By the way, I absolutely loved the class and think that Professor Behfar is such an amazing expert on organizational team management.

Go read more about Dr. Behfar and what she does here: The Secrets of High Performing Teams

Most of the concepts and information I’m going to talk about are from Professor Behfar’s material distributed in class, so she needs to get the credit. I’m just elaborating on what she has taught me.

Alright, let’s jump right into it…

A Key Concept to managing multi-cultural teams is to… “increase your awareness, cultural differences and another layer of complexity to managing conflict and coordination losses: managers should be more deliberate and iterative.“

National culture: set of economic, political, and social values that exist in a particular nation (levels of variation within culture — e.g. generations, regions, etc.)

Cultural differences increase the chances of misunderstandings and conflict (i.e.,” noise”), this is often exacerbated  by distance, belonging to different brances of the organization, etc. For example:

1. Verbal differences: language (dual meanings, accents, fluency)

2. Non-verbal differences: gestures, customs

3. Lack of opportunity for observation

4. Weaker shared norms (for confrontation, problem solving, etc.)

5. Decreased spontaneity in problem solving

In-group/Out-group bias: be cautions not to confuse a workplace conflict with a cultural conflict

1. The assumption that members of an out-group are “all the same.”

2. When the group is our own we are more likely to see diversity.

3. Out-groups (those outside our groups) are homogenized

4. Minimal Group vs. Competition. Competition exacerbates negative out-group stereo-types.

5. Workplace challenges: Sexism, Ethnic and religious tensions, Stereotypes and prejudice

Culture shock: has implications for conflict and management of teams

1. Honeymoon: curiousity and excitement about new culture

2. Disorientation: overwhelmed by new requirements and stimuli; experiences self-blame and sense of personal iadequacy

3. Irritability and hostility: experiences anger and resentments toward new culture

4. Adjustment and integration: integration of new cues and increased ability to feel fluent in the new culture; increasingly sees the good and the bad of the bad of the new culture

Hofestede’s Dimensions of National Cultures (see handout for details)

1. Individualism vs. Collectivism (different expectations for confrontation and aggressiveness norms, may need 3rd party to resolve conflict)

2. High vs. Low Power Distance (different expectations for respecting hierarchy and status)

3. Masculine vs. Feminine Orientation (different values for achievement vs. nurture)

4. High vs. Low in Uncertainty-Avoidance (different expectations for the process of making a decision [holistic vs. checklist])

5. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation (different expectations for managing time and pace of work/efficiency)

Challenge for managers: understand when to intervene (intervention runs the risk of creating too much dependence).

Notes On Managing Multi-Cultural Teams is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. How To Lead Teams Effectively
2. Creativity And Innovation In Teams
3. 6 Sources Of Leadership Power
4. Team Management vs. Team Leadership
5. Feedback and Working Through Team Problems

By the way, I absolutely loved the class and think that Professor Behfar is such an amazing expert on organizational team management.

Go read more about Dr. Behfar and what she does here: The Secrets of High Performing Teams

Most of the concepts and information I’m going to talk about are from Professor Behfar’s material distributed in class, so she needs to get the credit. I’m just elaborating on what she has taught me.

Alright, let’s jump right into it…

A Key Concept to creativity and innovation in teams is to…

“protect ideation and choose the right people for each stage of the innovation cycle.”

Creative teams have a high need for autonomy

Creativity (production of novel and useful ideas) vs. Innovation (the realization of actual ideas in the form of products, services, etc.)

Common Mistakes

3 Common Mistakes

1. Not forstering enough time for creative ideation

2. Moving too quickly from creativity to innovation

3. Not fostering atmosphere for creativity

8 Ways To Successfully Foster Team Creativity

1. High group goals

2. Individual accountability

Team Creativity

3. Explicit set of rules

4. Trained facilitators

5. Intellectual diversity

6. Re-organize individuals and teams (know when to replace “old timers,” Example: the stimulation vs. disruption perspective)

7. Brief breaks

8. Positive mood

8 Brainstorming Rules To Increasing Fluency and Flexibility (Osborne + process rules)

1. Express any idea

2. Do not evaluate

3. Quantity is more important than quality

4. Building on and expand on each other’s ideas

5. Do not tell stories

6. Do not explain ideas

7. Keep the brain storming going

8. Return to previous categories

6 Ways to Balance The Creative Process And Need To Innovate (a.k.a. see results)

1. Earmarking special funds for highly experiential R&D (research and development)

2. Formal consideration of new ideas aligned with feasibility studies

3. Early consideration of marketing issues

4. Expect substantial modification of ideas prior to adoption

5. Consistent and adequate funding — monitor this so there are no surprises

6. Initial small-scale development

The 4 Stages of The Innovation Process

Note: At any stage, you might abandon or go back to revision

Idea

1. Ideation (identify the problem and brainstorm; nurturing leadership style – protect ideation with rules (idea killers vs. idea builders))

2. Initiation (development and adjustment; leaders encourage development of ideas)

3. Implementation (outcomes become visible; leaders champion ideas)

4. Stabilization (innovation becomes routine and accepted, established procedures; leaders validate and modify innovation)

6 Important Roles During The Innovation Process

Ideators: Prolific idea generators who do not like to ‘reduce ideas to practice’

Inventors: Like to reduce ideas to practice; putting the solution into a tangible form

Technical Gatekeepers: Technical experts who do the ‘reality check’

Champions: Have status; help legitimize the idea originator, serving as a bridge between unconventional idea originators and more traditional organizations

Sponsors: Have higher status, a proven track record, and resources; Primarily motivated by strategic gains of the organization

Entrepreneurs: Calculated risk-takers whose primary drive is to develop new products or to start a new organization that will profit

4 Ways To Foster A Creative Atmosphere

1. Physical setting: playful yet functional

2. Culture: Highly client-focused (learn from customers), Highly experimental (fail often to succeed sooner), Iconoclastic (mock corporate America)

3. Control structure: Highly egalitarian in therms of ideas, Highly authoritarian in terms of process (strict time limits)

4. Team design: Democracy of ideas, High diversity, Strong process (facilitator role)

Creativity And Innovation In Teams is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. How To Lead Teams Effectively
2. Notes On Managing Multi-Cultural Teams
3. Team Management vs. Team Leadership
4. 6 Sources Of Leadership Power
5. Feedback and Working Through Team Problems

By the way, I absolutely loved the class and think that Professor Behfar is such an amazing expert on organizational team management.

Go read more about Dr. Behfar and what she does here: The Secrets of High Performing Teams

Most of the concepts and information I’m going to talk about are from Professor Behfar’s material distributed in class, so she needs to get the credit. I’m just elaborating on what she has taught me.

Alright, let’s jump right into it…

There are 6 sources of power and we’re going to go over each one.

1. Reward Power

Based on a person’s access to rewards; other person complies because of desire to receive rewards. For example, promotions.

2. Coercive Power

Based on a person’s ability to punish; other person complies because of fear of punishment. For example, negative performance evaluations.

3. Information Power

The ability to influence  based on the higher power person having information that the lower power person does not possess. For example, “Here is the data that prove it.”

4. Rational Persuasion

The ability to convince others, to lead others to your own conclusion, to use logic and facts to make people believe you are right.

5. Expert Power

Based on personal expertise in a certain area; other person complies becaue of  belief in power holder’s knowledge. For example, “I know what is best.”

6. Referent Power (Likability)

Based on a person’s attractiveness to others; other person complies because of respect and liking for power holder. For example, “The company needs you.” Also referred to as Charisma or Popularity.

6 Sources Of Leadership Power is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Team Management vs. Team Leadership
2. Notes On Managing Multi-Cultural Teams
3. How To Lead Teams Effectively
4. Feedback and Working Through Team Problems
5. Creativity And Innovation In Teams

Success and Failure Formulas

You probably have heard this phrase many times:

“XX% of home-based businesses fail in their first year.”

It is rarely the business that fails, but the person running it… and that’s normal.

Let me tell you why.

People tend to gravitate towards EXTREMES.

Either all good… or all bad.

Either all love… or all hate.

Either know all… or only take action.

It is so HARD for some people to stay in the middle and balance.

You will be more successful in anything you do, if you stay balanced.

Can you cook something using just one ingredient?

I personally can’t. You need to add the right quantity of each ingredient to make a tasty meal.

SUCCESS is a meal. It has specific ingredients that you need to combine to become successful.

RK + NA = Failure

No matter how much you know and how many super powerful tools you have, you are going to fail if you don’t use them.

That’s right, if you have the Right Knowledge (business know-how) and you take No Action… you will eventually FAIL.

NK + MA = Failure

No matter how much action you take and implement, you are going to fail if you don’t know what to focus on.

That’s right, if you take Massive Action, yet you have No Knowledge… you will eventually FAIL.

Can you win a tennis match with your eyes closed? Exactly. You can’t just wave your tennis bat around and hope it will eventually hit the ball. The right information that vision provides has to be there to tell you where exactly to wave your bat so that it hist the ball.

RK + MA = Success

However, if you combine the Right Knowledge with Massive Action, you will eventually reach SUCCESS.

LUCK – Labor Under Correct Knowledge

You can get the Right Knowledge either by spending time on acquiring  your own experience, or by spending money on borrowing other people’s experience.

Massive Action can either be done by you personally, or by others who you pay to do it for you.

I’m being general because there is no absolute Right Knowledge and there is no absolute amount of Massive Action you can take.

It all depends on what kind of business you are in and many other variables.

Do you have all of the ingredients to make your business a success?

The Fastest Way To Succeed In ANYTHING is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Now, I wouldn’t be telling you about this have I not noticed something strange…

In addition to receiving the product I have ordered, I also found a packing certificate, candy, a magazine, and a catalog inside the same box.

Yes, you heard me right… I said candy.

Here is a picture I took right after pinching myself:

The packing certificate was an unusual one. It had two signatures of the members of my “personal shipping team.”

By the way, I had no idea I had my personal shipping team!

The packing certificate contained important information such as Frequently Asked Questions related their return policy.

Here is a picture of the area which had the signatures:

It might be difficult to see, so here is what it says:

Packing Certificate from your Personal Shipping Team

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to serve you! We’ve done our best to make sure that the shipment has reached you on time and in perfect condition. We look forward to assisting you again soon.

Packed by _________________   Double-checked by _________________

And of course the magazine that I did not order. Yep, they also sent me a free copy of the “M” magazine with Willie Nelson on the cover.

Here is a picture of their products’ catalog and the “M” magazine:

Alright, by now you are probably asking yourself, “Why is he telling me all this anyway?”

I’m telling you all this because this is a great Stick Strategy in action…

You see, it’s good to get customers, but it’s even better to keep them. First impression is very important. Depending on how you position yourself after that very first sale, your customer will either never come back or will buy from you again and Again and AGain AND AGAIN… you get the picture.

Surprise Candy In The Box

In this particular example, I received candy with my purchase… when was the last time this happened to you?

It never happened to me before, so I’m going to remember this company just for this reason alone.

They surprised me with something small and insignificant (cheap candy that I did not expect), which made a big impact on me and separated them from dozens of other e-commerce stores selling the same kind of products.

At this point I don’t know much about the other products that they offer and their quality, but when I need audio equipment in the future, I will make sure to check them out first.

Packing Certificate from “my Personal Shipping Team”

I know, in the back of my mind, that someone out there must be putting the product I’ve ordered into a box, putting the right postage information, and sending it to me. However, I never found out who they are and I’m not even talking about getting a piece of paper personally signed by them.

Are saying that someone actually cares about my order and makes sure it is packed correctly. Plus, there is even another person who double-checks?

Do you smell Utopia?

If you have not noticed it already, this is another genius Stick Strategy in action.

Or like some marketers say, “Sticking the sale.” Meaning, over-delivering to minimize the refund rate.

I think this is much more long term strategy than just “sticking the sale” because it separates you from the competition and let’s the customer know that you really care. This will increase your Value Per Customer turning, for example, a $50 purchase into hundreds of dollars in future purchases.

Free Magazine and Products Catalog

Free candy wasn’t enough, so they decided to include a free magazine?

I have no idea if they included a free magazine along with the products catalog on purpose or just because they could.

But, what I know is that almost everyone likes “looking through magazines.” You probably have heard that exact phrase being used by others. That’s exactly what you will most likely to do with the Products Catalog after you are done “going through” the magazine.

There are no scientific tests that I know of which test this, but what I’m saying is that the customers are more likely to open the Products Catalog if came with a magazine (or something similar). Keep in mind that I’m assuming all this and it may not work every single time.

Plus, if you are like me, you will not throw away the magazine immediately. You will put it on the coffee table so that you can read it later. Guess what’s going to happen with the Products Catalog? You are right, it’s most likely to stay with the magazine.

2 Stick Strategies and The Rule of Reciprocity

I’ve just shared a couple of good Stick Strategy examples in action. Hopefully these assisted you to take another look (shift your perspective) at how you deliver your products.

If you’ve read Cialdini’s book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” then you probably know that these are also good examples of The Rule of Reciprocity in action. (Chapter 2 – Reciprocation: The Old Give and Take.. and Take)

It’s one thing knowing it, but it’s another to actually put it into action.

I told about the candy in the mail to a pretty known marketer and what surprised me was the fact that he tried to see how he can implement it in his business. He contacted his warehouse shipping team to see if this would be possible and how. Within a couple of days I got an email from him saying this would be really easy to do.

It’s exciting to see an entrepreneur putting information to action almost immediately.

If you got any ideas after reading my story, then I urge you to implement as soon as possible. After all, that’s the fastest way to find out if something is going to work for you or not.

You Have No Idea How “Sticky” Candy Can Get… is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. 10 And 1/2 ‘Forbidden’ Up-Selling Strategies

Marketing Fusion Secrets

Below you can find all the bonuses as well as the original 3 hour call recording between Mike Filsaime and Russell Brunson.

Right click and select Save As on the link below to download “Marketing Fusion Secrets” to your desktop.

Marketing Fusion Secrets 3 Hour Call:

Download the file here: Marketing-Fusion-Secrets-Call.mp3

Bonus Transcripts:

Download the file here: Marketing-Fusion-Secrets-Bonus.pdf

Marketing Fusion Secrets Downloads is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Do You Use These 4 Viral Marketing Strategies?
2. 7 Direct Marketing Tips [#21]

By the way, I absolutely loved the class and think that Professor Behfar is such an amazing expert on organizational team management.

Go read more about Dr. Behfar and what she does here: The Secrets of High Performing Teams

Most of the concepts and information I’m going to talk about are from Professor Behfar’s material distributed in class, so she needs to get the credit. I’m just elaborating on what she has taught me.

Alright, let’s jump right into it…

People don’t want to be managed. They want to be led! Ewing Marion Kauffman, Founder Marion Labs and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, MO

People want to be led — not managed, manipulated, or forced to do things only because they need a paycheck.

Team Management is associated with:

• Planning and budgeting
• Organizing and staffing
• Controlling and problem solving
• Producing a predictable outcome

Team Leadership is associated with:

• Establishing direction
• Aligning people
• Motivating and inspiring
• Producing change

Source: Macoby, M. (2000). Understanding the difference between managment and leadership. Research and Technology Management, Jan-Feb, p. 57-59

“Think of some of the colloquial terms that describe many managers and administrators who are not leaders: control freak, compliance, custodial, policies and procedures, bureaucrat, dominating or dictatorial, nitpicker, blamer, manipulator, self-centered, and so on.

It is no wonder entrepreneurial leaders are winning the race to attract and keep the best talent.”

Source: Timmons, J. (2009). New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century. p. 308

Team Management vs. Team Leadership is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. 6 Sources Of Leadership Power
2. How To Lead Teams Effectively
3. Feedback and Working Through Team Problems
4. Creativity And Innovation In Teams
5. Notes On Managing Multi-Cultural Teams

A digital products are mostly information products in form of ebooks (electronic books), audio recordings, videos, and anything else that can be accessed online.

The opposite of a digital product would be a product that has to be shipped to the person who bought it.

I know, this is pretty simple stuff, but I just wanted to write it out so that there is no confusion in your mind.

Please submit your question about this video in the comments section below…

How To Create PayPal “Buy Now” Buttons For Digital Products is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Physical Product vs. Digital Product: Pros & Cons

Let’s get back to the call between Paul Lemberg and Rich Schefren:

A very important question to ask whenever you stumble upon an opportunity:

“Is this going to move me in the direction that I want to go?”

Rich Schefren says:

Opportunist just says: How do I bring the next revenue stream. It may provide you with income, but it will not (less likely to) provide you with equity. Strategy starts with goals Opportunities are still fine, they can help you get to your goal, but strategy STARTS with a GOAL

Myth:

Even if you are very good at working smart, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to work HARD.

If you’re strategic enough, you can bypass work, but if you always act in an opportunistic way and not in a well thought out strategic way, then you never get to that point where work comes optional.

There are a lot of people who make a lot of money, but the day they stop making money is the day they stop working. When they stop working, they stop making money. This is not the recipe of life of fulfillment The key distinction between working hard and working smart is that you put thought into your work.

Most of us just seek on the next opportunity that comes along and say: “Oh, that will add to my monthly income!” and we just jump on it without actually looking whether its going to drive us towards our main goal.

Strategy comes from inside out. This means that you’ve got a vision, you’ve got goals, and you focus all your action to get to your goal. That is what’s going to be the difference between working hard and working smart.

Working hard:

“I’m just going to do more” “Oh, there is something. I can do that.” “There is something else that I can do also.” “Let’s do that and add to our bottom line.”

People are looking at the wrong place. They are looking at the outside as suppose to inside.

A very important question to ask whenever you stumble upon an opportunity:

“Is this going to move me in the direction that I want to go?”

If you missed the Part 1 of this post, here it is: Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Marketing? (Part 1)

Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Internet Marketing? (Continued) is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Why Is Strategic Planning So Important In Internet Marketing?
2. So, What Internet Marketing Really Is?
3. WARNING: Affiliate Marketing May Be Illegal!
4. 7 Direct Marketing Tips [#18]
5. How To Stop Procrastination and Analysis Paralysis (Part 3)

By the way, I absolutely loved the class and think that Professor Behfar is such an amazing expert on organizational team management.

Go read more about Dr. Behfar and what she does here: The Secrets of High Performing Teams

Most of the concepts and information I’m going to talk about are from Professor Behfar’s material distributed in class, so she needs to get the credit. I’m just elaborating on what she has taught me.

Alright, let’s jump right into it…

A Key Concept to leading teams effectively is to… “match the correct style with the situation and team needs — there is no objectively right or wrong style.”

First of all, let’s define leadership…

Leadership is the process by which an individual influences others in ways that help attain group or organizational goals.

3 Factors Effecting Team Leader Effectiveness

1. Organizational culture, which includes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) and expectations that are shared by members of an organization and are taught to new members as the correct way to believe, act, and perceive.

Organizational culture has a strong impact on leadership because leadership styles are more consistent within company than across companies, even in the same role or same industry.

2. The situation (e.g., time pressures, type of task, people involved, group history)

3. Leader’s personality

Culture is the glue that holds our organization together. It encompasses beliefs, expectations, norms, rituals, communication patterns, symbols, heroes, and reward structures. Culture is not about magic formulas and secret plans; it is a combination of a thousand things.”

Herbert D. Kelleher, Co-Founder and Chairman, Sourthwest Airlines

2 Components of Organizational Culture

A. Visible (Artifacts)

The things that you can observe by watching. For example, the office layout, dress, symbols, slogans, ceremonies, etc.

B. Invisible (Expressed Values and Underlying Assumptions)

The things that you can observe by listening. For example, noticing that the “organization members care about each other like a family.”

6 Ways Organizational Culture Socializes Leaders

1. Founder’s vision in creating and embedding culture

2. What leaders pay attention to, measure, and control

3. Leader reactions to critical incidents and organizational crises

4. Deliberate role modeling, teaching, and coaching

5. Criteria for allocating rewards and status

6. Criteria for recruitment, selection, and promotion

Now, let’s look at 3 ways culture can be recognized…

A. Culture can be recognized through the use of certain symbols, which can be objects, actions, or events that convey meaning, conscious or unconscious association.

Examples: titles, office size, photographs, parking privileges, and specialized language.

B. Culture can be recognized through the use of certain rites and ceremonies, which can include any organized or planned activities, communication of ideas, purpose, celebration of heroes, legends, accomplishments.

Example: Mary Kay’s culture can be identified through the use of film clips, fur coats, and pink Cadillac

C. Culture also can be recognized through the use of legends, stories, and heroes that are there to keep the values alive. In addition, telling stories socializes and identifies what the norms are, what is valued, and what is ideal.

How To Lead Teams Effectively is a post from: Narek Gabrielian Blog

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Notes On Managing Multi-Cultural Teams
2. Team Management vs. Team Leadership
3. Creativity And Innovation In Teams
4. 6 Sources Of Leadership Power
5. Feedback and Working Through Team Problems