For a lot of people the work-life balance is a difficult issue. I’m very familiar with this problem as it was something I use to have a problem with.

Unrealistic goals, impatience, social pressures, competitive spirit, excessively optimistic outlooks can undermine the work-life balance.  The flow on from this can be serious, bad health, poor relationships, disconnection from society and diminished social interaction. All of which result in a negative physiological and ultimately psychological outcome.

In 2010 I would encourage everyone to take time to reflect on their work-life balance. Take some time out for yourself. Look after for your body and mind, ultimately it will return the favour.

At Enterprise Search we encourage our entire team to think about their work-life balance. At the end of the day; happy, healthy staff perform better.

Cynthia Price

Marketing & Communications

Enterprise Search Australia

How to make 2010 the most successful year yet

I’ve taken some time out over the Christmas/New Year break to reflect on ways to get the most out of 2010. Here is what I came up with:

1.       Professional development. Attend a conference, seminar or a trade show. Take time to network, learn a skill or develop a new business idea.

2.       Revenue growth. Develop a clear strategy to outperform last year’s earnings.  Consider selling a new product or service, value add what your already have.

3.       Review costs. Take time out to review your expenses, can you find any savings?

4.       Give something back. Consider supporting a charity in 2010. At Enterprise Search we vote on a charity to support each year.

Cynthia Price

Marketing & Communications

Enterprise Search Australia

In today’s highly mobile workplace its imperative employers do their upmost to reward, recognise and retain employees. Below are five ways to do so:

1.       Public recognition for a job well done. Take time out to recognise the efforts of staff, be sincere in your acknowledgement. Consider an award, a mention on your corporate website or an announcement at a staff meeting. Be creative.

2.       Invest in your employees. Training, professional development and coaching are great ways to up skill and invest in your team. Prove to them they count by paying for extra training and professional development. At Enterprise Search we budget for employee investment, I’d encourage you to do the same.

3.       Offer flexible work options. Advances in communication have all but done away with the traditional work place. Employees are able to work remotely just as efficiently as being in your office. Reward team members that perform with an option to work remotely part time.

4.       Set clear goals and explain the big picture. When the entire team truly understands the “plan” and your goals to achieving it, harmony exists. Some managers believe in controlling information and operating on a ‘need to know basis’. This behaviour ultimately reflects a lack of respect for the team and will generally fuel resentment. Take time out to explain the big picture to the entire team, ask people for their feedback and ideas. It feels good when your boss listens to you.

5.       Provide career growth opportunities. Make your employees part of the “plan”, develop succession planning, training, increases in remuneration, mentoring and training. This can be a hard one for SMEs, I’d encourage you to get creative.

Cynthia Price

Marketing & Communications

Enterprise Search Australia

I’ve always found the best way to develop a good plan, come up with new ideas, reflect on a problem or resolve an issue is to get out of my current environment. This could be as simple as leaving the office for a coffee or as dramatic as booking a flight and taking off for a few days. I’m amazed by how well this strategy works; the biggest problem is remembering it in a time of crisis.

A great way to nut out ideas when you escape the office is to journal, this process was recommended to me by a business coach. I find it invaluable, these days I always pull out my journal and get my thoughts onto paper. It helps to get all the thoughts out of your consciousness and solidify them in a meaningful way. At Enterprise Search we try to share skills, tips and ideas that work for us. I’d recommend talking to your colleagues; share problem solving skills between one and other it’s amazing what you can learn.

Cynthia Price

Marketing & Communications

Enterprise Search Australia

I was sitting in the waiting room at the skin cancer clinic when I began to reflect on the importance of health. Its checkups like these that remind me of the fragility of life, the importance of prevention and taking care of our most important asset: our body.

In business we can be too focused on growth, new ideas, profit, and plans for the future. We sometimes forget to invest in now, specifically our health. My grandmother always uses to say “your health is your wealth” and I believe she was spot on.

There is strong evidence to support the theory that a healthy body and mind results in good business decisions, which leads to profitable outcomes.

Employers should encourage employees to look after their body, allow them time to visit the doctor and have the necessary checkups. We foster a strong health/prevention culture at Enterprise Search and the results I believe are clear.

Take some time to invest in your body, take some preventative steps and your body will thank you. Maybe your business will too.

Cynthia Price

Marketing & Communications

Enterprise Search Australia

In light of the Virgin Blue email disaster last Friday, its important to remember at times we all make mistakes. I honestly believe what really counts, is how we deal with them.

In the moment of crisis, its important to look beyond blame, anger and resentment. The key is to focus on a  solution. Once the issue is resolved then take time to dissect the issue and develop strategies to prevent a recurrence.

At EnterpriseSearch we don’t believe in problems, only solutions. I’d encourage you to do the same.

Cynthia Price

Marketing & Communications

Enterprise Search Australia

The past 12 months have proved quite a challenge for those in the business world. As the financial markets began to melt down in September 2008 who was to know how large the impact would be.

It’s now twelve months later and it now the worst it behind us. Although I still read regularly about the risk of a ‘double dip’ and a ‘lagging recession’ for Australia.

It seems when the times get tough, the tough get going. That has been our mantra at Enterprise Search and it has kept us growing strong in such a challenging business environment.

Our strategy for 2009 was simple: discipline, focus & determination.

We applied discipline to our expenditure/outgoings and cut our monthly expenses by 65%

We remained focused on new opportunities, extracting more/the most revenue from what we had and building for the future.

Determination to overcome adversity – lower budgets, pressure from stakeholders, slow payments from clients.

Cynthia Price

Marketing & Communications

Enterprise Search Australia

Anyone that has used an Australian mobile overseas knows international roaming charges are expensive and mobile data charges are just as prohibitive. It was with much excitement I discovered “Roaming Sim” – This product is 80% less than standard overseas mobile call charges.

Roaming Sim looks like a great product and I’m looking forward to trying it out later this month.

Cynthia Price,

Marketing & Communications Manager

Enterprise Search

I was surprised to read in the Business section of today’s Sydney Morning Herald that 60% of Australian small businesses aren’t online. The results come from a MYOB small business survey released today.

According to the survey “60 per cent of small businesses do not have an online presence” -   I’m honestly surprised the figure is so high. With so many cost-effective online options available to Australian businesses owners (a free business listing on Enterprise Search seems like a good first step) I can only put it down to a lack of knowledge / understanding.

Online marketing / Advertising is taking an increasingly large role in the marketing mix and savvy organisations are diverting funds away from the traditional media formats (Print, TV & Radio) and spending more on cost-effective / highly scalable online advertising.

Cynthia Price,

Marketing & Communications Manager

Enterprise Search

Over my summer holiday I read a wonderful book, “Mastery; The keys to success & long-term fulfilment”. I would recommend this book to anyone who has made the decision to be the best they can and maximise the effectiveness of their efforts in all pursuits.

The book is written by George Leonard a twenty year veteran of aikido and through this study of martial arts has developed a strong insight into Zen philosophy.

In the book George talks about today’s goal obsessed society. How our obsession with results and outcome undermines our ability to truly develop skill. Our fixation on results distracts us from developing a strong foundation and much like the DIY home builder rushing to erect his/her home in the quickest amount of time (goal) the whole thing comes crashing down.

George says “How do you best move towards mastery? To put it simply, you practice diligently, but you practice primarily for the sake of the practice itself. Rather than being frustrated while on the plateau, you learn to appreciate and enjoy it just as much as you do the upward surges”

I can’t recommend this book enough and have given a copy to my work colleagues at Enterprise Search.

Cynthia Price,

Marketing & Communications Manager

Enterprise Search