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E.A. Lewis Consulting

 

Text Box: Hey There,   For this month, some tips on humor and watching your expenses with some fun stuff at the end.  Enjoy!   Ernie

Text Box: June 2011

Text Box:   Test Your Creativity   Can you find a seven digit number which describes itself. The first digit is the number of zeros in the number. The second digit is the number of ones in the number, etc. For example, in the number 21200, there are 2 zeros, 1 one, 2 twos, 0 threes and 0 fours.     *Answer at the bottom!  

Text Box:     "Out of clutter, find Simplicity.  From discord, find Harmony.  In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity."   - Albert Einstein

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Text Box:   Executive Coaching  · Strategic Planning  · Team Building  · Continuous Improvement  · Professional Development © 2011, E.A. Lewis Consulting          www.ealewisconsulting.com

Text Box: You are receiving this free newsletter at your request or as part of E.A. Lewis Consulting Services.  If you have been forwarded this newsletter from someone you know and would like to subscribe, please click here to send an email. To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here to send an email.   This material is provided as general information only and is not a substitute for legal advice or consulting services specific to you, your employees, or your organization. This content may be forwarded in full, without permission, when used in a not-for-profit format. No other reproduction of this publication, in whole, or in part, is allowed without the express written consent of E.A. Lewis Consulting. This newsletter is a free service of E.A. Lewis Consulting, Management Tips and Best Practices Newsletter, all rights reserved. Copyright 2011 E.A. Lewis Consulting.   *Brain Teaser Answer:  3211000

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Text Box:     "When the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to treat everything as if it were a nail." - Abraham Maslow.

Text Box: Helping You Achieve Your Personal Best!

Text Box: The Right Kind of Humor It is useful to know that there are different types of humor that may, or may not, be appropriate at particular times and places.  Dr. Rod Martin, Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, and his fellow researchers have devised the Humor Styles Questionnaire that allows us to determine which of four styles of humor is being used more often in an organization.  The four styles are Self-enhancing, Affiliative, Aggressive, and Self-defeating.    Self-enhancing humor is a type of mild humor used to enhance one's self.  Affiliative humor is used to enhance one's relationships with others.  Aggressive humor is used to enhance the self at the expense of others.  And finally, Self-defeating humor is used to enhance relationships at the expense of one's self.  It's fairly obvious that Self-enhancing and Affiliative humor can be more beneficial than Self-defeating and Aggressive humor.   Most organizations have a combination of all four types of humor being displayed at various times and situations.  What can be telling is when and where a particular humor style surfaces.  For instance, men generally score higher in Aggressive and Self-defeating humor than women.  This can be apparent in an organization staffed mostly by men such as in a skilled trades organization.  In such an environment, the guys often tease each other about weekend exploits and trivial day-to-day events.  This is usually the norm for them which is just men being men.  However, outsiders and even new employees may see this behavior and misinterpret it as being hostile when in fact the guys see it as just good natured fun which makes the work day go faster.   Humor in the work place is important.  The right kind of humor can be even more so.  

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Ernest A. LewisText Box: The Next Small Business Boot Camp starts August 23rd! We’ll review the fundamentals of effective business growth including having the right business model, effective marketing, efficient systems, branding, and much more.  Discover the power of peer support and learn how to grow your business right!   Starts Tuesday August 23rd, 5 Weeks, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Limited Seating Call for Details:  419-345-4254, or email:  ernest@ealewisconsulting.com  or Register Online

Text Box: Avoid Expense Creep Many business owners get into what I call expense creep.  Expense creep happens when our business is growing.  Revenue is increasing, cash flow is good, and things are looking up.  As the business grows, we need more equipment, supplies, etc.  So, we spend money to get the things we need to continue to grow the business.  However, with positive cash flow, we often spend money on things we don’t really need as well.   We may need a new piece of equipment but instead of getting the mid-range model which provides more than enough capacity for our needs, we splurge and get the top of the line.  Or, we spend a little more for promotional products that we know would be nice to be able to hand out to prospects when all along our business has been growing by word of mouth.  The question we need to be asking ourselves is, “Do we really need this?” and a more important question might be, “Do our customers really need this?”   To answer these questions, we need to take a look at our expense list.  Expenses can be categorized in two ways.  There are strategic expenses and non-strategic expenses.  Strategic expenses are those things that help us grow our business.  These are things we need otherwise business growth slows or stops.  Non-strategic expenses are for things that don’t help us grow our business.  We could do without them and probably not even notice they were missing.  Categorize your expenses and then take the non-strategic expenses and start to whittle away at them.    Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the niceties we’ve “earned” as our business grows.  However, when we can get rid of expenses we don’t really need, we’ll keep our company lean which is likely part of the working philosophy that helped our business grow in the first place.  And, even better, when we can make these hard choices, we’ll see a direct and positive impact on our bottom line!

Text Box: Empowerment for Dudes in Business Workshop on June 28th! This one is for the Guys!  The business environment is changing including cultural norms and the increasing presence of women owned businesses.  Learn what this means to you and your business.  Learn the Roadblocks to Success that men face today and how you can deal with them effectively to build your business!   Tuesday June 28th, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Limited Seating Call for Details:  419-345-4254, or email:  ernest@ealewisconsulting.com  or Register Online

 

 

Text Box: Fun Stuff!  Quotes for a Smile  (found on the internet…)   "I can resist everything except temptation." - Oscar Wilde   "I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me.  He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet." - Rodney Dangerfield   "Have you ever noticed?  Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac." - George Carlin   "The Stones, I love the Stones.  I watch them whenever I can.  Fred, Barney..." - Steven Wright   "First you forget names, then you forget faces.  Next you forget to pull your zipper up and finally, you forget to pull it down." - George Burns