Children born into a family business often seem to have it easy, their future pre-determined. But in fact, like any leader, they will be tested on their way to the top or as they take over, according to consultant Ivan Lansberg. Indeed, he notes in Harvard Business Review they go through four tests that aren't that different for leaders of any organization:

• Qualifying tests are assessments based on the formal criteria that society in general use to judge executives' capabilities, such as formal education, work experience, awards, and community service. Equally important are on-the-job achievements such as excellent performance in demanding positions.
  
  
• Self-imposed tests are the expectations that leaders themselves set and against which they expect stakeholders to measure their performance. This can extend from meeting budget targets to living their own talk on the need for punctuality and avoiding conflicts of interest.
  
  
• Circumstantial tests are the unplanned challenges that arise, putting the leader on centre stage, such as handling a snowballing business challenge or the sudden death of the family patriarch.
  
  
• Political tests are challenges from rivals who undermine the leader in order to increase their own power or to make a bid for the top.
  
  

Some successors to the family throne act as if they can move through life with arrogance and opulence. "New leaders would do well to remember that, as the fairy tale of the emperor's new clothes tells us, followers' perceptions are the subjective basis on which their credibility rests," he concludes.

After 20 years of advising small business on their marketing, Jay Lipe has identified three common mistakes that prevent success:

Lacking patience: These days we expect immediate results, be it an instantaneous response to an e-mail or a quick surge in sales following an ad campaign. "Yet successful marketing depends on an entirely different approach because marketing is about changing people's behaviour. And that simply doesn't happen overnight," he points out on his Smart Marketing blog. So when you start a marketing initiative, stick it out. Give it time to be successful.

Throwing nickels around like manhole covers: It's important to scrutinize where you'll spend your marketing dollars but some businesspeople carry that too far, always saying, "we can't afford that." Marketing is about image making, and you don't want to be cheap and ineffective. "In marketing, you must spend money," he asserts.

Lacking diligent follow through: Once you have a marketing plan, make sure you follow through. He recommends devoting an hour a week to marketing, so it doesn't go unattended for long periods.

It's easy to lose a few hours -- or a few days -- to a bad mood. On his Achieve-IT blog, software developer Brad Isaac recommends these counter-measures to regain your productivity:

• List why the cause of your bad mood is good for your life. In every bad event, there are also positive aspects. Identify them.
  
  
• List your thanks. Mark down 20 things to be grateful for.
  
  
• Practise smiling. Put a smile on your face, and positive feelings will follow.
  
  
• Do a random kindness. Bring a co-worker a surprise gourmet coffee or give a compliment on someone's new shoes. "Their reaction will melt that crusty attitude -- I promise," he says.
  
  
• Take a positive action today on your most important goal. The progress will move your emotions in a positive direction as well.
  
  
• Forgive others. They can get under your skin, but you can control your emotions. When someone makes you mad, think, "I forgive you. I forgive you. I forgive you." Give them -- and yourself -- a break.
  
  

In open offices, it's very easy to get interrupted just when you're in the flow, working on some important report or project. On the Timeback blog, consultant Dan Markovitz passes on the lesson of one company that found a simple solution.

Each person made two paper signs. A green sign, with green highlighter, says, "Open," which means they are available to talk. A red sign has a time written on it, "Do not disturb until __ o'clock." They then post it on their cube walls (or you could put it on the side of your desk).

"It's cheap, it works, and it keep you sane," he says.

• Practise listening. Sit down with someone and ask her to talk about a subject she is passionate about for two minutes. Your job is to listen, avoiding any reactions, including head nodding. After two minutes, summarize what you heard in 10 words or less. It will teach you to quiet your mind and open up more fully to others.
  (Source: Kent Blumberg blog)



• Forty-five per cent of adult Internet users have generated online content or "user-generated content." Another sign of the power of interactivity: MySpace gets more traffic than Google.com.
  (Source: Search Marketing Standard blog)



• If you walk into a bank wearing a ski mask, whatever your intention you will not receive a warm welcome. Consultant Mark Shead says that's a reminder to consider how others perceive you. After an interaction, ask three questions to yourself: What did the person hear; did they feel threatened; and how do they perceive your authority?
  (Source: Productivity501 blog)



• Ivan Misner, known as the father of modern networking, says the number one rule in referral marketing is not to make your referral provider look bad. Demonstrate to that individual you know how to sell in a constructive, consultative way that won't embarrass him or her.
  (Source: Entrepreneur.com)



• Research in Australia shows it's more difficult to process information if it is coming at you in written and spoken form at the same time, contradicting the PowerPoint urge in presentations today. Education Professor John Sweller says: "The use of the PowerPoint presentation has been a disaster. It should be ditched."
  (Source: The Sydney Morning Herald)

Given human nature, a formal job interview can be an imperfect tool for assessing how well a candidate fits the job and the work environment. We have seen data indicating there is a high chance of a bad hiring decision (with the employee leaving or being fired within a year) when it is based on a single personal interview. There are ways to reduce the risk.

First, avoid common interviewing pitfalls and use good technique. For instance, use a structured interview with prepared questions. Don't talk too much, and keep the impact of your own interpersonal dynamics to a minimum. Don't agree or disagree with the candidate -- instead, express interest and understanding. Avoid asking too many closed questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no; they tend to yield minimal information.

Don't ask questions that beg obvious eager-to-please answers: Instead, we recommend a style of question that asks candidates to describe their behaviour in particular situations in their past (for example, "based on your own experience, could you tell me about a time when you had to deal with ...?").

Another common error is to assume that the way a person presents in one context is a trait that will persist in all work situations. Under pressure, a candidate might be an effective writer but a weak oral communicator. She might be highly creative in a relaxed atmosphere, but dry up in an intense time-limited interview. He might be highly polished in a formal, structured interview but awkward or insensitive at informal social events.

Since candidates respond differently to various types of stress, situations and formats, we recommend that interviewers use more than a single interview. Consider other techniques to round out your assessment: email interviews, informal social formats (such as having a meal with your staff), mini-projects that give you a chance to work together, effective reference checks, and minimum-skill testing that requires, say, critiquing, writing or demonstrating certain technical skills.

Perhaps the most important thing is to know what you're really looking for -- if your interviewing team has a clear and focused understanding of what it will take for a candidate to succeed in the job and fit in with your culture, you will be well on your way to a successful hire.

Recently we have had opportunities in our facilitation work to use a concept called a "premortem" and found it works well. This idea is described in the September issue of the Harvard Business Review. In a medical context, a post-mortem involves a determination of what has caused a patient's death; a pre-mortem employs your imagination to work backwards from a hypothetical future failure.

A typical premortem is conducted in the last stage of your planning. The decision leader asks the planning team to imagine it's some date in the future, and informs them that the project has failed spectacularly. Members are then asked to independently write down every reason they can think of for the failure. Very quickly a list of critical issues can be identified, pointing out ways to strengthen the plan against potential disaster.

The technique can be powerful -- it gets around any hesitation to mention things that might go wrong and sensitizes your team to any early signs of trouble during project implementation.

8020Info offers a variety of services and techniques, including premortems, to assist your planning teams. We would be pleased to discuss your requirements and welcome enquiries at (613) 542-8020, or by email at watercooler@8020info.com.