MLM stands for multi-level marketing and to some people, that’s a dirty word. In fact, in my opinion, MLM just sucks! But I recently came across an opportunity in MLM that I couldn’t pass up.
This one does not require you to buy and store thousands of dollars in product. It also doesn’t cost a lot to join.
In addition, this opportunity is in energy deregulation, meaning it’s a ground floor opportunity that will last forever.
Finally, the best part is that this company encourages you, and pays you well to bring in actual customers, and not just more suckers in your downline. Of course, you do get paid for building your “organization,” but you are also very well rewarded for gathering real customers.
This one goes out to the my fellow middle managers…
Chances are many of you Middle Managers out there have been in your current position for a long time. I also know that many of you are far more capable than what your position or paycheck indicates, but your circumstances keep you in the middle management position.
With that in mind, you may end up working for someone in upper management who is inept at their job. You may even begin to resent them for their weakness. So what do you do?
(this article is not referring to a boss who is lazy. We are referring to a boss who cares and tries hard but just does not have the ability to perform his or her job.)
First off, don’t make your weak and low-performing boss feel badly. If he has been put into a position he can’t handle, he’s probably feeling the stress himself. You should reach out to him and offer some advice and help, but do it in a tactful way that is non-threatening. A good senior manager will seek out middle managers who carry tenure and respect, and utilize them. This is your chance to inject some of your knowledge and experience to boost his abilities and confidence. Thus, he will become your supporter and your follower!
Find something good about him or her. Listen, you can find a strong quality or two in any person. Search hard, find the good, and focus on it. Most people can focus on the negatives fairly easily, but it takes real character to find the good in someone and dwell on it! You should make it a point to do the latter. You will be a happier person for it, trust me.
Support him behind his back. Once again, I am assuming that you are well-respected in your company and other middle and junior managers look to you as a mentor. Chances are if you have noticed your senior manager’sweaknesses, then so have they and will be vocal to you about it. This is your chance to say something good about the senior manager and openly demonstrate your respect for him. If you show respect for him and his position, you inadvertantly strengthen your own!
Remember your place. In the long run, he will dig his own grave, so to speak. You should be mindful to accept your roll in the company, do your job with 100% effort and bring in the results you are expected to deliver. This is what being a team player is all about.
Remember, you work for yourself, your employees and your family, even if you have to work for a weak inept senior manager. You get what you are, and you can make the most of any situation if you will have a good attitude!
Hey Boss: Do you look at your employees as disposable and useless nuisances? Do you think the people who work for you are lazy and worthless? Do you tell other managers what pieces of garbage work for you? Do you tell your spouse that your people just don’t care?
Guess what? …it’s your fault, not theirs. (employees, I’ll be hitting you in a later post, so be ready!)
To the bosses:
If your people are useless and negative, it’s because you are a bad leader, period.
A famous Baptist preacher once said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” That statement is true in business, politics and even your personal life. There are “bad” employees. I realize there are people out there who are just out to screw over an employer, but it is your job to have a progressive discipline policy intact so you can weed them out quickly, consistently and fairly. Be methodical, and make the right decisions. Some employees are like a cancer that will spread to others, and you either need to get these people on board by leading them to success, or get rid of them so they don’t drag down the others. You owe it to yourself AND your people to weed out the bad apples. The “good” employees will take notice and respect you for it, as most people do not truly want to work in a miserable environment.
If you are unaware of how to do this, or unwilling to experience the pain and stress involved, then you are the one in the wrong position and should step aside or down.
“You GET What You ARE” Another issue that could be causing your employees to disrespect you are your own work habits, appearance and mannerisms.
If you arrive everyday to work late, they see that.
If you call in sick often, they will too.
If you do not follow company dress code policy, they won’t either.
If you take frequent coffee and/or smoke breaks, your employees will also.
If you surf the internet all day checking your email and MySpace, your employees will too.
And here’s an important one: If you bitch and complain openly about your own boss, your employees will bitch and complain about you.
This will also shape a negative view of all levels of management in your company, which will eventually come through to your customers.
“What you do to your employees, they do to your customers,” - unknown
How to turn it around Once you rid yourself of the bad apples, and fix your own shortcomings, it’s time to lead your team. “A Leader is someone who instills within the heart of the follower, a desire to follow” - Wendell Evans
You should look to invest in your employees. Teach them to be successful and work to help them achieve. Show them how to be like you!
Let them know where they stand by setting proper expectations, and recognize them when they hit or exceed goals.
Finally, find each employee’s “hot button” and push it when appropriate.
A hot button is that one thing that the employee is most motivated by. For some, it’s recognition, others awards, money or time off. Still others just want to know they have job security and the potential to advance.
It’s easy to find a hot button by simply asking and paying attention to unspoken signs.
Remember, Boss, it is you alone who should be shaping the future of your team. They will be what you lead them to be, and that starts with you earning their respect and using it for good.
I’ve been accused of giving out simple, obvious information on this blog. Well, guess what? Here’s more simple and obvious information that several of my applicants this year have not understood or thought about:
If you smoke, you are making a bad first and lasting impression on the employer. You are hurting your chances in the interview process.
I am not being mean here, I am being honest. If you are a smoker, your jackets and clothing emit a terrible sour smell of smoke that turns people off! I had a guy come in today and I had to hurry the interview because of the smoke smell coming off of him. Sadly, he seemed to have a good resume and decent communication skills, but my only thought was, “If this smell is bothering me this badly, how will potential clients react during a sales call?”
If you are a smoker, you should be sure that on the day of your interview you do the following things:
Wash all of your clothes and outerwear in the morning, and don’t smoke inside your house.
Take a shower prior to the interview and don’t smoke anymore until after.
DO NOT smoke in your car on the way to the interview.
Do not light up afterwards until you are a mile away from the interview spot.
I shouldn’t need to tell people these things, but it happens way too often. Remember, you are trying to get a job by marketing yourself. Marketing yourself is like marketing a house for sale.
So you’ve found a job opening that seems perfect. The pay is right, the location is prime and the hours work well with your schedule. You’ve sent in your shining, clean resume and are awaiting that call for a phone screening and interview time. But you are busy and can’t always pick up your cell or home phone. This means that your perspective employer will probably need to leave you a voice mail message. Just what impression are you leaving him or her?
Friends, this is one of those times when you want to be plain and beige! (read this article to learn about “Job Search, When to be Beige, and When to be Bright“). Don’t get me wrong here: I think it’s cool that you can rap alongside Snoop Dogg and hit every word while giving a “shout out” to your “shorties” on your voice message, but your new boss may find it childish and sophomoric. He or she may decide on the spot that you are not right for the job.
I also think your tough-guy-smooth voice sounds really cool, but is this the impression you want to make on your new manager? What I’m trying to tell you is that while you are in a job hunt, make all of your voice mail and answering machine messages plain and professional… I’m sure your “shorties” will understand.
A very basic and unassuming message would be something like, “You have reached John Jones; Your call is important to me, so please leave a message with your name and number. I check my voice mail often and will return your call promptly, thank you.”
When you leave this greeting, be sure to speak clearly. It is best to use a traditional land line phone to record the message to avoid any flutter or word-dropping.
I also recommend you leave an actual voice greeting and NOT the generic computer generated voice message that merely reads back the phone number. I do not like this greeting during a job search because it could leave the employer wondering if he actually reached the correct person. Also, if your message is professional and clear using your own voice, you will be leaving a good impression on the manager! (When I hire sales reps, I can tell immediately if they will be good based on their voice recording!)
Finally, in the case that you are using a home phone as your contact number: Once you have a professional voice mail message, be sure to alert other members of the household as to the job search. Believe it or not, I’ve attempted to reach applicants via phone and their parents or relatives will lie and say they are not there because they automatically assume that I am a telemarketer trying to sell something!
In conclusion I will leave you with this: Over the past 10 years I have conducted thousands of phone screenings looking for new employees.As I look back, I wonder how many of them may have made excellent employees, but I never called them back because their voice mail message made them sound undesireable, or because their family members were rude to me and wouldn’t even let me speak to them?
Simple things are what make the difference in getting your dream job, and serving cold french fries and flipping burgers!
Chances are many of you 
Hey Boss: Do you look at your employees as disposable and useless nuisances? Do you think the people who work for you are lazy and worthless? Do you tell other managers what pieces of garbage work for you? Do you tell your spouse that your people just don’t care?
I’ve been accused of giving out simple, obvious information on this blog. Well, guess what? Here’s more simple and obvious information that several of my applicants this year have not understood or thought about: