PEO CANADA

Most individuals are not natural born leaders. Most have to work at acquiring and fine tuning their leadership skills. Often times when new managers/team leads are brought into a leadership position, they try to do everything in order to prove why they belong in that position, when instead they should be surrounding themselves with good people who specialize in specific areas. A leader’s role should be to provide direction and coordinate the expertise of the teammates allowing the team to function effectively. It is no different than in sports. The best hockey, soccer or baseball player is not usually going to be the best coach, and more times then not they fail as a coach. It is the coordination between all of the skill sets that allows a team to be great. It is important for leaders not to fear that their team members are more than likely going to be better than they are in specific areas. For example, a sales representative has the potential to make more than their manager as their pay is based on commission. As a leader, you want your sales representatives to surpass your sales abilities.

The attached link is a very interesting article written by Zach Miller and it discusses “The 9 Major Causes of Failure in Leadership.” I think many of the causes for failure mentioned in the article are done by various leaders without them even knowing it.

http://www.hrng.ca/sites/hrng.ca/files/The_9_Major_Causes_of_Failure_In_Leadership.pdf

Starting January 11, 2011 new accounting and financial principles will be implemented for both Public and Private Companies. Public Companies will no longer be able to use the current Canadian GAAP as they will be required to use the new Canadian GAAP-PE. Private Companies however have a choice to either adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or the new Canadian GAAP-PE. To learn more about these changes we have attached a link to an interesting article on the Benefits Canada website:

http://www.benefitscanada.com/pension/governance/article.jsp?content=20100302_080842_12540     

- written by Lorne Lebow

Recently, the Bank of Canada announced that the prime lending rate would not be changed, although, they hinted at an increase in July. It’s not like the government would ever lie, right?

Change or no change, I have to stress: get a mortgage pre-approval if you are thinking of buying a home in the future.

I will start by giving you a brief explanation on how the prime lending rate affects the housing market. There is a common misconception that the prime rate is tied to mortgage rates. This is entirely incorrect. The prime rate can indirectly impact mortgage rates, but they are not tied together.

Many people have been waiting for an announcement from the Bank of Canada as they assumed that a raise in the prime lending rate would in turn raise the mortgage rates, and thus their ability to buy real estate might be affected.

A raise in prime could affect mortgage rates, but not necessarily, and not immediately.

The mortgage market is based entirely upon the bond market, and the bond market is impacted by many things. For example, there is an interesting relationship between the stock market and the bond market. If the stock market is hot and people are making money, they may not seek out the bond market as an investment vehicle. When the bond yield rises, so too does the five-year-fixed mortgage rate. This is the relationship we are interested in!

So if the prime lending rate is raised from 2.25% to 2.50%, will the five-year-fixed rate mortgages jump from (approx) 3.69% to 3.94%? No, they won’t. But in time, if the bond yields rise, then so too will the mortgage rates.

As a Mortgage Agent, I am able to lock in a rate for 120 days after doing a mortgage pre-approval. So, if the Bank of Canada did raise rates 50 basis points, and the shakeout from the financial markets did impact mortgage rates, a buyer who was pre-approved before it all went down would get to keep the lower rate!

I’ve asked the rhetorical question before: “How can you know what to look at when you don’t know how much you can afford?”  The mortgage pre-approval will tell you which doors to enter.

So the question becomes, why not get pre-approved?

You might ask, “Who cares about service? I only care about the rate.” Some buyers will just take the posted rate their financial institution offers because they have been a client at the bank for years, trusts that the bank really cares and do not want to leave their comfort zone. They also deal with “any” Agent at the bank who arranges Car Loans, RSP’s, Mortgages, etc. Jack of all trades, master of none?

Whether you’re a first-time home buyer or a seasoned home buyer, you need somebody at the top of the mortgage game to guide you through the process not only for a competitive rate but for service.

Information Note: The next scheduled date for announcing the overnight rate target is April 20, 2010.

Tanya Miedema, Mortgage Agent, Unisource Mortgage

Email: Tanya.m@unisourcemortgage.ca   Website: http://www.tanya.unisourcemortgage.ca

The bane of existence for most people when they think of getting into sales, “cold calling” is the thing that keeps many good people away from the profession of sales. The question almost everyone asks, “Do I have to do cold calling?”

As well, there is a wave of thought that believes the era of cold calling is dead. Networking is the way to get successful in sales. That is where you make all the big sales. I cannot deny that. Often the senior people will not accept cold calls and the only way to meet them, connect with them, and build a relationship with them, is initiated in a networking avenue. Or it comes from a referral from someone else.

In building a sales territory or book of business, in many instances it is a must to network. People are busy running just to stay ahead today. To land the “big fish”, you need to network and meet people away from the traditional business avenues.

However, is cold calling dead? I think that depends on who your client is. If your client, or target market, consists of primarily senior people, you better get out the networking suit and hit the events.

But if your potential client base is the “average Joe”, or “Josephine”, then going to networking functions may not reach everyone. Senior people network, sales people network but most people don’t. So if your client is going to be the average mid level manager, intermediate decision maker, I believe you still need to hit the streets.

I agree that the day of walking in on a company and expecting to meet the decision maker is long past but walking up and down the street, obtaining contact info, researching the company and then “cold call phoning” to book appointments, is still a very effective way to build your business.

Is cold calling dead? I think it depends on your target market. But for some, it is still a critical component to being successful. You just need to suck it up, go out and do it.   

How are you doing on your New Years Resolutions? Most of us begin each New Year with wonderful intentions to get fit, eat better, lose weight or, in general, attain a better level of wellness in our lives.

However, usually by this point, most of us have already faltered. We need to learn to take baby steps towards our goals and not to give up if we encounter a set back.

Wellness is multi-faceted: Physical, Mental and Emotional concerns all affect us each day. Since all of our body’s systems are connected, our family and social life, work environment and spirituality all play an important role in our overall wellness.

Increasing your Physical Wellness can start with simple activities such as a 10 minute walk, or taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. Rather than force yourself to go to the gym, crank up your favorite playlist and start dancing and singing around the house. Remember the olden days and how we loved to skip? A skipping rope is an inexpensive and fun way to start getting some exercise. A more popular activity is to join your kids with the Wii fit and challenge each other. Make Fitness Fun! If we get accustomed to taking small steps to physical activity, we may start to enjoy the good effects and look to extend our activities and the length of time we are willing to commit. Our diet can also have a direct affect to physical wellness. Strive to eat a wide variety of food and abide by the rule - ‘everything in moderation’. Also, remember the other biggie - Drink lots of water and rehydrate your body.

Improving Mental Well-being by taking the time to enjoy lounging in a soothing bath, relaxing and losing yourself in a good book, or learning a few yoga techniques can go a long way to reducing stress and improving our body and soul. If you’re committed to making this year even better than last, your first step is to stop feeling guilty for doing the things you enjoy. What matters isn’t what you choose to do, but that it makes you feel good about yourself. Make time to let your mind wander - you never know where your dreams may lead. Daydreaming can relax the mind, boost productivity and allow you to consider a wide range of possibilities for yourself. Try a little reading, a little soft music - whatever makes you feel nurtured and relaxed. 

Emotions and well-being also go hand in hand. Getting in a good nights sleep can do wonders for your day.  Try getting to bed 30 minutes earlier every night for a week and see how the extra sleep affects your mood. If you are so lucky and have the time, try taking a nap. Make sure you don’t nap for much longer than 20 minutes or you’ll wake up groggy. Take your nap early in the afternoon so you don’t have trouble falling asleep at bedtime. Taking time for yourself is necessary but don’t forget that taking the time to connect with our loved ones will also reap rewards. Cuddle your kids, hug your spouse, and share some laughter.

We tend to take care of everyone else before we take care of ourselves. Let’s give ourselves a break and get back on track – one step at a time.