.

Got Milk?

Try to remember the last time a salesperson made just the right pitch…

Or you thoroughly enjoyed a presentation or speaker…

The message was focused on you and on one big idea that you still remember today.

The next time you are creating an ad, making a sales pitch or writing a memo, improve your message by asking yourself: What’s the big idea?

2. Tell Your Story by Telling Stories
Stories resonate and help us relate to others. We remember vivid details of stories told when we were kids. The most influential speakers tell memorable stories that stir multiple emotions. The most successful advertising campaigns use storytelling to make a lasting impact. The best media coverage is created by compelling stories.
When presenting information to others, internally or externally, take your messaging to another level with meaningful and memorable stories. You might find that a story you think is no big deal will be enjoyed by your audience.
Build your company’s brand by telling multiple stories that become your key message points, convey your real story and create the image you deserve. Tell your salon’s story in a way that focuses on your key target audience. Make it about them and their wants and needs.
Instead of sending boring press releases that end up ignored by the media, tell interesting, real life stories that people will want to read and hear. Then, the media can be your conduit to tell your story.

3. Use Startling Stats, Numbered Lists and Acronyms
People tend to remember memorable facts or numbers, rather than theories or abstract ideas. Beginning with a relevant fact or statistic can be an effective way to grab the audience’s attention and provide them with an easy-to-remember point. For decades of advertising, Trident famously used the phrase, “Four out of five dentists surveyed would recommend sugarless gum to their patients who chew gum.” Why? It was a startling statistic that made a memorable impact. Trident provided a key takeaway that gained credibility with their key target audiences.
We also remember numbered lists better than a simple listing of facts. If you number points in accordance to importance or relevance, your audience will at least remember the top few points and maybe more. Think back to when a speaker used this technique and said they were going to talk about three major points. Once they said the first two, you were waiting for the third one. After the presentation, you probably even tried to remember the three main points to tell others who were not at the presentation.
Acronyms and abbreviations are also an effective way to help your audience remember things they might not normally retain. Within many organizations and industries, this practice is so popular that a maze of acronyms can actually lead to confusion. When that happens, you might find a CQI team is developed to focus on PI and maximizing ROI to reduce stress and avoid increased visits to doctors in the company’s PPO or HMO ... so try not to overuse this tactic.

4. Get Them to Feel Something
Your messaging must make an emotional impact with your target audience. They have to feelsomething. When we listen to a political candidate, entertainer, coach, religious leader or rock star, we typically feel something. We are emotionally tied to the subject and the speaker. These communicators know how to stir emotions and engage their audiences.
While you might not see yourself as a rock star speaker or feel you need to elevate your message to the level of a coach or politician, you still need to think about how you can make an emotional impact on your audience. Don’t fall back on the same old corporate speak. Do you touch on emotions such as excitement, fear, happiness or sadness? If not, you are reducing the likelihood of your message resonating and being remembered for more than a brief time.
Touch emotions to capture people’s attention. Focus on what the audience stands to lose as well as what they stand to gain. Put the message in their terms and focus on the impact on them, positive or negative.

5. Tell the Truth
Most marketers have heard the phrase “Truth in Advertising,” and there’s even a spoof on YouTube about the lack thereof. The term “Spin Doctor” pretty much covers the perception of “Truth in PR.” And as far as sales, nobody likes to be sold, right?
As our parents and kindergarten teachers taught us, telling the truth is the ethical way to go. It is also the practical approach. Telling the truth is also essential to successful public relations. Pick your favorite media gaffe that resulted from a public figure being less than truthful. “The media” will find and report contradictions, and the story can potentially reach the masses within minutes online. If you hide behind a “no comment” or offer a less-than-truthful response, you will be perceived negatively when the reporter eventually does break the story (and someone will).
With regard to truth in sales, think about how you feel when a salesperson goes on and on. You probably wish they would shut up and listen to what you are saying so you can tell them what you want. Salespeople need to listen, ask probing questions and match needs based on the strengths of their product or service. Admit weaknesses early because the prospect will usually figure out that your product isn’t perfect. Focus on true strengths and leave the hyperbole to your competitors.
Truth in advertising does exist and the winning companies adhere to it. Truth in PR must exist or you and your company will lose credibility. Truth in sales will help you stand out from the competition and ultimately lead to more business for your company.
Your extreme messaging makeover will make a difference for you and your organization. Follow these strategies and make it happen.
By David M. Mastovich

Managing Multiple Customers

You know the scenario … Your workday is running smoothly and manageably when suddenly, you find yourself dealing with one customer in front of you, another on the phone, while a third arrives with just a quick question. When organizations bring me to conduct customer service seminars, I find this is one of the most frequent challenges frontline employees ask me to address. While there are no absolute rules for juggling customers (you need to adapt to your workplace’s business realities), here are five tips that we find work well for our clients in reducing stress and boosting customer loyalty.

Tip No. 1 – Remember, this is good
Having lots of customers wanting to do business with you is wonderful. It means you and your organization are in demand. The obvious solution to juggling multiple customers is just to hire more people. Of course that’s oversimplified, and may make no economic sense – especially when there may be only one or two rush periods during the day or week. When you see more customers arrive, don’t let them see you sweat. Take the professional approach and broaden your smile – even though it may be slightly forced. Keep in mind the adage of L.L. Bean, who said, “Customers are not interruptions to your work, they are the purpose of your work.”

Tip No. 2 – Don’t make things worse
One of the most frequent gaffs in frontline service is when a customer needs to ask a question, but the employees are preoccupied – talking with each other. Even more aggravating is when the staff congregates to socialize while customers are left to fend for themselves. The place for employees to chat and hold meetings is in the staff area, not in front of customers. When you’re on the floor, make yourself visible and available to customers. Of course, that also means not interrupting your co-workers who are talking to customers. If you need to talk to a co-worker who’s taking care of a customer, give your colleague a quick nod, then let him/her come to you when they’ve finished with the customer. If you absolutely must interrupt, then excuse yourself and apologize to the customer for the interruption, and as you leave, thank the customer for their patience.

Tip No. 3 – Walk-ins take priority over phone-ins
If you already have a visitor in front of you when the phone rings, the visitor gets priority. The visitor took the time/spent the gas money to arrive in person. Unless you have callers with genuine emergencies, don’t interrupt a visitor to pick up the phone. That’s what voice mail is for. If you must take the phone call, ask the visitor’s permission, explain that you want to focus on them, so you’ll quickly take a message and get back to your conversation. Then tell the caller that you are with another customer but will look into their request and call them back. That way, even if the caller insists on immediate service, the visitor sees that you are at least trying to make them the priority.

Tip No. 4 – Acknowledge walk-ins right away
If you are on the phone or face-to-face with a customer when a visitor walks-in,  acknowledge the visitor immediately with eye contact, a smile and a quick, “I’ll be with you in just a few minutes” (or however long it will be).  By acknowledging the visitor, you are conveying that you are aware of them and that you are working quickly. And it tells the person in front of you that you have other people waiting. Usually, they’ll get the hint that you need to wrap-up.
A common challenge is how to politely interrupt a phone caller to acknowledge a walk-in visitor. Here’s a quick tip – say the person’s name. “John, excuse me. I just had someone walk into my office, may I put you on hold for a moment? Thanks.” Beginning with the person’s name gets their attention immediately without being rude.
For new arrivals who have just a quick question … If it is indeed quick, that’s great; give them the 10 seconds they need and then get back to your first person. If it’s going to take more than 10 seconds, then tell the person, “That’s going to take a few minutes to go over, so I’ll finish taking care of this person which will take me about x minutes, then I’ll be happy to help you. Meanwhile, if you’d like to sit, grab a coffee … Thanks.”

Tip No. 5 – Address chronic staffing/line-management issues
In tip No. 1, I pointed out that hiring more staff may not make economic sense. However, when customers constantly get the impression the organization is disorganized, understaffed or uncaring about customers’ time, that’s a problem that requires more than just having staff work faster. Managers need to either hire more staff, consider moving phone calls to a call center or implement line-management practices. Speaking of which, you’ll find tips on handling waiting lines in my article, “Yes, I Mind Waiting,” available for free at www.jeffmowatt.com. Meanwhile, be thankful that business is so good. Here’s hoping that this helps makes managing multiple customers less frustrating for everyone concerned.

5 Greetings that Boost Sales to Walk-In Customers

Quick, what's the typical greeting used most often by 60 percent of retail stores? You're right if you guessed, "Can I help you?" The visitor's usual response is, "No thanks, just looking.” The problem is the walk-in customer is never "just looking.” They came into the premises because at some level they perceived a need. This greeting only reminds visitors that they're not here to buy. Lousy selling strategy.

The way you and your staff greet walk-in customers has a huge impact on your bottom line. Here are some tips to ensure that you and your employees greet customers in a way that makes them want to buy and keep coming back:

1. Show that you recognize them.
When you deal with customers, the most important words are not “please” or “thank you,” but your customers’ first and last names. Take the restaurant I patronized in Greece, for example. As I walked in with my friends, the owner shouted, "Jeff, you're back! Welcome!” He smiled at the rest of my party and said, "I see you've brought your friends, excellent! We'll clear one of our best tables for you!” At this point, I don't care what the food tastes like – this guy gets my business.
If you don't remember the customer's name, you need to at least let them know that you recognize them and are happy to see them. So an effective greeting would be, "Well, hello! It's nice to see you again.” Customers return to secure, friendly environments. Show that you recognize them, and they'll want to come back.

2. Ask if they've been in before.
One of the best money-making greetings is, "Hi, have you been here before?” Michael Gerber, author of the best seller, “The E-myth,” says that his clients who have switch from, "Can I help you?" to this greeting have seen sales increase by 16 percent. While Gerber claims to have no idea why this works so well, I think it's because this greeting reminds the customer that they've been at your business before, so it's a familiar place. Familiar means safe. Safe means trust. And trust means buy.
With this greeting, the employee can also add, "Welcome back, we appreciate your coming to see us again.” That provides that all-important recognition. They can ask the customer about what they bought on their last visit and how they like it. That provides the opportunity to provide positive reinforcement and/or clear up any concerns.
If this is the visitor's first visit, then the employee has a great excuse to show them around, identify needs and point out specials. At any rate, if saying, "Hi, have you been here before?" can increase sales by 16 percent, then it's certainly worth a test.

3. Ask about the weather.
I realize the weather is an often-used topic, but it's disarming and gets the customer talking about something where they can be the expert. The critical step that's often missed is you need to respond to the customer's comments. That shows that you're listening – not just techniquing them. Once you've addressed their comments, you can then transition from the weather to identifying their needs. Example: “Well, at least you're in from out of the wind now. What brings you in aside from the cold weather?"

4. Compliment appropriately.
Be careful with this one. If you do it wrong, you’ll be construed as being a phony and will lose the most important thing you need to sell – trust. So don't offer a general compliment such as, "Don't you look good today.” Instead, make sure your compliment is relevant and specific. For example, you might mention how well someone’s shirt color highlights their golden tan.

5. Use a conversation piece.
Interesting artwork, a talking parrot or anything you place near your entrance that draws comment is great. It gets the customer talking, questioning and interested.

6. Timing is everything.
More important that what you say is the fact that the visitor is acknowledged – not necessarily served – the moment they enter. One study revealed that 68 percent of customers who leave do so because they feel that no one cares they're there. Picture entering an establishment waiting to be served. Then use your watch to count off 30 seconds. You realize that even half a minute is too long to wait.
One of my seminar participants, a bakery owner, ensured a fast greeting if the employees were working in the back room by installing a doorbell that rings as the visitor enters. They call out, "Hi there, I'll be right out!" and they keep the business. Simple and smart.

In contrast, make sure your staff avoids the 5 worst greetings:
1. A stare – like employees are watching to see if you're going to steal something.
2. The daze – they pretend they're so busy they can't see you.
3. "Can I help you"
4. "Next!"
5. A canned, phony-sounding speech.

6 Ways to Keep Customers Coming Back

As a salon owner in today's less-than-pleasant economy, it may seem that more and more of your customers are opting to cut ties with your salon in order to cut every ounce of fat out of their budgets. Today, most people are making their decisions based on the almighty dollar. And there's so much competition out there, that your clients can typically find another business to give them products and services for less than you do.

As such, it has never been more critical to establish strong, genuine connections with clients. Without these connections, your products and services can easily get lost in a sea of noise and similar offerings. However, when you provide better service and support than your competition, your customers won't go anywhere, and those who do will come screaming back.

"You have to create strong emotional connections with your clients that won't quickly be cancelled out when they find a better deal somewhere else," says Maribeth Kuzmeski, author of  “...And the Clients Went Wild! How Savvy Professionals Win All the Business They Want.” In the book, she lays out a blueprint for cultivating loyal clients and generating growing sales through a collection of principles and tactics that have proven successful for others. The idea is to trigger a strong emotional connection in the minds of prospects and clients – followed by a response that is so powerful that your loyal clients won't be able to stop talking about you.

"What many business owners don't want to admit is that great companies – big and small – have maintained their loyal customers, even in these hard times," Kuzmeski shares. "Loyalty does still exist for companies that have a deep understanding of their customers' wants and needs."
To turn your customers into fans for life, Kuzmeski advises:

Surprise them by always going the extra mile. People expect great service from luxury companies such the Ritz-Carlton or Rolex. But they don't always expect great service when they aren't paying top dollar for a world-famous brand.
"With luxury brands, you pay a lot and you get a lot in return," she says. "That's how it is supposed to be. But you can create the same kind of loyalty to your brand by simply going the extra mile when people might not expect you to. Recently, for example, I was leaving a Holiday Inn and saw that the manager was standing at the door saying good-bye to all of the guests. He asked me how I enjoyed my stay and whether I stayed at the Holiday Inn a lot. He told me that he really wanted to see me back at his hotel again and offered me a discount on my next stay.
"These were simple gestures, but he took the time to make a personal connection. He made an effort to have meaningful conversations with his guests … and it didn't cost him a penny to do that. He went out of his way to provide great service."

Give them something to talk about. To get your clients to go wild about you, you have to give them something to talk about – something just a little more exciting than what your competition is doing. Give them a reason, and they will keep coming back.
"My 'something to talk about' is often my business card," Kuzmeski explains. "Instead of your run-of-the-mill card, my business card more closely resembles an NFL or MLB trading card. It features a picture of me in a football jersey and all of my stats – my weight, height, age and college alma mater. People absolutely love it. I am constantly asked who designed it for me and whether I can send them more. In fact, just recently, I was in a business meeting, and everyone was passing around their business cards. When I passed out my card, it set off a 10-minute conversation about how unique it is. I guarantee you there are people out there who still remember me because I handed them this one-of-a-kind business card."

Go after referrals, not new clients. We all do it. When times get tough, we tend to avoid difficult conversations with clients. But what we should really be doing is getting in front of them and showing that we truly care about our relationships with them.
"I was recently approached by a financial advisor client of mine," Kuzmeski states. "He had gotten new clients only through referrals his entire career, but recently his referrals had dried up. His reaction was that he needed to just go out and find new clients. The truth, of course, is that he needed to get in touch with the clients he had already been working with for years.
"In today's business climate, you have to get out from behind your desk … even when the conversations might be uncomfortable for you," she adds. "People do business with people they trust, with people who they feel have their backs. And those are the kind of people clients will want to refer to their inner circle."

Boost Employee Performance by Developing a Culture of Trust

Do your employees trust you? The brutal truth is probably not. It may not be fair, and you may not want to hear it, but chances are that previous leaders have poisoned the ground on which you’re trying to grow a successful business. Make no mistake: Unless you and all the leaders in your organization can gain the trust of your employees, performance will suffer. And considering how tough it is to survive in today’s business environment, that’s very bad news for your salon.

Why is trust so pivotal? According to John Hamm, it’s a matter of human nature: When employees don’t trust their leaders, they don’t feel safe. And when they don’t feel safe, they don’t take risks – and where there is no risk taken, there is less innovation, less “going the extra mile,” and therefore, very little unexpected upside.

 “Feeling safe is a primal human need,” says Hamm, author of “Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership.” He continues, “When that need isn’t met, our natural response is to focus energy toward a showdown with the perceived threat.

 “Our attention on whatever scares us increases until we either fight or run in the other direction, or until the threat diminishes on its own,” he adds. “Without trust, people respond with distraction, fear and, at the extreme, paralysis. And that response is hidden inside ‘business’ behaviors – sandbagging quotas, hedging on stretch goals, and avoiding accountability or commitment.”

Hamm calls trustworthiness “the most noble and powerful of all the attributes of leadership.” He says leaders become trustworthy by building a track record of honesty, fairness and integrity. For Hamm, cultivating this trust isn’t just a moral issue; it’s a practical one.

“Trust is the currency you will need when the time comes for you to make unreasonable performance demands on your teams,” he explains. “And when you’re in that tight spot, it’s quite possible that the level of willingness your employees have to meet those demands could make or break your business.”

In his book, Hamm explains that most employees have been hurt or disappointed at some point in their careers by the hand of power in an organization. That’s why nine times out of 10, leaders are in “negative trust territory” before they make their first request of an employee to do something. Before a team can reach its full potential, leaders must act in ways that transcend employees’ fears of organizational power.

The first step starts with you, Hamm notes. As a leader, you must “go first,” modeling trustworthiness for everyone else. Being trustworthy creates trust, yes. But beyond that, there are very specific things you can do to provide unusually excellent trust-building leadership at your organization:

1. Being trustworthy doesn’t mean you have to be a Boy Scout. You don’t even have to be a warm or kind person, says Hamm. On the contrary, history teaches us that some of the most trustworthy people can be harsh, tough or socially awkward – but their promises must be inviolate and their decisions fair.
“As anachronistic as it may sound in the 21st century, men and women whose word is their honor – and who can be absolutely trusted to be fair, honest and forthright – are more likely to command the respect of others than, say, the nicest guy in the room,” Hamm explains. “You can be tough. You can be demanding. You can be authentically whoever you really are. But as long as you are fair, as long as you do what you say consistently, you will still be trusted.”

2. Look for chances to reveal some vulnerability. We trust people we believe are real and also human (imperfect and flawed) – just like us. And that usually means allowing others to get a glimpse of our personal vulnerability; some authentic (not fabricated) weakness or raw emotion that allows others to relate to us at the human level.
“The best leaders consciously present themselves as accessible and open and vulnerable – that is, they talk about their fears, challenges and failures with humility, candor, and at times, even some humor – so as to break down the barriers with those whom they wish to know. They know this does not threaten their power, but rather, increases their influence.”

3. No matter how tempted you are, don’t “BS” your employees. Tell the truth, match your actions with your words, and match those words with the truth we all see in the world: no spin, no fancy justifications or revisionist history – just tell the truth.
“Telling the truth when it is not convenient or popular – or when it will make you look bad – can be tough,” Hamm admits. “Yet, it’s essential to your reputation. Your task as a leader is to be as forthright and transparent as is realistically possible. Strive to disclose the maximum amount of information appropriate to the situation.”

4. Never, ever make the “adulterer’s guarantee.” This happens when you say to an employee, in effect, “I just lied to (someone else), but you can trust me because I’d never lie to you.” When an employee sees you committing any act of dishonesty or two-facedness, they’ll assume that you’ll do the same to them

Leading by a Tale: How To Put Storytelling To Work In Your Salon or Spa

Of all the leadership tools I’ve brought to my clients, the one that was easiest to learn, as well as the most transformative, was storytelling. It’s also the most fun! With this skill you can inspire your people to act in unfamiliar ways as they navigate the transformation you require.

THE PURPOSE

The purpose of any story is to establish trust between you and the listener. Your teams wants to trust your abilities, and believe in your plan. They want to make the business “happen,” as much as you do. That takes immense trust. Gary Morris, CMO of Marketing Advocate, in Centerville, MA said it best: “Only authentic trust accrues into a predisposition to try anything, whether it’s a new product or a new idea.”

THE VISION STORY

The most important story you’ll tell is the Vision story. A vision story takes your listeners from where they are now to where they need to be, with comfort and trust that you truly see and feel your vision.

The Vision Story takes some courage, says Annette Simmons in her book, ‘The Story Factor.’ Its purpose is to “shrink today’s frustration in light of the promise of tomorrow.” The process for change and perspective should be modeled in the story, as in the bricklayer’s parable. All three construction workers are doing the same job, but when asked, one says, ‘I’m laying bricks.’ The second says, ‘I’m building a wall.’ And the third says, ‘I’m building a cathedral.” Your focal point has to include affirmation of the process in all three jobs, while guiding their thinking and activities toward the vision of the completed cathedral.

EMPOWER THE LISTENER

Empowering the listener to visualize the needed transformation, and then to act on it, can be achieved by exposing your own motivation toward the change. At what moment did you know things had to change? Frame that experience as an obstacle for which you have discovered a solution. What if the solution works? Paint for the listener how things will look once the solution is realized. Make it subjective, from the fountain of passion that brought you to this business in the first place. Lead the listener into the future with a vaguely detailed strategy of how victory over such road blocks will champion any innovations already realized, that progress is in the process of evolution, as a team.

Steve Denning, author of ‘Squirrel Inc.’ knows from his experience at World Bank that “people are more likely to overcome uncertainty about change if they are shown what to aim for rather than what to avoid.” By making your story overwhelmingly positive, with the problem right up in the foreground, you’re presenting yourself as a protagonist in the story.

YOUR POTENTIAL

You have enormous potential to change the minds of your followers - that’s the business you are business truly in! The secret is to learn this method as a way to support the rational analysis that is ever present. Lean on your human intuition born millions of years ago in caves, gathered around the camp fire recanting the days adventures. We’re all hunters and gatherers deep down.

Your followers will rise with abundant energy, mirroring your own, prepared to retell your story whenever they encounter an associate who needs a boost. With storytelling in your tool bag, you’ll now be able to harness your own imagination, and tether it to your company’s evolution—onward and upward!

What is Poor Customer Service Costing Your Salon?

All salons and spas rely on customer retention to keep their businesses growing - after all, the backbone of your success isn't the one time customer but the repeat customer. Repeat customers keep coming back and become the foundation you can rely on. That's why customer retention is so important.

Even worse, if you begin losing customers because of poor customer service, your business might fail. That's why customer service training is so important - to be truly successful, you have to establish strong customer loyalty that can translate to repeat business and great referrals. Most salon and spa owners don't realize how much revenue they are losing every year because of poor customer service. Do you?

How Much Revenue are You Losing? You'll be Surprised! Take this Simple Reality Check:

The cost of poor customer retention is enormous. When customers leave your business they are taking their money to competitors. You've not only lost revenue for your business, you've increased the profitability of your competition! It's a "double whammy" that can permanently damage your business. Take a look at this eye-opening formula and see how much your salon is losing each year because of poor customer retention.

Customer Service Formula:

• Take your Average Annual Revenue Per Customer  X's  The Number of Customers Lost (Customers who leave annually)
  Example:$360 average annual revenue per customer  X's  100 lost customers = $36,000 in Lost Revenue pr year

The real profits that keep a salon and spa running and growing are in the second, third, and fourth sales to the same customer. Without this repeat business, most salons fail - and repeat business hinges more on Exceptional Customer Service than with anything else - including the products or services themselves.

Let's face it, if you are losing customers, you'll soon be losing employees. If you provide customer service training and other tools for all of your employees so that they can improve customer loyalty, they will feel more confident in their own success and the success of your business. You will have more loyal customers and more loyal employees!

Remember . . .

Some salons question whether or not they really have to make this effort. The reality is you really have no other reasonable choice. Customer service training will improve customer retention and ultimately determine whether you are in business next year.

Learn how to establish a consistent, branded customer experience ~ start by training all of your employees!

Ana Loiselle ~ Milady Business Coach and Trainer

What Are People Saying About Your Salon?

Remember when you were a kid and other kids said you were slow, had “four eyes” or buck teeth? How did your mom tell you to handle that situation? “Just ignore them!” she’d say. Well mom is wrong, at least with respect to what others are saying about your salon or spa.

Did you know that over 90% of unhappy clients will not do business with your salon again and are likely to share their grievance with at least nine other people. Thirteen percent of unhappy clients will tell more than twenty people. In his book, Rule of 3-33, Author Jerry Wilson says for every three people willing to tell a positive story about an experience with your business, there are thirty-three others who will tell a horror story.

If someone was talking about your salon or spa (positively or negatively), you would want to know about it, right? If someone was speaking your praises, you would want to thank them. Conversely, if someone was speaking poorly about your business, you would want to set the record straight. But today, someone can just as easily talk about your business face-to-face as they can post to a blog, Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, City Search, etc.

Your business's reputation is just as important in brick-and-mortar as it is online. Customers are not just going to your website to get information about your business. You must also manage your web presence for postings from people outside your organization. The internet is a place where anyone (fan or critic) can express their opinions about anyone and anything. Don't be oblivious (or vulnerable) to rumors, complaints, review sites, blogs, etc.

Let me give you an example: True story from owner Amy Burness, of Victoria's 5th Ave. Salon, in Florida.  A new client came into the salon that works at the Hard Rock Casino. Her expense was great, but her haircut was not what she wanted. It was a little uneven and not short enough for her. The salon called her three days after her service (a follow up system they have in place) and asked her how her experience in the salon was. She said it was "okay." The salon  asked if there was anything they could do for her. The unahppy guest said that her haircut was just not layered enough for her - the salon owner offered for her to come in and have the problem corrected. When she came and got it corrected she loved it so much that over the next couple of months she sent in over 20 of her co-workers to the salon. She can’t stop talking about the salon following up with her to make sure her experience was great. When she came back in for her hair cut she tells the stylist how impressed she was that the salon cared enough to have called to make sure her experience was great. She was one of the 13% of unhappy clients that would have told more than 20 people how unhappy she was, but instead she is telling everyone how impressed she is with the salon.

As a salon or spa owner, are you managing your business's reputation? Do you have follow up systems in place like the above mentioned salon? What tools are you using to find online information? If you have found negative posts, what have you done to curtail the negativity?

Ana Loiselle ~ Milady Business Coach

Fulfill Your Staff's Dreams While You Fulfill Yours!

I just returned from the International Salon & Spa Expo in Long Beach, CA. As always, we had fun, the energy was great and people took action to improve their businesses!

As I was presenting my seminar I lead a discussion about how to lead your staff versus manage them and asked a pertinent couple of questions; “How many of you know exactly how much more money each person on your staff wants to make in 2010 from past years and what would they do with that money?’

I was met with an amazing response. No one raised their hand!

It makes sense!  Most of us are so busy working hard and working with clients and don’t have systems in place to understand where the business is - so we just run around reacting to things as they happen. Fundamentally, it becomes all about us, the owner or manager, getting what we need and telling the staff what they have to do. No fault to us, but this is what happens. No wonder no one raised their hand.

The funny thing is, if you want to grow your business, make more profits, have more stability, you need to do this on the shoulders of the people who work "with" you, NOT for you! Get it? This means it is time to adjust your priorities. Take the time to find out what’s important to the people that work for you. What roll can your salon or spa play in helping them to achieve what they want?

In the practice of Dharma, even if one specifically looks to the benefit of other beings, the results that are most assured are those that arise within oneself. Thus it is said that by helping oneself one helps others, and by helping others one helps oneself.

There is an analogy regarding this related by the Buddha in the story of the two acrobats. One form of acrobatics performed in the Buddha's time involved the use of a long bamboo pole, which was balanced on the head and shoulders of one acrobat, while another acrobat balanced himself on top of the pole. They would perform various tricks and balancing acts in this way. Two of these acrobats, master and apprentice, were traveling around the country performing their art.

One day the master said, "Now you keep your eye on me, and I'll keep my eye on you and so keep you from falling off."

The apprentice replied, "Oh, no, master. You should look after yourself while I look after myself. In this way we can perform our act and earn a living in safety."

Thus it is said that looking after ourselves we look after others, and when looking after others we look after ourselves. The practice of Dharma is co-productive in that its effects extend to all beings. When you make it your number one priority to do this you will have a business that thrives and an environment that is magical!!


milady

Leading Your Salon Team to Greatness

Have you ever been in a position where one of your salon employees expected you to have all the answers? Or have you felt, no matter what you said or how many times you said it, your team didn’t follow through or buy into what you wanted? Have you ever felt irritated that your team didn’t get it?

Do you feel alone at the top? No one understands you? Gets you? Cares about what you are going through?

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions - first, you are not alone, second, it is OK and third, you can do something about it!

Typically these issues occur due to missing systems that cause stress and upset. Below are four powerful steps you can take to rectify the situation by growing as a leader and communicator:

1. Vision: As a speaker I ask audiences, time and again, if they have a vision for their salon or spa and if they can clearly articulate it. I usually get a disappointing 1% that raises their hand! In order for you to achieve success you must create a vision - something based upon your values and what drives you to be the best. You have to frame it, hang it on the wall, put it on all of your business cards, menus and letterhead. You have to say it, teach it and make sure everyone knows it, breaths it, is it! Without a vision you are driving a 100 miles per hour down a foggy road and you forget to turn on the defrost - you cannot see where you are going! No wonder no one follows you and you struggle to move your business forward!
2. Policies and Procedures: Most salons do not think of themselves as a company, a corporation. We look at ourselves as a small business. Whether you are a small business or have tons of employees you have to “think” like a big business! You have to realize that you work in a busy business. The salon and spa environment is so fast paced; it is only magnified and intensified when you do not have policies in place. Having an Employee Handbook, Opening & Closing Procedures, Job Description, etc. eliminates the chaos! These systems are the foundation of the business. When you have these foundations in place you can then coach and lead your team based upon the systems, policies and procedures that your team agreed to follow.
3. Meetings: As a leader you must meet with your team regularly. You have to have at least a 15 minute huddle with each employee each week. You have to have a team meeting at least once a month. You have to meet with each employee at least once a month and sit down and have a 30 minute to one hour meeting with them. We call this a plan and review. Actually stopping to check in on where they are, how they feel they are doing, what they can improve upon, getting their feedback and ideas on the operation of the business is valuable!
4. Communication: One thing that we know happens for sure in any business is dealing with the “human factor”, in other words, dealing with peoples emotions and perceptions of each other and the environment we work in. Things happen so fast and upsets are bound to happen. It is natural you will never agree 100% of the time. What typically occurs is upsets take place and they either get stepped over by the people involved and this creates animosity and tension and dilutes the culture of the business. I recommend that you implement policies for dealing with upsets. In our culture we call it our Communication Charter! We have a policy that states if you have an upset with someone you have 24 hours to handle it, if not the culture becomes poisonous. The policy also states how to make requests of each, how to support and coach each other and how to keep your word and listen for what each person you communicate with needs. This is so beneficial, each of us deal with stress and busyness, without these systems in place we are doomed to communication breakdown!

Ultimately, as a leader, the degree of your stress or happiness, your team following through, more real conversations as opposed to back room gossip and finger pointing, can be measured by the systems you have in place and your willingness to follow through and deliver everyday.

TIPS membuat Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures

Apa itu SOP?

SOP adalah 1 set perintah kerja atau langkah-langkah yg harus diikuti untuk menjalankan suatu pekerjaan dgn berpedoman pada tujuan yg harus dicapai (www.iso9000store.com)

Definisi SOP yg lain adalah “detailed, written instructions to achieve uniformity of the performance of a specific function” www.ctru.auckland.ac.nz/medglossary/s.html

Untuk siapa SOP dibuat?

SOP menjadi pedoman bagi para pelaksana pekerjaan. Ini bisa berarti para karyawan produksi, resepsionis, office boy, supir, staf administrasi di kantor, pabrik atau gudang, supervisor dan manager

SOP akan berbeda untuk pekerjaan yg dilakukan sendirian, untuk pekerjaanyg dilakukan secara tim dan untuk pengawas pekerjaan tsb

Kapan menyusun SOP?

* SOP harus sudah ada sebelum suatu pekerjaan dilakukan.
* SOP digunakan utk menilai apakah pekerjaan tsb sudah dilakukan dgn baik atau tidak.
* Uji SOP sebelum dijalankan, lakukan revisi setelah 1-2 bulan trial.
* Lakukan revisi jika ada perubahan langkah kerja yg bisa diakibatkan oleh adanya mesin baru, peralatan baru, tambahan pekerja, lokasi berbeda, dan semua yg mempengaruhi lingkungan kerja
* Mintakan masukan dari para pelaksana untuk menjadi bahan perbaikan SOP secara teratur

Sepanjang apa SOP disusun?

* Tidak ada aturan yg membatasi panjang pendeknya SOP, karena SOP digunakan oleh berbagai macam orang untuk tujuan yg berbeda, dgn tetap harus lengkap dan akurat
* Walau demikian, SOP yg ringkas akan lebih memudahkan para pelaksana, dengan demikian sebuah prosedur kerja yg panjang bisa dibagi menjadi 2-3 SOP (seperti dipisah menjadi SOP Tahap Persiapan, SOP Tahap Pelaksanaan dan SOP Tahap Penyelesaian)

Siapa yg membuat SOP?

Idealnya, SOP disusun oleh 1 tim yg terdiri atas:

1. Penulis SOP (author)
2. Pelaksana di lapangan (employee)
3. Pengawas lapangan (supervisor)
4. Atasan pengawas (manager)

Keuntungan adanya SOP

* SOP yg baik akan menjadi pedoman bagi pelaksana, menjadi alat komunikasi antara pelaksana dan pengawas, dan menjadikan pekerjaan diselesaikan secara konsisten
* Para pekerja akan lebih memiliki percaya diri dalam bekerja dan tahu apa yg harus dicapai dalam setiap pekerjaan
* SOP juga bisa dipergunakan sbg salah satu alat training dan bisa dipergunakan untuk mengukur kinerja karyawan

Sistem, Prosedur & Langkah

* Sistem yg ada dalam setiap perusahaan adalah sistem pemasaran, sistem produksi, sistem keuangan dan sistem pengembangan SDM. Keberhasilan suatu perusahaan dipengaruhi oleh seberapa jauh sistem-sistem ini bisa berjalan dan bekerja sama
* Setiap sistem disusun atas beberapa prosedur kerja. Sebagai contoh, sistem produksi terdiri atas prosedur perencanaan produksi, prosedur permintaan bahan, prosedur pelaksanaan produksi, prosedur pengawasan produksi, prosedur penyerahan hasil produksi, dan prosedur pembuatan laporan produksi
* Langkah-langkah adalah kegiatan terkecil yg menyusun sebuah prosedur. Dalam pelaksanaan, langkah-langkah ini adalah tempat terjadinya variasi kegiatan antara pelaksana yg berbeda jika prosedur tidak dibakukan.

Manager menggunakan standard operating procedures (SOP) untuk memastikan agar setiap orang mengikuti langkah-langkah yg sama setiap kali menjalankan prosedur

Tips Menyusun SOP

* Selalu bayangkan siapa pengguna SOP
* Sebelum mulai menulis, putuskan apa tujuan dari prosedur tsb
* Gunakan prinsip “Ceritakan apa yg akan Anda ceritakan, kemudian ceritakan”
* Buatlah sebuah panduan sebelum menulis SO (buat daftar topik yg harus dibicarakan, kemudian kelompokkan)
* Mulailah dgn kata kerja dan hindari kalimat pasif
* Buat draft terlebih dahulu
* Koreksi draft setelah 24 jam. Perhatikan apa dikatakan oleh setiap kalimat, kemudian perbaiki
* Perhatikan kebosanan Anda sendiri ketika membuat SOP. Jika Anda merasa bosan, maka hal yg sama akan dirasakan oleh pembaca

Panjang vs Pendek

Panjang:

Gunakan lap biasa utk membersihkan kotoran dan noda dari mesin, atau keringkan dgn lap tebal jika ada bagian yg basah

Singkat:

Bersihkan kotoran dan noda dari mesin
a. Gunakan lap biasa utk menghilangkan kotoran
b. Gunakan lap tebal utk mengeringkan bagian yg basah

Jelas vs Tidak Jelas

Tidak jelas:

Berat dari afal yg dihasilkan harus dicatat di dalam buku laporan hasil produksi

Jelas:

Catat berat afal yg dihasilkan di buku laporan hasil produksi

Bertele-tele vs Ringkas

Bertele-tele:

Pastikan Anda membersihkan bak tinta dari semua tinta yg pernah digunakan sebelum Anda menyimpan tinta lain yg berbeda warnanya

Ringkas:

Bersihkan bak tinta sebelum mengisi tinta warna lain

Tips Penulisan SOP

* Jelas dan ringkas: hindari kalimat yg panjang
* Komplit: semua informasi penting yg digunakan untuk menjalankan kegiatan
* Obyektif: berisikan fakta, bukan pendapat
* Koheren: menunjukan alur dan urutan langkah utk menjalankan kegiatan

Tingkat Rincian

* Prosedur harus berisi semua langkah yg penting yg harus dijalankan dgn seragam oleh semua pekerja. Hilangnya salah satu langkah penting akan menyebabkan terjadinya variasi dalam menjalankan prosedur
* Prosedur tidak mungkin dibuat sedemikian detil sehingga semua pertanyaan pekerja bisa terjawab. Prosedur tidak untuk menggantikan training dan feedback, oleh karena itu pembuat SOP tidak harus berusaha menjawab semua pertanyaan yg mungkin akan muncul
* Perhatikan bahwa kelemahan format flowchart adalah hanya bisa digunakan untuk SOP yg tidak rinci/sederhana. Pembuatan flow chart utk prosedur yg bersifat rinci/kompleks akan menyebabkan munculnya pola langkah yg panjang, berantakan dan susah utk dimengerti

Format SOP

* Nama dan logo perusahaan
* Halaman
* Judul
* Kode identifikasi dan kontrol dokumen
* Tujuan
* Lingkup
* Penanggung jawab
* Prosedur
* Kalkulasi/penanganan data/dokumen yg diperlukan
* Penanganan masalah

Kapan Perlu Working Instruction?

* Jika ada 2 pekerja yg sudah ditraining, menjalankan 1 SOP yg sama dgn cara berbeda
* Tujuan utama adalah pelaksanaan kegiatan yg konsisten

Ringkasan

* Standard operating procedures adalah alat yg baik utk membakukan pelaksanaan suatu kegiatan
* Sop yg baik harus singkat, jelas, ringkas, komplit, obyektif dan koheren
* Prosedur harus berisi semua langkah yg penting akan tetapi tidak mungkin dibuat sedemikian detil sehingga semua pertanyaan pekerja bisa terjawab
* Jika diperlukan, gunakan working instruction utk menjelaskan langkah SOP lebih rinci

setia dewi & ilmu padi

The 4 Social Styles

Analytical Style people value facts above all, and may appear uncommunicative, cool and independent. They have a strong time discipline coupled with a slow pace to action. They value accuracy, competency and logic over opinions, often avoiding risk in favor of cautious, deliberate decisions. Analyticals are usually cooperative, providing they have some freedom to organize their own efforts. Power often arises suspicion in Analyticals, but if they come to see it as necessary for achieving goals and objectives, they may seek power themselves. In relationships, Analyticals are initially more careful and reserved, but once trust is earned they can become dedicated and loyal.  


Amiable Style people are people-oriented, and care more about close relationships than results or influence. They usually appear warm, friendly and cooperative. Amiables tend to move slowly with a low time discipline, minimizing risk and often using personal opinions to arrive at decisions. Belonging to a group is a primary need, and Amiables may make every effort to gain acceptance. They typically seek to uncover common ground, preferring to achieve objectives through understanding and mutual respect rather than force and authority. When managed by force without relationship, Amiables appear to cooperate initially but will likely lack commitment to the objectives and may later resist implementation.


Expressive Style people are motivated by recognition, approval and prestige. They tend to appear communicative and approachable, often sharing their feelings and thoughts. They move quickly, continually excited about the next big idea, but they often don’t commit to specific plans or see things through to completion. Expressives enjoy taking risks. When making decisions, they tend to place more stock in the opinions of prominent or successful people than in logic or research. Though they consider relationships important, the Expressive’s competitive nature leads them to seek quieter friends who are supportive of their dreams and ideas, often making relationships shallow or short-lived. 


Driving Style people want to know the estimated outcome of each option. They are willing to accept risks, but want to move quickly and have the final say. In relationships, they may appear uncommunicative, independent and competitive. Driving styles tend to focus on efficiency or productivity rather than devoting time and attention to casual relationships. They seldom see a need to share personal motives or feelings.  Driving styles are results-oriented, tending to initiate action and give clear direction. They seek control over their environment. 

POLA KESUKSESAN

Sukses tercapai oleh sebuah pola sederhana.  Siapapun yang bisa menjalankan pola ini, maka sukses jadi niscaya.  Siapa yang cepat menjalankan polanya, suksesnya pun diraih cepat.  Kondisi awal, memang berpengaruh, tapi tidak lebih menentukan dari proses menjalankan polanya.   Orang miskin dan orang kaya lebih cepat mana meraih sukses?  Bila hanya menghitung kondisi awal, maka orang kaya jawabannya.  Tapi penentunya bukan kondisi awal, tapi proses menjalankan polanya. Orang miskin yang lebih cepat menjalankan pola sukses dari orang kaya, akan meraih sukses lebih cepat pula.

Nah, bagaimana pola sukses itu?  Ada 5 tahap yang membentuk pola sukses, yaitu:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->Keyakinan Diri yang Positif

Segalanya berawal dari sini.  Ini citra diri anda.  Self image.  Ini berkaitan dengan bagaimana anda meyakini diri anda sendiri?  Apakah anda manusia yang dilahirkan untuk sukses atau untuk gagal?  Anda orang baik atau orang buruk?  Anda ganteng / cantik atau buruk rupa?  Anda layak kaya atau layak miskin?  Anda merasa sebagai orang kelas bawah, kelas menengah atau kelas atas?  Ketika berhadapan dengan orang lain, anda merasa diri anda di atas, sejajar atau di atasnya?  Juga berkaitan dengan anda merasa diri anda pengikut yang baik atau pemimpin yang hebat?   Merasa punya semua bakat dan potensi yang dibutuhkan atau tidak?

Nah, kesuksesan diawali dari keyakinan positif atas diri sendiri.  Anda yakin anda dilahirkan untuk sukses.  Anda orang baik.  Anda ganteng / cantik. Anda layak kaya dan menjadi orang kelas atas.  Anda percaya diri berhadapan dengan orang lain.  Tidak rendah diri.  Tidak juga sombong. Anda layak menjadi pemimpin hebat. Anda pun yakin sekali anda dianugerahi bakat dan potensi yang cukup untuk meraih sukses yang anda inginkan. 

Kenapa ini penting?  Karena hanya orang yang yakin bahwa dirinya layak sukses yang akan meraih sukses itu.  Iya kan?

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.       <!--[endif]-->Melakukan Keharusan.

Langkah kedua adalah melakukan keharusan.  Dari keharusan yang mendasar dan sederhana sampai melakukan keharusan yang sulit dan rumit.  Keharusan – yang paling sederhana sekalipun – biasanya tidak menyenangkan.  Tapi sangat baik bila dilakukan. 

Keharusan ini bersifat seperti imunisasi.  Bayi harus diimunisasi.  Ini sebuah keharusan. Sakit rasanya, tapi menguatkan.  Sedih melihatnya, tapi harus melakukannya.  Resiko lebih besar harus ditanggung bila keharusan ini tak dilakukan. 

Setiap orang harus bangun pagi-pagi.  Setiap orang harus berolahraga. Setiap orang harus makan makanan sehat dan bergizi.  Setiap orang harus bisa mengurus dirinya sendiri.  Setiap orang harus bisa berpikir.  Setiap orang harus bisa memecahkan masalah.  Setiap orang harus terus belajar. Itulah beberapa keharusan yang mendasar.

Bila anda karyawan, anda harus disiplin.  Taat aturan.  Betapa pun aturan itu membuat anda kesal.  Bila anda pebisnis, anda harus punya nilai lebih. Betapa pun sulitnya memiliki nilai lebih itu.  Bila anda atlet, anda harus keras berlatih.  Meski itu melelahkan.

Nah, bisakah anda meraih sukses bila anda tak bisa melakukan keharusan anda?  Tidak!!!  100% tidak bisa sukses.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.       <!--[endif]-->Membentuk Kebiasaan Positif.

Langkah ketiga adalah hasil langkah kedua yang benar-benar jelas, terus dilakukan berulang-ulang secara konsisten.  Setiap orang harus bangun pagi.  Maka pagi bisa berarti pukul empat, lima, enam, tujuh, delapan atau bahkan sembilan.  Bila anda bangun tidur pukul empat di hari Senin, pukul tujuh di hari Selasa, pukul lima di hari Rabu, pukul delapan di hari Kamis, maka anda baru melakukan keharusan.  Keharusan anda belum menjadi kebiasaan.  Ketika anda secara konsisten – setiap hari – bangun pukul empat, itulah kebiasaan.  Sebuah kebiasaan positif harus  benar-benar jelas. 

Ketika melihat orang kecelakaan, anda sigap membantu.  Anda melakukan keharusan anda.  Tapi hal ini tak terjadi setiap hari, kan?  Maka ini bukan kebiasaan.  Mematikan lampu yang tak digunakan adalah keharusan. Selalu mematikan lampu yang tak digunakan adalah kebiasaan.  Nah, keharusan dan kebiasaan dibedakan oleh satu kata saja : selalu.  Satu kata yang benar-benar sangat menentukan.

Keyakinan positif, Melakukan keharusan dan Membentuk kebiasaan positif adalah fondasi sukses anda.  Ia seperti batu, pasir dan semen dalam fondasi rumah.  Salah satu kurang, fondasi tak kuat.  Rumah tak bisa dibangun di atas fondasi yang rapuh.  Sukses pun begitu.  Hanya bisa diraih bila fondasinya kuat.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.       <!--[endif]-->Membentuk Kebiasaan Produktif

Kebiasaan produktif berbeda dengan kebiasaan positif.  Kebiasaan positif berarti tidak negatif, tidak merugikan, dan menyenangkan, tapi tidak menghasilkan kemajuan secara langsung.  Kesuksesan diraih secara langsung oleh kebiasaan produktif. 

Membaca buku itu positif.  Apakah produktif?  Tidak.  Menulis buku lah yang produktif.  Hasilnya jelas sebuah buku.  Anda mungkin berpendapat, membaca buku kan menghasilkan pengetahuan.  Jadi ada hasilnya. Ada produknya.  Anda benar.  Tapi produknya masih di tahap mental, bukan fisikal.  Maka bila baru di tahap mental, belum bisa dikatakan produktif. Secara mental, anda bisa sangat paham tentang penjualan.  Produktif? Belum.  Jadi produktif bila anda telah menjual sesuatu.  Dan sesuatu yang anda jual itu ada yang beli.   

Apakah ini membuat produktif lebih penting dari positif?  Jelas tidak.  Anda akan sangat sulit untuk bisa produktif, bila anda tidak positif.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.       <!--[endif]-->Berkompetisi.

Kebiasaan produktif akan menghantarkan anda pada sukses. Tetapi untuk bisa bertahan dalam kesuksesan, anda harus siap dan mampu berkompetisi.   Tanpa ini, sukses hanya sekejap. Orang sukses adalah orang yang senang berkompetisi. Bersemangat ketika ada saingan.  Terpacu ketika ada lawan. Tetap rendah hati ketika menang.  Segera bangkit ketika dikalahkan.  Maka keyakinan, pelaksanaan keharusan, kebiasaan positif dan kebiasaan produktif benar-benar diuji.  Inilah ujian sebenarnya dari sebuah kesuksesan.

Meraih sukses sulit.  Mempertahankan kesuksesan jauh lebih sulit.  Maka sadari lah bahwa semua kesulitan itu memang sebuah kelayakan untuk orang hebat seperti anda.  Iya kan?

Bagaimana dengan kegagalan?  Ternyata, gagal pun membentuk sebuah pola.  Pola yang berkebalikan dari pola sukses. Berarti orang gagal itu:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.       <!--[endif]-->Keyakinan pada dirinya sendiri negatif.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.       <!--[endif]-->Tidak melakukan keharusannya, malah asyik melakukan kesenangan.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.       <!--[endif]-->Terbentuk kebiasaannya yang negatif.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.       <!--[endif]-->Terbentuk kebiasaannya yang merusak.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.       <!--[endif]-->Menyerah kalah sebelum berkompetisi.

Nah, ini jadi bahan introspeksi kita bersama.  Berada di pola mana hidup kita? Pola sukses atau pola gagal?  Berada di tahap mana pada pola tersebut?

Supardi Lee

Mengubah Hutang Menjadi Kekayaan

Pak Hasan, kolega saya di Institut Kemandirian.  Suatu ketika ia menyampaikan ceramah singkat setelah shalat zuhur.  Ceramahnya tentang  seorang pengusaha di Bandung.  Suatu ketika, sang pengusaha ditimpa bencana.  Ia pun down dan frustasi.  Bisnisnya hampir-hampir hancur.  Sang pengusaha lalu melakukan perjalanan dari mesjid ke mesjid.  Dari perjalanan inilah, ia memperoleh pola  pikir baru.  Ia benar-benar tercerahkan.

Pencerahan yang ia alami adalah tentang shalat.  Untuknya dulu, shalat adalah aktivitas jeda di tengah kesibukan bekerja.  Sekarang berubah menjadi: ”Kerja adalah aktivitas selingan untuk menunggu shalat”.

Perubahan yang dilakukan sang pengusaha ini ternyata berhasil membuat bisnisnya meningkat lagi.  Ia bahkan merubah sistem bisnisnya sesuai prinsip baru tersebut.  Bisnisnya bisa kembali maju seperti semula.

Itulah isi ringkas dari ceramah Pak Hasan.  Cerita tentang sang pengusaha itu menyentak hati saya.  Saya dan semua jamaah shalat zuhur langsung berniat dan bertekad untuk juga membuat perubahan yang sama.

Nah saudara, itulah hebatnya pikiran.  Ia menjadi awal dari tindakan yang bisa membuat perubahan menuju pada kesuksesan.  Karenanya, gunakanlah pikiran anda untuk mendukung anda, bukan untuk mensabotase kesuksesan diri anda sendiri.

Dalam kaitannya dengan topik: ”Kaya dari berutang”, maka diperlukan beberapa pola pikir yang yang mendasarinya.  Dengan pola pikir ini, maka kondisi kaya dari utang menjadi mungkin.

Penolakan pada pola pikir ini akan menjauhkan anda menggunakan utang sebagai alat menuju kaya.  Anda akan menghindari utang.   Langkah-langkah yang diterangkan berikutnya mungkin menjadi tak berarti.  Itulah sebabnya, kenapa bagian ini menjadi bagian mendasar yang sangat penting.

Bagian kaya sejati memberikan gambaran pada anda tentang tujuan yang ingin diraih.  Dari sana lah semuanya berasal.  Setelah tujuan jelas, maka anda harus mempersiapkan diri.  Inilah fungsinya bagian menjadi achiever.  Dengan menjadi achiever berarti anda telah siap untuk melangkah menuju tujuan kaya sejati.  Nah, sekarang saatnya anda memilih alat.  Apakah anda mau gunakan mobil, motor, sepeda, kereta, pesawat terbang, kapal laut, atau hanya jalan kaki?

Naik pesawat terbang bisa lebih cepat menghantar anda ke tujuan.  Tapi bila anda belum terbiasa menggunakan pesawat terbang, tentu tidak mudah juga.  Apalagi bila di benak anda tersimpan file-file buruk tentang pesawat terbang.  Misalnya tiketnya mahal, bahaya karena pesawat terbang bisa jatuh, ada tetangga yang meninggal karena kecelakan pesawat terbang, dan sebagainya.

Nah, untuk memutuskan menggunakan pesawat terbang, anda tentu saja harus mengganti file-file buruk di benak anda itu.  Ganti lah file buruk itu dengan file baik.  Misalnya, menggunakan pesawat terbang itu lebih nyaman, cepat, relatif aman dibanding yang alat transportasi lain, lebih bergengsi, terjamin asuransi, dan sebagainya.

Sama juga dengan utang.  Untuk menggunakan utang sebagai alat meraih kualitas kaya sejati, maka anda harus mengganti file buruk di benak anda tentang untang dengan file baik.  Dengannya, anda akan semangat melakukannya.  Berbagai rintangan, hambatan dan masalah yang kemudian terjadi akan anda hadapi dengan lapang dada, kreatif dan fokus.
Lalu, apa saja file-file baik yang harus mengganti file-file buruk di benak anda.  Bila menyangkut utang, maka ada lima file baik yang anda butuhkan bila anda ingin menggunakan utang.  Berikut kelima file baik tersebut.

1. Utang itu baik-baik saja.

Berutang adalah hal yang baik-baik saja.  Utang itu tidak buruk.  Ia tergantung kepada orangnya.  Utang bisa buruk di tangan orang yang lemah dan salah.  Tapi utang bisa baik dan memperbaiki di tangan orang yang kuat dan benar.  Itulah sebabnya, bila anda mau kaya dari utang, anda harus mempunyai kualitas achiever.  Para achiever adalah orang-orang yang kuat dan teguh memegang kebenaran.
Suatu ketika, saya baca buku Pak Quraish Shihab.  Judulnya Lentera Hati.  Salah satu bab dalam buku itu menerangkan adanya kesamaan antara agama (dalam bahasa Arab istilahnya : Din) dengan utang (dalam bahasa Arab istilahnya: dain).

Akar kata agama dan utang ternyata sama.  Pak Quraish menyimpulkan bahwa bila anda beragama dengan benar, maka hal itu sama saja seperti anda membayar utang pada Allah SWT.  Apakah anda merasa berutang pada Allah karena telah memberikan banyak nikmat untuk anda?
Terus terang saja, uraian Pak Quraish mengagetkan saya.  Hal itu adalah pencerahan baru untuk saya.  Salah satu motivasi saya menulis buku ini adalah uraian tersebut.  Selama ini di benak saya pun tersimpan file: ”Utang itu buruk”.  Dengan begitu saya berusaha sekuat tenaga menghindarinya.  Sekarang, file itu telah berganti menjadi: ”Utang itu baik-baik saja”.

Dengan yakin bahwa utang adalah hal yang baik-baik saja, maka anda sedang membuka pintu peluang menggunakan utang dengan sebuah rencana yang baik.  Iya, kan?  Mungkinkah anda membuat rencana yang baik akan sesuatu yang menurut anda buruk?  Bagi anda yang masih manusia normal, nggak mungkin, kan?

Misalnya korupsi.  Korupsi adalah sesuatu yang buruk.  Apakah ada orang yang merencanakan korupsi dengan sangat baik sehingga tidak pernah terungkap?  Banyak.  Siapa mereka?  Tentu saja mereka orang-orang yang jahat.  Hanya orang jahat yang merencanakan keburukan dengan sangat baik dan rapi.  Pernahkah anda korupsi?  Bila pernah, bertaubatlah segera.

2. Utang adalah alat yang hebat.

Pernahkah anda mendengar istilah BODOL?  Istilah ini kepanjangannya adalah Berani Optimis Duit Orang Lain.  Istilah BODOL sering dilekatkan pada orang yang mau wirausaha tetapi nggak punya modal.  Modal mereka adalah keberanian dan optimismenya saja. 

Banyak orang yang sukses dengan prinsip BODOL ini.  Tentu, pada prakteknya bukan hanya berani dan optimis saja modalnya, tapi juga didukung hal-hal lain, seperti kompetensi, komunikasi yang bagus, relasi yang banyak dan sebagainya.

Prinsip BODOL membuktikan bahwa utang adalah salah satu alat yang hebat.  Nah, di dunia ini banyak alat hebat yang bisa membantu anda meraih sukses.  Kita mengenal bola lampu yang ditemukan oleh Thomas Alfa Edison.  Setelah melalui 10.000 kali kegagalan, Pak Edison berhasil ’menerangi’ dunia ini.  Bola lampu membuat revolusi di dunia.  Ia alat yang hebat.

Bola lampu adalah salah satu contoh.  Contoh lain ada mesin cetak, motor, mobil, telepon, pesawat terbang, kapal laut, mikroskop, energi atom, lensa, komputer, internet dan sebagainya.  Semua alat-alat ini membuat hidup manusia lebih mudah dan lebih nyaman. 

Tapi itu semua hanya alat.  Manusia di belakang alat itu lah yang menentukan apakah alat hebat itu bisa membangun atau menghancurkan.  Pesawat terbang contohnya.  Dengan pesawat terbang, anda bisa berpindah tempat di bumi ini dengan cepat, dibanding alat-alat lain.  Ketika pesawat terbang digunakan untuk transportasi massal, maka ia bermanfaat besar.

Tapi ketika pesawat terbang digunakan untuk mesin perang, maka kehancuran yang terjadi.  Pada perang dunia pertama dan kedua, pesawat terbang berperan sangat besar untuk menghancurkan lawan.  Bom atom yang diledakkan Amerika di Nagasaki dan Hiroshima Jepang pada 1945, diangkut menggunakan pesawat terbang.  Akibat bom atom itu, terjadi perusakan luar biasa di Jepang.

Sama juga dengan internet misalnya.  Dengan alat ini, anda bisa berkomunikasi dengan lebih murah, cepat dan mudah.  Tapi, internet juga bisa sangat merusak ketika banyak virus ’dilepas’ ke jaringan.  Banyak komputer yang rusak, data hilang, dan sebagainya.  Atau ketika internet itu dipenuhi situs-situs porno.  Wah, dia benar-benar buruk dan merusak.
Demikian pula halnya dengan utang.  Utang adalah akses keuangan yang cepat.  Dibandingkan menabung, maka utang bisa menyediakan uang dengan lebih cepat.  Kecepatan memperoleh uang ini adalah keunggulan utang.

Misalnya anda seorang karyawan yang ingin berbisnis kecil-kecilan.  Modalnya Rp. 5 juta.  Anda sebenarnya bisa menabung dari gaji anda sebesar Rp. 500 ribu per bulan.  Nah, dengan menabung berarti anda harus menunggu sampai 10 bulan dulu agar uang Rp. 5 juta itu ada di tangan anda.

Bagaimana dengan utang?  Dibutuhkan berapa lama untuk mendapatkan Rp. 5 juta?  Mungkin tidak sampai satu bulan.  Anda bisa menghubungi lembaga keuangan mikro untuk mendapatkan modal tersebut.  Setiap bulan anda bayar utang itu dengan  mencicil.  Nah, karena uang Rp. 5 juta itu digunakan untuk bisnis, maka anda bisa mencicil utang itu bukan dari gaji anda, tapi dari hasil bisnis anda.
Anda mungkin bertanya: ”Oke lah utang itu lebih cepat, tapi resikonya kan juga lebih besar?”  Yap, anda relatif benar.  Mengapa relatif benar?  Karena utang itu akan menimbulkan resiko besar, bila anda tidak siap.  Tapi, bila anda siap, resiko itu jadi mengecil.

Berbisnis dengan modal dari utang akan beresiko besar bila anda belum tahu apa-apa tentang bisnis itu.  Atau anda percayakan saja bisnis itu ke orang lain yang juga belum berpengalaman.  Atau anda berbisnis di bidang yang sudah ditinggalkan orang lain.  Atau lagi, anda berbisnis di bidang yang melawan pesaing yang sudah besar.

Tapi, resiko bisnis itu menjadi mengecil bila anda sudah berpengalaman di bisnis itu atau bekerja sama dengan orang yang sudah berpengalaman.  Modal bisnisnya bukan semua dari anda, tapi ada juga dari orang lain.  Atau anda membeli waralaba bisnis yang sudah terbukti kehandalan sistemnya.  Nah, banyak kan cara untuk mengecilkan resiko bisnis.  Bila demikian yang anda lakukan, maka anda berutang pun untuk dapat modal bisnis, kemungkinan anda untuk sukses menjadi lebih besar.

3. Utang adalah salah satu sumber kekayaan.

Siapa orang paling kaya yang anda tahu di Indonesia ini?  Darimana beliau (orang kaya tersebut) memperoleh kekayaannya?  Kerja keras?  Pasti.  Orangnya jujur terpercaya?  Pasti.  Beliau sangat kompeten?  Pasti juga.

Hal-hal yang disebutkan di atas adalah fondasi bagi siapapun untuk meraih kekayaan.  Tapi, apakah semua orang kaya itu benar-benar kaya?  Belum tentu.  Ada banyak orang kaya yang tidak benar-benar kaya.  Kekayaannya bisa saja banyak, tapi cenderung tetap.  Pertambahannya kecil.

Nah saudara, anda boleh percaya boleh tidak.  Orang-orang yang benar-benar kaya adalah orang-orang yang mempunyai fondasi kekayaan tersebut, dan mereka menggunakan utang sebagai salah satu sumber kekayaannya.  Orang kaya yang tidak menggunakan utang, maka kekayaannya sangat mungkin terbatas.  Tapi orang kaya yang juga menggunakan utang, maka kekayaannya bisa bertambah dengan cepat.

Kenapa?

Karena ketika anda hanya mengandalkan kemampuan uang anda sendiri, maka anda akan terbentur oleh keterbatasan uang anda.  Tapi, ketika anda menggunakan utang, maka batas jumlah uang anda itu menjadi tidak ada.  Bila anda berbisnis, maka modal anda bisa dikatakan tidak berbatas bila menggunakan utang.  Hasilnya?  Ya,... juga tidak berbatas.

Inilah kunci orang-orang yang benar-benar kaya.  Mereka gunakan utang sebagai alat meraih kekayaan.  Mereka atasi ketakutan akan utang itu dengan perhitungan yang akurat dan kemampuan yang terasah.  Mereka berani mencobanya.  Pada kenyataannya, mereka juga gagal koq menggunakan alat ini.  Tapi kegagalan itu lah yang justru menajamkan perhitungan mereka dan membesarkan keberanian mereka.  Keseimbangan antara kebesaran keberanian dan ketajaman perhitungan akan utang ini lah yang membuka pintu kekayaan luar biasa.
Apakah anda sudah siap untuk jadi orang yang benar-benar kaya?  Gunakan uang anda untuk itu.  Dan gunakan juga utang!

4. Utang, dekatilah...

Saudara, anda sudah tahu sekarang tiga file baik tentang utang.   Utang itu baik-baik saja, alat yang hebat dan sumber kekayaan.  Karena itu, dekati lah utang saudara.

Anda, saya yakin, senang berdekatan dengan hal-hal atau orang-orang yang baik dan hebat, kan? Nah, tiga file baik sebelumnya telah membuktikan bahwa utang memenuhi kriteria  baik dan hebat ini, kan?  Karena itu, mulailah dekati utang. 

Pada prakteknya, mulailah tidak alergi dengan lembaga-lembaga keuangan seperti bank.  Bahkan, bukan hanya tidak alergi, tapi anda mulai senang dengan fungsi bank yang lain, yaitu memberi utang.  Inilah sebenarnya fungsi bank yang lebih hebat dari memberikan keamanan pada uang anda yang anda simpan disana.  Bank adalah sumber uang.  Utang adalah jalannya.

Pada bab-bab berikutnya, anda akan dipandu untuk menggunakan kekuatan bank dalam memberikan utang ini untuk kesuksesan anda.  Bukan hanya kesuksesan bank semata. 

Pada prakteknya lagi, ternyata sumber utang itu bukan hanya bank, tapi juga orang-orang di sekitar anda.  Orang-orang di sekitar anda kan punya uang, sedikit atau sebanyak apapun.  Nah, itu berarti anda bisa gunakan uang tersebut melalui jalan sah dan halal yang namanya utang.

Anda boleh percaya atau tidak, orang-orang di sekitar anda sebenarnya sangat senang bisa memberi utang pada anda.  Toh, anda teman mereka.  Mereka tahu anda orang baik.  Tentu, asal tujuan dan cara anda berutang adalah benar dan baik.  Iya, kan?

5. Utang harus dikembalikan.

Ini pola pikir tentang utang yang sangat penting.  Tanpa pola pikir ini, sebaiknya anda jangan pernah berutang.  Bukannya kekayaan dan kesuksesan yang akan anda raih, tapi justru kecelakaan dan mungkin penjara.  Itu bila anda berutang.
Bagaimana bila orang lain yang berutang?

Sama saja.  Utang itu pun harus dikembalikan pada anda.  Jadi, baik anda yang berutang atau orang lain yang berutang pada anda, maka utang itu harus dikembalikan.  Inilah pola pikir dan prinsip sangat penting bila anda ingin kaya dari utang.  Utang itu harus dikembalikan.

Bagaimana bila utang anda justru tidak ditagih oleh yang punya uang?  Sama saja.  Anda harus kembalikan.
Bagaimana bila utang anda justru dihadiahkan oleh yang punya uang?  Saran saya: Tolak.  Jangan mau.  Katakan terima kasih padanya, lalu tolak.  Anda mampu mengembalikan utang itu koq.  Kenapa harus dihadiahkan?  Dengan menolak, anda tetap mempertahankan nilai baik di mata semua orang.  Tentu saja, dalam kasus ini, anda harus juga melihat kondisi anda.  Bila kondisi anda memang sedang sangat susah, maka tidak apa-apa juga anda menerima hadiah itu.  Tapi tetap dengan satu syarat.  Bila anda lalu memiliki kemampuan, maka anda akan juga menghadiahi orang tersebut.  Tidak mesti dalam bentuk uang.  Bisa dalam bentuk hadiah barang.  Dengan begitu, anda dan dia sudah sama-sama berbuat baik.

Bagaimana bila orang lain yang berutang pada anda.  Lihatlah kemampuannya.  Bila ia berada dalam keadaan susah, maka silakan menghadiahkan utang tersebut padanya.  Semuanya atau sebagian.  Dan yakinlah, tindakan anda tersebut adalah perbuatan mulia dan akan dibalas dengan balasan yang lebih baik lagi.

Terus terang saja, kalau tentang utang, banyak orang yang pola pikirnya justru berbeda.  ”Pengennya dapat utang, tapi nggak mau atau malas mengembalikan”.  Wah, dengan pola pikir begini, anda tidak akan pernah kaya dari utang.
Alasan penting kenapa utang harus dikembalikan adalah kepercayaan.  Bila anda tidak atau telat mengembalikan utang, maka kepercayaan orang lain pada anda akan menurun dan akhirnya rusak. Ini kondisi yang sangat buruk.  Bila orang-orang lain sudah tidak percaya pada anda, maka jalan anda menuju sukses makin kecil, terjal dan lebih banyak rintangannya.  Awal dari kesuksesan anda adalah kepercayaan orang lain pada anda.

Sayangnya, banyak orang yang sudah ’gila’.  Mereka menukar kepercayaan dengan uang.  Sayang sekali.  Padahal bila kepercayaan sudah ternoda, uang sebanyak apapun akan susah menggantinya.
Tekanan hidup di jaman sekarang ternyata bisa membuat orang menjadi ’gila’.  Uang telah menjadi hal yang sangat penting.  Sampai bisa lebih penting dari kepercayaan, keluarga, agama, gelar, ilmu, rasa malu, nilai-nilai luhur kemanusiaan dan sebagainya.  Bila sudah begini, para orang ’gila’ ini bisa melakukan apa saja demi uang.  Meski dengan resiko yang luar biasa besarnya. 

Banyak kasus tentang utang di Indonesia yang bisa kita jadikan pelajaran.  Ada pengusaha pertanian yang membuat program investasi yang nggak rasional. Bisa memberikan keuntungan sampai 30% per bulan dari modal.

Pada bulan-bulan pertama program itu berjalan lancar.  Para investor benar-benar mendapatkan keuntungan sebesar 30% dari modal yang ditanamnya.   Mereka pun berinvestasi lagi.  Terus begitu.  Sampai pada akhirnya, bisnis pertanian itu pun terbuka topengnya.  Ternyata, bisnis itu hanya omong kosong.  Lahan pertanian yang dikelola tidak seluas yang dipromosikan.  Jelas hasilnya pun tidak memadai dibanding investasi yang didapat.

Keuntungan 30% dari modal dibayarkan dari dana investasi yang baru.  Seperti gali lobang tutup lobang.  Hanya saja lobang yang digali makin besar dari bulan ke bulan.  Dan terbongkarlah topeng itu.  Masyarakat tahu kebohongan bisnis itu.  Dana investasi itu jadi utang yang harus dikembalikan.  Ketika kemampuan bayarnya tidak ada, sang pemilik bisnis pertanian fiktif itu pun jadi buronan.  Lalu diproses pengadilan dan menginaplah ia di hotel prodeo.  Masyarakat yang kena tipu ternyata banyak sekali.  Koq bisa ya?

Saudara, itulah lima pola pikir tentang utang yang bisa membuat anda menjadi kaya.  Gantilah file-file buruk tentang utang di benak anda dengan lima file baik tersebut.  Bila ini sudah anda lakukan, berarti anda sudah siap menggunakan utang sebagai alat meraih kekayaan.  Langkah selanjutnya, anda harus mengetahui dan menguasai keterampilan mengelola utang ini.


supardi lee