I know many of you reading this article are experts at what you do and because of your success you were tapped for leadership.  In a month’s time, you went from managing processes, to having to develop teams, manage conflict, ethical behavior and communicate clear goals and objectives and quite honestly you’re overwhelmed but dare not say so aloud.  Kate Ludeman and Eddie Erlandson wrote in the Harvard Business Review ‘The more pressure an alpha male feels to perform, the more he tends to shift his leadership style from constructive and challenging to intimidating or even abusive.” One of the most important competencies at the executive level is relationship management. Few enter the ranks of leadership knowing how to do it well without some form of training or coaching.

The task of leadership preparation largely goes untapped in many organizations because it requires objective assessment and critical feedback to subordinates.  Stratford Sherman and Alyssa Freas wrote in the Harvard Business Review “Assessments and candid feedback are seen as essential to executives’ development, yet supervisors of all ranks don’t provide such feedback to subordinates. Why don’t they? This type of candor generates emotion, and emotion can be scary.”  Therefore, many of the high achievers who ultimately become leaders have never had unbridled feedback. The higher one goes up the corporate ladder the less likely this feedback occurs. Leaders need someone around who’s career is not hindered by them saying the unsay able. I know you’re saying that’s not me.

Read the rest of this article in our May Issue of Kalon Women

As I was researching the topic I came across two fantastic articles that will put you in the know. Why re-invent the wheel right! I would make sure and access both articles the first has some explanations on terms and topics on search engine optimization that became valid late in 2011. The second article gives even more up to date changes and how they will affect your website.

In a nutshell – they are giving more preference to original copy and quality fast loading websites with unique attributes. Unfortunately, it is really important to go over your website every year to make sure you keep pace with all the changes – and rank higher in the search engines.

Google Dramatically Changes the Face of SEO in 2012

Google’s Latest The “OMG This Isn’t Really Happening” Algorithm Change By Lahle Wolfe, About.com GuideIf you have a website you probably know what search engine optimization (SEO) is and the purpose it serves in marketing your website to search engines. You probably also know that more than 80% of all Internet users turn to Google for search. MORE…

SEO Analysis of Google Algorithm Search Updates

There is no doubt that come 2012, Google is sure going to implement the content-to-ads ratio. According to Matt Cutts of Google, the testing for measuring this parameters is been conducted. The algorithm also known as “above the fold”, will be aimed at ensuring adverts do not interfere with reading of content. MORE…

To Exciting Opportunities & Endless Possibilities!
Make sure your website is up to the new Search Engine Standards – here is my SEO Checklist and as an added bonus you will get 27 established places to advertise on the internet and they are free…

http://search-engine-optimization.artistadesign.com/

Pamela Jacob – Owner of Artista Design

The question I’m asked most often is: How do I lead a global or virtual team?  Well, first let’s discuss what leaders often neglect when talking about leadership and that is culture, because understanding culture is one of the most critical skills needed to lead.

Culture defined

To manage a business organization it is essential to understand people’s values and assumptions, which is shaped by their culture. Edgar Schein a former MIT Sloan School of Management professor, defined culture as “A pattern of shared basic assumptions invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that have worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems.”  Culture is a cognitive framework which consists of attitudes, values, behavioral norms and expectations that are shared by organization members. It is a process of socially transmitted behavior patterns that serves to relate people to their environment. The visual display of culture within a company is demonstrated by office layout, reporting structure, dress code, metaphors, punishments and rewards. Every company has an organizational culture and subcultures that exists amongst groups. Simple, everyday activities, such as viewing objects, are influenced by cultural assumptions and frameworks. Are you beginning to see the type of conflict that can occur when managing a team without understanding cultural proclivities?

Read the rest of the article in our April issue of Kalon Women

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Parasite # 1- Demanding Client(s)…

If you are a business that values your customer – you give great customer service – you bend over backwards to do everything possible to make them happy and give them an experience that will bring them back for more.

In fact 99% of my business, in the past 5 years, have been repeat customers and referrals.

I am proud of that.

Even so, that doesn’t mean along the way I have not run into what I call the demanding client.

When I was a young company, I was just happy to have anyone that needed my services. I didn’t care how difficult or time consuming they were. I would do the design project as we had discussed, but then suddenly, they were not happy with something we had been developing for weeks – thing that were great last week needed to be changed.

Now you may be thinking that is great – more hours more money – NOT!

I work on a per project basis, my clients are mainly small businesses or start up companies that could not afford me if I were to charge per hours, so we have an agreed upon project price. Looking at this scenario you can see that I was working for less than minimum wage – the more time I would give the more they would demand. I realized after having a few of these types of clients I had not communicated with them effectively. I didn’t have a written – contract that explained in detail what I would do for a given amount.

Lesson learned I started to set boundaries and write contracts that were much more detailed.

The communication got better and the clients knew what to expect and things ran along much smoother. Happy customers – even happier business owner

Parasite # 2 – Unreasonable Client(s)…

My motto,

Under promise – Over Deliver

How many of us have seen or heard the ads – make 20 billion dollars in 3 hours – solve all your problems in life with just 3 easy steps…. You get my point, if it sounds too good to be true – it is.

I always try and give my clients 110% – I will not nickel and dime them to death. I will help them with marketing advice if they need it etc.

However, ever once in a while I have a client that will not adhere to our contract.

They are just plain difficult – expect the impossible, and I found myself in the difficult position of having to say things like – we didn’t agree on that, or look at the proposal we outlined, or (fill in the blanks)…

What do you do when this happens to you?

Be up front, if you feel it is not worth your time – refund the money and move on – or refund a portion of their money (if it is for a service rendered) and quit doing business with them.

It is not worth the time when you have someone who does not respect you or your business – and if you cannot find a solution cut your losses. Do not continue to hit your head against the wall – you are losing business with people who want what you have to offer because you are trying to do the impossible.

Important point:

First of all, I hope you have structured your business so you take a deposit for services rendered. I personally have my client’s pay 50% up front and 50% upon completion.

If it is a huge project, I will take 50% up front, 25% once we have an agreed upon design – and 25% upon completion.

This protects my clients from worry because they know if I don’t live up to my promises, I will not get a full payment – it protects me because I know they are serious and have paid me a portion of the agreed upon fee.

Luckily, I don’t have clients like this anymore. I can tell by the initial consultation if it is a client I want to work with.

Don’t be afraid to turn down a client if you find they are not a fit – you will benefit in the long run and so will they.

Parasite #3 – Time Wasters…

You’re a business owner that is trying to be frugal. Times are a bit tight so you think you need to do everything yourself.

Even when you don’t have the slightest idea how to do it…

After all you are smart – why not learn how to do a website – design your own marketing material – and keep the books?

ARE YOU CRAZY?

Seriously, stick to what you do well – don’t waste your time trying to learn things that should be done by someone who knows how to do it right and in a fraction of the time. You don’t need to hire the most expensive person, just a professional who knows how.

The time it takes you to learn how to do these things – could be time you are spending finding clients, marketing, networking doing what you do well.

The old adage is true, time is money. So don’t waste your time learning to do something that should be left to professionals.

In fact you may even do more harm than good to your business. An example may be something like putting up a website that is less then professional and portraying a poor image.

Or not hiring a CPA to do your taxes when you know nothing about what exemptions you can take for a business – so you end up actually losing out on tax exemptions simply because you have no clue about financial matters.

In my case I am not a programmer – I can do some minor programming – and I know where to get java scripts I can use etc. But I hate the heavy duty stuff – and it would take me forever to learn something I am not talented at and I do not like.

If I have a client that needs something I cannot do I hire it done by a professional – and I outsource it.

I know it will cost me a lot less to have it done by a programmer because it will take them a fraction of the time – and they know more than I will ever care to know. On top of that, it will cost my client a lot less because I will not spend hours trying to figure it out.

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The bottom line is – it is important to recognize time wasters when you run your own business.

A lot of things (you may not even realize) can waste your time and pull you under making your business less than successful – and in time drain you of the enthusiasm and excitement you had when you first started the dream of developing your own financial security.

The thrill of developing a business from scratch and seeing it come to fruition is amazingly satisfying and to be able to learn from others will put you on the fast track to success…

Just remember that nothing good comes easy – but everything good will come when enjoying the fruits of your labor!

Pamela Jacob  owner of Artista Design

For my list of free places to advertise your site go to:

http://freeadvertising.artistadesign.com/

Not a good Idea!

Let me tell you why, this is just my view, but it is an educated one. I have dealt with many, many business owners who have been burned. They now have to deal with the difficulties of redoing mistakes that didn’t have to occur in the first place.

Many business owners who are brilliant at what they do are also clueless when it comes to the Internet and all the things that must be done to develop a website, register a domain name and host that website.

On the other hand, they may know enough but want the convenience of a one stop shop, so they can be free to operate their business.

Sound like a great idea right! WRONG…

REASONS WHY YOU “SHOULD NOT” PUT ALL YOUR SERVICES IN ONE BASKET.

Mistake #1 ************************************

When you register a domain name through a host you are at the host’s mercy.

Unless you know what you are doing – the host that registers your domain name may actually be putting it under their name – you are not the domain name owner you are actually “renting” the name.Scenario, you register your domain name with a hosting company and find that you do not like the host – your website has a lot of down time – you cannot get the emails to work right etc.

You go shopping for another host – then you find out you cannot transfer the domain name, and you have built your business using that name … That can be devastating – you have worked so hard to build your business what now?

Let’s say they just don’t want to transfer the domain name, don’t release the domain name and play games. Where do you go?

Well, that is the 24 million dollar question.

Solution: Register your domain name with a service like godaddy.com. They have inexpensive domain name’s, you have complete control over where you point those names and host your website.

If or when you find you are unhappy with a host you have chosen, find another host and re-point that domain name, with no interruption to your business

Problem solved.

Mistake # 2****************************************************

Scenario, You have found a host that also designs. They will design your website inexpensively. So you have the host put together the website for you.

Guess what – you more than likely will find that you do not own the website, the website you get will have to stay with that host, you cannot transfer it… On top of that – a lot of these hosts will give you a brochure site that is not a true marketing site.

Let’s say initially you are happy with that small static website, then you get educated and realize you need more and want to market to your visitors. You want an auto responder, and you need to build an online data-base. That is when you will pay – they usually charge you an arm and a leg to update your site.

You end up spending more and you may find your so called custom site is actually a cookie cutter site that is customized (the same site as other businesses just a different banner).

Solution: Find a web developer that can converse with you about your needs. If they are a true professional they will have no problem helping you with questions you may have about hosting, domain registration, auto responders etc. Make sure you are comfortable with the individual you are thinking about hiring.

Don’t mistake – arrogance with knowledge. Do make sure you have an experienced professional, someone who knows the tricks of the trade, a person who understands how to build a marketing website, with knowledge, who will know how to really help you reach your ultimate goals.

When you pick the right professional they will be willing and able to direct and guide you. Educate you on how to build your online business, helping you to break down the costs and work within your budget. If you can’t initially afford to get the whole thing done in one shot – it shouldn’t be a problem for your web developer to build your website in phases.

Make sure you are working with the designer/developer themselves, and you are not working with the sales rep.

Mistake # 3****************************************************

Scenario, let’s say you have found a host that allows you to build and design your own website. How cool is that!!

Sorry to break the news, but let me remind you – most of you are not designers!

Seriously, most business owners do not have the talent or the knowledge to design a website that will look professional. Most of these programs that allow you to build your own website are very limited in what they can do. You have to use their graphics and banners.

On the other hand, you have to be a graphic designer to know how to design and upload your own graphic, on top of that these hosts are usually very expensive.

So what should you have done?

Solution: When you realize you will be hosting your website (basically forever) at such a high monthly fee – you will realize you can afford to pay a professional web developer to build a beautiful site you will own, pay a host a small amount each month and save a lot of money.

Get my drift?

I could go on forever telling you horror story after horror story – but the bottom line – in essence, – be careful, do your home work, make sure you are working with a credible professional.

One option you may want to consider is hiring a consultant/project manager that knows the ropes.

This profession should be seasoned and have worked with the internet – someone who has been in the business and knows the ins and outs, someone who can outline your options and give information that will lay a solid foundation for your business.

Someone you can trust to guide you to make the right choices…

To success beyond measure – and friendships that last a lifetime…

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

What I want to do today is offer ideas that will hopefully assist you in avoiding the conflict MONEY can raise.

Common goals besides money:

The first step I take in creating a financial plan is to understand the goals the clients have. You too need to discuss the goals each of you has with each other and pro-ceed to explore common ground. It is so important to be on the same page so to speak as to what is important to you as an individual but also as a partner in this re-lationship.

Consolidate a money goal list:

Once an overall picture for life style, priorities and exact goals are created, it is im-portant to set up an action plan for the financial goals you have. If you note that you have come to agreement on the financial goals for the household, you should feel comfortable in opening up joint accounts. The simplicity and convenience of hav-ing one account for both, simplifies the record keeping and in the event of a loss or incapacity, leaves the surviving spouse with full access to the account alone. How-ever, avoid the conflicts that could arise if there is no agreement on priorities by simply opening up two separate accounts in each partner‘s name and assign fi-nancial responsibility to each.

Before continuing I want to note a few important features of a joint account that sometimes eludes consumers:

• Once a joint account is opened with anyone in the world, each has 100 percent rights to that account.
• Account co-owners can spend, give away or transfer funds to other accounts, without the consent or knowledge of other account holder(s).
• In many cases, the “wronged” party can get back some of the money, but legal action is required.
• As a joint owner you may unintentionally subject your assets to the claims of someone else’s creditors.
• Know that there is no protection for either party with a joint account if the other person comes in and withdraws all the money.
• There is nothing the bank can do to protect either party.

Read the rest of the article in our February Issue of Kalon Women

Apparently, so many men and women lie about their age online, that it is commonly assumed that you are “fudging”. I’ve been told that many viewers automatically add at least several years onto your age, or maybe just round up to the next milestone. Does my 56 get rounded up to 60?

I recently read a males profile that stated his age as 61. When I got to the end of his self-description, he had a disclaimer that said his age was a few years older than what he had stated.

Since he wanted to meet, I responded by asking him if it was only a few years, why would he bother to be deceptive, and how was his strategy working for him?

He responded that he was actually 71, and that his caveat was working quite well. He boasted that he actually had received compliments for admitting that he hadn’t stated his true age.

That made me feel a bit annoyed. Women were praising him for being truthful about his deceitfulness! I wasn’t impressed when he told me he had dated many women younger than me, and I didn’t meet him.

From the research I have done personally and through online blogs and articles, I believe that the two most common lies that men tell are about their age and their height. Men tend to add two inches to their height and to deduct as much as ten years or more from their age.

They also try to be deceptive about their hair, or lack of it. I have seen men’s profiles with numerous photos of them in different settings, but always wearing a baseball cap.

I read an article that claimed that men lie online more than women, but women are certainly doing their fair share of deception. Nearly every man I have met has told me about at least one frustrating date with a woman who was obviously older (sometimes much older) than she said she was.

Maybe the most shocking story I have heard is of the woman who actually ‘fessed up (after being confronted by her disgruntled date), that she had posted photos of her daughter!

Read the rest of this article by Cheryl Michaels in our February Issue of Kalon Women

Four days before this past Christmas, Life delivered a kick to my gut that sent me reeling -on many levels- and drove me so hard to my knees, I struggled for two weeks before I could remotely regain my footing.

During this time, I was shaken to my very core. Unable to eat or sleep, or find my way in the bleak blackness of it all, I began noticing a very strange phenomenon.

As I struggled through my days and nights, folks started coming out of the woodwork complimenting me. ‘You look great!’ ‘There’s so much light in you!’

I’m a very private person, so these compliments came from folks who knew nothing about my loss, or the ensuing grief that threatened to consume me.

This got me thinking…

I recalled a picture of my Mom that had been taken approximately 2 months after the death of her first husband, when she was all of nineteen or twenty years old.

They had been married just three months when he was killed tragically in an Air Force jet crash.

That loss, and the disasters that followed for my Mom were horrific- yet captured in that one particular photo- there on film for all the world to see- the Truest picture she has ever taken in her life. Raw with unimaginable emotion and humanness, wrapped in an overcoat in the heart of winter, she stands, eyes swollen from the endless tears – a brave smile gently curving her lips everso slightly upward, looking at the camera—looking Life in the eye, her Spirit exposed.

In this photo, she stands undaunted though handicapped, raw but full—very, very REAL. And there it is: the Light pouring forth from her wound.

As beauty is my industry, I’m expected to look good, no matter what. I try never to disappoint- but the two weeks of grief made this difficult. There were circles under my eyes, paleness from not being able to eat, fatigue from sleepless nights- all staring back at me from my bathroom mirror- but there ‘It’ was also: that Light…

An ethereal, not- of- this- world beam. And it was spilling out of me, thru the cracks in my carefully crafted mask, the veneer I’ve created to encase me as I make my rounds in this world. That very same veneer that now was smashed to bits. Light- everywhere.

For those of you who read my articles regularly, or know of my career background, you know I lived and worked in Hollywood, and as such provided makeup services to film and TV celebrities. You also know about my work providing reconstructive and restorative makeup services to burn and scar patients.

My idea of True Beauty is far from the superficial and I’ve always known that as human beings, we have scars- both the visible, external type- there for all the world to see, and the deeper, invisible type that so often haunts us without mercy- nonexistent to those people around us.

It can be debated which type causes the most pain. But there is a new level of understanding for me now.

Read the rest of this article by Carrie E. Pierce in our February issue of Kalon Women.

copyright 2012 Kalon Women – all rights reserved

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It seems to be up in the air and around people I speak lately, the sense that there is irritation, a feeling of being on the edge, frustration and yet, hope and optimism for the changes underway.

To a certain degree, irritation can be the result of uncertainty and mis-communication.  Especially if you are a perfectionist like I tend to be (getting better as time goes on!), when things don’t go the way you planned or the way you want them to, you may get frustrated because of losing control of the situation.

There is also a heavy astrological influence these days and with Mars in Virgo for the next few months we are learning how to harness our energy for moving forward, our strength and courage, our assertion or lack there-of, while staying grounded and methodical about our pursuits. On the flip side for those of us in the perfectionist camp, this can create heavier friction and self-criticism as Virgo tends to focus on the minute details and loose grasp of the bigger picture when under stress.

Here are three tips you can use when you feel frustrated:

1)      Take a breath before you speak; pinch yourself if you need to so as to energetically shift your perception.

2)      Be patient! Remember that not everyone thinks nor responds the way you do. If you feel your point has not made its way across, take a breath and re-introduce it.

3)      Note your self-talk; I will not clarify here between positive and negative as I trust that if you do praise yourself throughout the day for what you do and how you think, you will continue doing so!.

However, if you catch yourself in “beating-up” mode for a decision you made or for a course of action you committed or not to, pause. This is the voice of the perfectionist within where there is no room for mistakes.

Please consider how you can handle the situation that triggers you in a different way; there is always a different way and you have to allow room for it to emerge.

About the author: Liliane Mavridara is a published author, poet, mentor and creative groupwork facilitator who supports holistic practitioners and coaches to build their expert status through blog and book writing.    www.livebrightlythebook.com.