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A professional level of management is key to all assets. Generally people think of asset management as relating to investments. People are assets and should be professionally managed too.Everyone learns in college or at motivational seminars that employees are an asset, an organization's most valuable asset. Nothing is more true. Businesses and other organizations need a plan to be successful. Actually they need more than one plan. The business plan providing the overall direction for the organization and strategic plans to ensure the goals of the organization are met. The organization employs asset management to stay on course with the plans. Human asset management is typically called human resource management (HRM) and is certainly critical to maintaining a healthy organization.To answer what the role of HRM is in a business, all the stakeholders need to be educated as to exactly what HR is, a human asset management entity and why it isn't just a personnel department. In the past, organizational supervisors simply instructed workers what tasks to perform in exchange for their pay and benefits. A personnel department would deal with wages and benefits and that was, in a nut shell, the limits of the personnel department's responsibility. HRM goes well beyond that limited scope. Organizations that have true HRM in their structure benefit all around. Managers and supervisors of organizations that have human asset management are forced to make clear what the goals are to all of the stakeholders of the organization. HRM compels the organization to provide all of the resources necessary to efficiently complete their tasks.The textbook requirements for a person performing human asset management in an HR department are they must be a strategic business partner, they must also be a change agent. They function as an employee champion. They act as an arm of administration. In short, they are an interface between administration and the employee.True human asset management by the organization's HR department includes numerous functions necessary to achieve the previously stated requirements and help to meet the organizational goals. The most common functions are:1. Organizational planning a. HRM staff assume an active role in all forms of organizational planning b. HRM's contribution is to make sure the human assets are considered in the planning and that planning includes providing the resources for people to function within the plan2. Recruitment of employees best suited for the organization a. HRM researches the best ways to recruit given the demands of the organization b. HRM determines where and how to recruit to get the quality and skilled people necessary to the organization3. The selection process a. The elements of the selection process, such as testing, are designed by the HRM b. HRM 4 administers the elements of the selection process.Managing the skills of all organizational members a. HRM determines the skill levels of individual members5. Enhancing personnel skills a. HRM consults with members about how to enhance their skills b. HRM assists members in arranging for skill enhancement programs (classes)6. Overseeing training a. HRM identifies what forms of training are required or otherwise in the best interest of the organization b. HRM arranges for training programs to be conducted c. HRM evaluates the training programs to insure the training is of sufficient value to the organization7. Facilitating employee education a. Like a school councilor, HRM helps members who are interested in furthering their education8. Traditional personnel administration9. Administering employee wages and benefits10. Time management a. HRM studies the level of efficiency of the use of time within the organization b. HRM designs and submits time management enhancement solutions11. Employee cost management a. HRM would look into alternatives in all forms of employee costs in an attempt to redu

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A poorly motivated team has been known to unravel even the best project plan. A good project manager needs to know how to harness the initial excitement that comes with starting a project and use it to maintain motivation - leading to success throughout the project's lifecycle. We now know that contemporary project managers need to be more than just schedulers and contract managers. They need excellent skills in managing those complex human elements that have the potential to bring any project down.Motivation Theory and how it Works Most people who've been around management for a while would have heard of the key management theories about motivation. There's the difference between intrinsic (like values and beliefs) and extrinsic (like money and recognition) motivation. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is also often referred to. This theory proposes that people need to meet lower level goals such as the need for food, shelter and security before they are motivated by higher level goals such as the need for achievement and social acceptance.All these theories are useful to give project managers ideas on how to motivate a team but at I have found that over time there are some key de-motivators and good motivational techniques that are the same across most projects. It is true that, often because a project is new, technology is exciting and new relationships are forged, at the start of a project most people are most motivated to work towards goals and achieve good results. The team often works well through sheer determination of individuals to create an interesting role for themselves and achieve recognition.With the same degree of predictability, we find that unless a good strategy is put in place to maintain commitment levels over the longer term, the individual and teams levels of motivation typically dwindles from the middle to the end. A key role of the project manager is to create an environment in which individuals can maintain high levels of motivation in the beginning and maintain it throughout as problems are encountered.Motivators and De-motivators Let's look at what turns people off and on in project work. In my experience, the biggest de-motivator is when a project receives poor support from senior management of the client organisation. Other demotivators include: internal conflict, an absence of effective performance management, micro-management or disparity in work allocation or rewards. It becomes clear that before even considering a strategy to build and maintain motivation, a project manager needs sufficient skills to be able to address de-motivators.Project managers need to be able to garner stakeholder and client support and drive and manage expectations. They need the skills to effectively manage conflict within the team and understand how to match roles and salary levels to skills and development needs. All this needs to be done while maintaining open, effective communication with the team.Conversely, I have found that intrinsic motivation, such as instilling in the project team an initial belief in and enthusiasm for the outcomes of the project is the number one contributor to good motivation in project teams. Other strong motivators tend to be regular and ongoing recognition for a job well done and establishing good relationships with team members and stakeholders. Money and career incentives are important but less strong motivators.What initiatives can motivate people? I have found that there are a few approaches to motivation that can generally get good results in teams - regardless of the industry or knowledge level.Setting Goals: This is about getting team members to 'buy into' a project. It is about explaining, not just the required outcomes but, how the objectives relate to the organisation and its overall priorities. It is also important to get the team to contribute when setting goals, otherwise they will see it as a 'management imposed' solution.

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Sales call reluctance can destroy sales careers and affect anyone, be they new to sales or sales veterans. If you haven't experienced the emotional torture of being call reluctant the chances are you will do sooner or later. No effort you make - attendance at motivational seminars, the learning of sales techniques or ways to improve product and industry knowledge - will protect you from this debilitating experience.Researchers in this field have found that call reluctance is responsible for 80% of sales people's failure in their first year. Research has also found that it is call reluctance that accounts for over 50% of failures in the sales profession. Sadly 40% of sales veterans think about leaving sales because they are trying to come to grips with call reluctance. The financial and emotional costs are staggering.Call reluctance can be likened to a contagious disease because it can be passed on by sales managers, sales trainers, fellow sales people and other internal support personnel.What is call reluctance? A call reluctant sales person feels immobilized to initiate new business sales calls either by phone or face to face. Other parts of the sales process such as avoidance of group presentations or asking for the order can be affected.The mental and emotional energy required to sell and achieve sales outcomes is redirected to other more comfortable and 'safe' activities. These activities can include talking to others in the office, being tied up on phone calls or taking extended coffee breaks.Call reluctance can be described as a fear of being assertive: the sales person believes in and acts on self belief excuses and thus fails to do what they know they need to do. In the process an emotional sanctuary is sought.There are many different forms of call reluctant behaviours. The ones we have come across over the years are:oAn increase in activity levels and a corresponding drop in productivity levels oSales reports have twice the information when compared to a top performing sales person's report. oComplaining to get attention and attract like-minded people oShifting blame to others and not taking personal responsibility oUse of excuses to spend time in the office instead of prospecting oOver-servicing of existing clientsWhat do I do if I am call reluctant?Firstly, there is no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed to admit to being call reluctant. What is most important is that you have admitted it, at least to yourself, and are now willing to reprogram your thinking and correct wrong beliefs.The good news is whatever triggered your call reluctance was a learnt response and whatever you learnt you can also be unlearn. Whilst this may in the early stages be challenging it is worth it for your own self respect and your career in sales. Put simply it is done by replacing call reluctant behaviours with positive goal focused behaviours. Once the cycle has been broken and your proof will be new business and more sales you will feel uplifted and feel as if you have rediscovered your true self.The proactive actions you can take are:1. Set goals. For goals to have pulling power they need to be realistic and stretch slightly beyond your comfort zone. Being focussed on achieving your goals can reenergize you.2. Get coaching. Find an experienced sales coach with whom you can speak to candidly. They may well have been through call reluctance themselves and can help you through it as well as teach you great skills.3. Catch yourself. This means if you start thinking negatively become conscious that you are thinking this way and challenge the thought. Ask yourself "Why am I thinking like this?" You may discover the root cause of what started your call reluctance. "What is the worst thing that can happen when I approach this prospect?" For example "I'll be rejected". Accept it because you know you will live through it. Counter to this imagine with what good could come from the prospect call?You may stil