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[crehador]

reminder that "republished with permission" on reposted fanart, without proof of permission given, means the same thing as "republished without permission"

[unixcommerce]

Improve Your Communication Skills and Motivate Your Team

There are a significant number of managers that struggle to maintain trust and strong relationships with their employees. This can be a key factor behind the large percentage of workers that are unhappy with their jobs. Even in a monotonous job, a manager that one can look up to and learn from will dramatically improve the experience at work. Although some managers get thrust into their roles without training — that does not mean the skills cannot (or should not!) be learned. Communication tips can change those results.

Improve Your Communication Skills

Good communication skills from a manager will bring greater success.

They are extremely valuable because even a 10 percent increase in worker productivity (and a good manager can often yield much more) will play a huge role in the success of your company.

Motivating Communication Tips

Whether you got thrust into a manager role, have been preparing for it, or just want to develop better working relationships with your employees, here are eight communication tips that will help you better motivate those around you:

1. Do your work well.

First and foremost, you have to set an example. Let your quality of work do the talking. When the work that you bring to the table is not up-to-par — you will lose the respect of those around you. They will value your opinion less, and, as a manager, you will have less influence on your employees.

This also means you should be willing to get your hands dirty. Instead of making your employees and coworkers do all of the busy work — do not hesitate to jump in when it makes sense.

Good communication lowers the damaging power dynamic.

Good communication will lower the power dynamic and, instead will create more friendly and trusting relationships. When others understand that you are not asking them to do anything you would not do yourself. They will put more effort into the work at hand.

2. Understand others’ goals.

Another one of our communication tips is to take time to understand the goals of those around you. Whether they want to earn maximum money in minimum hours and spend the rest of their time with family, or they want to climb the corporate ladder, or even pick up a few specific skills, understanding this can help orient the support that you provide.

What is the other person’s world about?

Despite how caught up we can get in our own bubbles, those around you have an entirely different world. They are spending a significant chunk of their lives doing work for the company, and there must be a reason for it. Those reasons can sometimes get lost in the chaos of the day-to-day, though. Losing sight of them is a big mistake.

Help others meet their goals.

The best managers are able to help their employees accomplish their goals, which starts by understanding them. Then, you can make orientations accordingly. When people feel as if they are working towards their aims, and being supported in doing so, they will do much better work.

3. Give people autonomy. 

There will be times when you have employees that either want you to tell them exactly what to do — or are unable to meet the necessary quality of work. In those cases, the approach is different. The majority of workers, though, cherish autonomy and being challenged.

Good managers challenge, not overwhelm.

This means you have to let your employees take the work into their own hands. A good manager is able to challenge those around them without breathing down their necks. It will make them more creative, and they will enjoy their jobs significantly more. 

4. Frequently check with others.

Depending on your bandwidth, at the minimum, you should aim to have a monthly check-in with your employees. This is a great gauge to see how they are doing in relation to their goals. Are they struggling? Is there anything they want to improve about their experience or your managing style?

Baby steps.

These communication tips show that you care about them which can play a dramatic role in productivity.

5. Pay attention to their lives outside of work. 

Although work does play a large part in people’s lives, they have many things happening outside of the office. Pay attention to those things. You do not — by any means — have to be their marriage counselor. That said, understanding the events outside of work will give you a greater number of ways to relate to them and, also, a better idea of why they might be particularly positive or negative on a given day.

6. Be open and upfront.

Passive managers tend to be ineffective. Even if confrontation makes you uncomfortable — as a manager, you have to get over the fear.

When you have a problem with someone else, you should voice it. It does not have to be with animosity or a negative attitude, but it should be put on the table. This will, for one, prevent you from developing pent-up anger towards someone. Plus, people frequently do not even know they are doing something wrong.

Speak up.

Communication will increase the quality of work from those around you, and it will also create an open culture in your office. When employees are used to being upfront, they will do so with each other, and, even with you. Then, not only will they improve, but you might get feedback to become a better manager.

7. Be yourself. 

People can tell when you are not being authentic, and it makes you less respectable. Instead, you should manage in the way that you, as a person, would manage. You do not need to change because you have a leadership role and face more scrutiny.

If you are a goofy guy that loves stupid jokes, then do not lose that just because you are a “manager.” There are small communication tweaks that are vital, but that does not mean you need to fundamentally change.

Help others to be themselves.

Maintaining your personality will not only give those around you great respect for you, but it will also encourage them to be themselves.

8. Be open to constant improvement.

No matter how strong or weak of a leader you have been in the past, managing is still a challenge. There are near infinite things to learn, similar to the way that you can always become a better athlete or engineer.

Always improve.

Subsequently, you have to be open to constant improvement. Pay attention to situations when your efforts fall short and your employee relationships — or their productivities, are suffering.

Those are opportunities to source the root of the problem and use it to become a better manager moving forward. Just because you have a flaw in your style now, does not mean it needs to continue moving forward.

Everyone can learn to become a better manager.

Managing is a skill that needs constant refinement. When you are conscious about becoming a better manager, while also implementing the above communication skills, you will be able to thrive.

Earning and deserving respect.

You will earn the respect of those around you, boost employee productivity and, ultimately, become way more valuable for the company you work for.

Republished by permission. Original here

Image: Due.com

This article, “Improve Your Communication Skills and Motivate Your Team” was first published on Small Business Trends

https://smallbiztrends.com/

The post Improve Your Communication Skills and Motivate Your Team appeared first on Unix Commerce.

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[johnaculbreath]

26 Actions to Take To Become Cyber Secure

When I first joined ALPS over 20 years ago, most of my risk management efforts were focused on proper file documentation, calendaring best practices and the like. Things are different nowadays as a significant amount of my risk management efforts have been redirected.  Today it’s all about trying to help lawyers become as cyber secure as possible.

One common concern I continue to hear from lawyers trying to do so is frustration over not knowing the specifics of what to do.  While our Rules of Professional Conduct and various ethics opinions mandate all kinds of things to include requiring lawyers to take steps to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client [See ABA Model Rule 1.6 (c)], these rules and opinions often fail to provide any meaningful guidance.

In order to try and address this problem, I have put together the following checklist.  It is intended to help those of you who have a desire to become more cyber secure know where to start. It may also be helpful in identifying areas of concern that can and should be discussed with IT support personnel. Be aware, however, that cybercrime attack vectors will continue to change and evolve so your effort to become cyber secure will never be a once and done kind of thing.  That said, here are the basics; and note that when the word “devices” is used, this word is meant to include all mobile devices and any home computers that are being used for work.

Checklist for Becoming Cyber Secure

____ Keep hardware and software as current as possible. You don’t need to be first in line for the latest and greatest; but don’t be the last in line either. Newer devices and programs almost always include improved security features and cyber criminals often target older devices and programs as a result.

____ Keep your server in a locked room because physical security matters!

____ Install effective security software suites on all devices.

____ Utilize intrusion detection systems.

____ Use a spam filter.

____ Keep all software on all devices up-to-date with the latest critical patches.

____ Determine where all firm data is stored and then create a security policy that responsibly addresses the situation.  For example, if you are backing up to external hard drives that are rotated off-site, these drives must be password protected and encrypted.

____ Password protect all devices.

____ Use two factor authentication whenever available on any device or with any application.

____ Develop a password policy that mandates the use of strong passwords (14 characters or more using upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters) and requires that passwords be changed on a regular basis.  Note: Every application and device in use should have its own unique password and no password should ever be reused once changed.  The use of a password manager can make this task easier and more secure than, for example, storing passwords in a file labeled “passwords” or writing them down and placing that list in a desk drawer.

____ Prohibit the sharing of user ids and passwords with anyone, to include others within the firm.

____ Have your IT support person change the default values on all wireless routers, server operating systems, etc.

____ Wireless networks should be set up with proper security to include enabling strong encryption. This means you must disable WEP and WPA encryption and require WPA2 encryption. Do not overlook home networks if home computers are being used for work.

____ Backup all data, periodically do a test restore of the backup, and store the backup in accordance with a disaster recovery plan because floods, fires and ransomware attacks happen. Backups should also be encrypted if taken off site or stored in the cloud. If using a cloud vendor, the vendor should not have access to the decryption key.

____ Any device that goes off site and contains any client confidences must be password protected and should be encrypted. This includes jump drives, external hard drives, laptops, smart phones, tablets, and home computers.

____ Limit privileges and access as appropriate. For example, does everyone in the office need access to the firm’s financial or employment records? Can everyone download and install anything they want on any device they have access to? Can everyone make changes to the system configuration? Don’t make it easy. Place limits on what people can do. Such limits can either be set up electronically via file permissions or physically via a locked door or cabinet.

____ Encrypt email and all data you place in the cloud. Some cloud companies advertise that they encrypt your data but only do so while the data is in transit. You must make certain your data is encrypted “at rest” as well. Better yet, don’t rely on the cloud provider for this at all. Encrypt your data before placing it in the cloud to enable you to have control over the encryption key.

____ Mandate that all work-related Internet sessions be encrypted and prohibit the use public computers and unsecured open public Wi-Fi networks. This does mean that access to the office network must always occur through the use of a VPN, MiFi, smartphone hotspot or some other type of encrypted connection.

____ Prohibit the use of any public computer for any reason. This would include the use of computer stations made available in the business center of a resort or hotel.

____ Have a policy that prohibits the jailbreaking of any mobile device that will be used for work. Jailbreaking is defined as modifying the operating system from its original state.

____ Never allow a non-employee to have access to your network absent appropriate oversight. In a similar vein, immediately cut off all avenues of access to the network upon terminating anyone’s employment. Terminated individuals should never have access to any office computer or network plug, even if it’s to simply download personal files, absent a trusted escort.

____ Provide mandatory social engineering awareness training to everyone at the firm at least once a year.

____ Develop a cyber breach incidence response plan and provide the necessary training. At its most basic, if anyone suspects a device has been breached, teach them how to immediately disconnect from the Internet and/or the office network and instruct them to contact IT support immediately. They should never try to resolve the problem themselves!

____ Purchase a cyber liability insurance policy.

____ Check your internal and Internet facing network security at least annually to make sure your network is secure. This can be done by having a vulnerability assessment or penetration test done.

____ Properly dispose of any device or digital media that has or had any firm related data on it. Don’t overlook digital copiers, digital cameras, memory cards, CDs, DVDs, jump drives, backup tapes, etc. All devices and media must be digitally wiped clean and/or physically destroyed. This does mean that devices cannot be given away for personal use, donated, recycled, or sold unless the entire drives have been overwritten.

All opinions, advice, and experiences of guest bloggers/columnists are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, practices or experiences of Solo Practice University®.

26 Actions to Take To Become Cyber Secure republished via Solo Practice University®

[unixcommerce]

Improve Your Communication Skills and Motivate Your Team

There are a significant number of managers that struggle to maintain trust and strong relationships with their employees. This can be a key factor behind the large percentage of workers that are unhappy with their jobs. Even in a monotonous job, a manager that one can look up to and learn from will dramatically improve the experience at work. Although some managers get thrust into their roles without training — that does not mean the skills cannot (or should not!) be learned. Communication tips can change those results.

Improve Your Communication Skills

Good communication skills from a manager will bring greater success.

They are extremely valuable because even a 10 percent increase in worker productivity (and a good manager can often yield much more) will play a huge role in the success of your company.

Motivating Communication Tips

Whether you got thrust into a manager role, have been preparing for it, or just want to develop better working relationships with your employees, here are eight communication tips that will help you better motivate those around you:

1. Do your work well.

First and foremost, you have to set an example. Let your quality of work do the talking. When the work that you bring to the table is not up-to-par — you will lose the respect of those around you. They will value your opinion less, and, as a manager, you will have less influence on your employees.

This also means you should be willing to get your hands dirty. Instead of making your employees and coworkers do all of the busy work — do not hesitate to jump in when it makes sense.

Good communication lowers the damaging power dynamic.

Good communication will lower the power dynamic and, instead will create more friendly and trusting relationships. When others understand that you are not asking them to do anything you would not do yourself. They will put more effort into the work at hand.

2. Understand others’ goals.

Another one of our communication tips is to take time to understand the goals of those around you. Whether they want to earn maximum money in minimum hours and spend the rest of their time with family, or they want to climb the corporate ladder, or even pick up a few specific skills, understanding this can help orient the support that you provide.

What is the other person’s world about?

Despite how caught up we can get in our own bubbles, those around you have an entirely different world. They are spending a significant chunk of their lives doing work for the company, and there must be a reason for it. Those reasons can sometimes get lost in the chaos of the day-to-day, though. Losing sight of them is a big mistake.

Help others meet their goals.

The best managers are able to help their employees accomplish their goals, which starts by understanding them. Then, you can make orientations accordingly. When people feel as if they are working towards their aims, and being supported in doing so, they will do much better work.

3. Give people autonomy. 

There will be times when you have employees that either want you to tell them exactly what to do — or are unable to meet the necessary quality of work. In those cases, the approach is different. The majority of workers, though, cherish autonomy and being challenged.

Good managers challenge, not overwhelm.

This means you have to let your employees take the work into their own hands. A good manager is able to challenge those around them without breathing down their necks. It will make them more creative, and they will enjoy their jobs significantly more. 

4. Frequently check with others.

Depending on your bandwidth, at the minimum, you should aim to have a monthly check-in with your employees. This is a great gauge to see how they are doing in relation to their goals. Are they struggling? Is there anything they want to improve about their experience or your managing style?

Baby steps.

These communication tips show that you care about them which can play a dramatic role in productivity.

5. Pay attention to their lives outside of work. 

Although work does play a large part in people’s lives, they have many things happening outside of the office. Pay attention to those things. You do not — by any means — have to be their marriage counselor. That said, understanding the events outside of work will give you a greater number of ways to relate to them and, also, a better idea of why they might be particularly positive or negative on a given day.

6. Be open and upfront.

Passive managers tend to be ineffective. Even if confrontation makes you uncomfortable — as a manager, you have to get over the fear.

When you have a problem with someone else, you should voice it. It does not have to be with animosity or a negative attitude, but it should be put on the table. This will, for one, prevent you from developing pent-up anger towards someone. Plus, people frequently do not even know they are doing something wrong.

Speak up.

Communication will increase the quality of work from those around you, and it will also create an open culture in your office. When employees are used to being upfront, they will do so with each other, and, even with you. Then, not only will they improve, but you might get feedback to become a better manager.

7. Be yourself. 

People can tell when you are not being authentic, and it makes you less respectable. Instead, you should manage in the way that you, as a person, would manage. You do not need to change because you have a leadership role and face more scrutiny.

If you are a goofy guy that loves stupid jokes, then do not lose that just because you are a “manager.” There are small communication tweaks that are vital, but that does not mean you need to fundamentally change.

Help others to be themselves.

Maintaining your personality will not only give those around you great respect for you, but it will also encourage them to be themselves.

8. Be open to constant improvement.

No matter how strong or weak of a leader you have been in the past, managing is still a challenge. There are near infinite things to learn, similar to the way that you can always become a better athlete or engineer.

Always improve.

Subsequently, you have to be open to constant improvement. Pay attention to situations when your efforts fall short and your employee relationships — or their productivities, are suffering.

Those are opportunities to source the root of the problem and use it to become a better manager moving forward. Just because you have a flaw in your style now, does not mean it needs to continue moving forward.

Everyone can learn to become a better manager.

Managing is a skill that needs constant refinement. When you are conscious about becoming a better manager, while also implementing the above communication skills, you will be able to thrive.

Earning and deserving respect.

You will earn the respect of those around you, boost employee productivity and, ultimately, become way more valuable for the company you work for.

Republished by permission. Original here

Image: Due.com

This article, “Improve Your Communication Skills and Motivate Your Team” was first published on Small Business Trends

https://smallbiztrends.com/

The post Improve Your Communication Skills and Motivate Your Team appeared first on Unix Commerce.

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[cleancutpage]

What Is A Ground Lease?

This post originally appeared on tBL Marketplace Partner member  The Massimo Group Blog and is republished with permission. Find out how to syndicate your content with theBrokerList.

Considering setting up a ground lease for your real estate? We have summarized a few details about it for you.

In this article:

Ground Lease Definition

Types of Ground Lease

Setting Ground Lease Payments

Know More About Ground Lease

Ground Lease Definition

A ground lease or a ground rent is a type of commercial real estate lease where a lessee develops the real estate property he or she is renting.

Like an ordinary lease, there are two parties involved – the lender or the landlord/real property owner, and the lessee or the tenant.

The lessee is required to pay rent to the landlord on a periodic basis. The landlord can also evict the lessee in case of non-payment.

Ground lease has been a staple in commercial real estate investment financing.

It enables a lender to build a business on a well-located land that cannot be purchased. Different huge businesses like McDonalds and Starbucks take advantage of a ground lease to be able to expand in strategic locations.

This type of leasehold agreement also helps both the lender and the tenant save on real estate taxes. Land purchase requires higher real estate taxes and other expenses compared to a lease agreement.

Unlike a usual land purchase, upfront cash payments are not needed. This may lower the required upfront equity in financing the investment.

As a result, the tenant could free more cash that they can then use for another investment. Also, the landlord would receive a steady income stream from rent payments while retaining the ownership of the real property.

A land lease agreement has premises for escalation and eviction rights, as well.

These premises may legally allow the lender the following:

a. Ownership of the improvements on the leased land once the lease term is done b. Increases in the rent fee over time c. Additional protection in case the lessee defaults

Types of Ground Lease

There are two main types of a ground lease agreement – subordinated and unsubordinated ground lease. The main differences between the two are in relation to the tenant’s loan financing on real estate property improvements.

One example of such real estate property improvement is land development.

Typically, a tenant would also borrow money to finance the construction for the improvements on the leased land. As a result, the tenant may partner up with a land developer for a construction loan.

RELATED: How To Create An Effective Commercial Real Estate Marketing Plan

Subordinated Ground Lease

In a subordinated ground lease, the landlord agrees that the title of the property will be used as a leasehold mortgage for the tenant’s loan on property improvements.

For the tenant, this may be beneficial. Having the property as a leasehold mortgage increases the tenant’s chances in obtaining a construction loan. And, this may give the tenant better terms on the loan, as well.

For the landlord, this may be risky. In case the lessee defaults on the construction loan, the land improvement loan may result to foreclosure and the landowner may lose the title to the commercial real estate property itself.

Since this type of leasehold is risky, the landlord may demand for rent fee increases for the land lease. Also, the landlord may impose stricter control on lease transactions with the tenant.

Unsubordinated Ground Lease

On the other hand, in an unsubordinated ground lease, the landowner does not allow the property to be used as a leasehold mortgage. This puts the landowner in a safer position since there is no risk to any foreclosure.

In case the tenant defaults on the construction loan, the ownership to the land improvement may go to the landowner. This may be beneficial to the landowner, since such land improvement may increase the leasehold’s fair market value.

Also, since this type of leasehold is less risky, the landowner may grant a lower rental fee.

Setting Ground Lease Payments

One challenge the real property lender may face is setting the most optimal rent fees. The lender, as the property owner, may face a huge probability of default if the price is too high.

The lender may peg the rental fees on the fair market value of the rent of similar properties. And then, he or she may give annual rent increases due to inflation.

The lender may also opt to have a fixed percentage increase periodically. Another common option the lender may do is to reset the rent costs every 10 to 20 years.

The lender may grant rent payment deferral to the lessee as leasehold mortgage financing aid during the initial stage of the property development.

Setting up a ground lease contract may seem too complicated. Both the property owner and the lessee may need to involve different professionals, but given the numerous benefits of a ground lease, it may be the best solution for your real estate needs.

Get known, connect instantly, and win more business! In this webinar session, Bo Barron will show you how presence, a great value proposition, and a targeted prospecting campaign can grow your business without chaos! You can watch the webinar here.

Up Next: Commercial Real Estate Loans | Everything You Need to Know

What Is A Ground Lease?

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How Commercial Real Estate Uses Big Data: It can help you reach the right client

This post originally appeared on Marketplace Partner, RealMassive's RealMassive News Blog and is republished with permission. Find out how to syndicate your content with theBrokerList.

Market Data is the lifeblood of Commercial Real Estate; without it, we simply cannot do a good job representing our clients. This is why the best brokers spend so much time and effort gathering the most accurate picture of the market. It’s also why we always hear stories of brokers giving inaccurate information about their listings to some companies gathering Market Data: keeping the real data for yourself can give you an edge over your competition.

But big data is able to change all that.

Before we dive into the how, it’s important to talk about what big data actually is. When terms like cloud computing, machine learning, and big data get used as much as they do, they start to take on different meanings to different people.

What Big Data Is

For us, big data is simply a large amount of information. But what’s most important is not the amount of data, though if there isn’t a lot, it isn’t big data. The value you can get from analyzing it is important, but it doesn’t take the cake either. The most important part is what you can do with the information.

That sounds semantic, we know. But hear us out:

How Big Data Is Changing Commercial Real Estate

Amazon changed retail and Zillow changed residential real estate in one simple way: they gave people more control over, and more access to, information. Today, people can research products, see reviews and make a decision on what they want to buy on everything from coffee makers to homes because the markets have a large amount of transparency.

Commercial Real Estate, on the other hand, is one of the last bastions of the 20th century way of managing information. But people, be they investors or prospective tenants, are used to handling a large amount of research on their own.

And they prefer it that way.

By simply giving them what they want, you’ll be simplifying your operations, and freeing up your time, while providing better customer service. This is exactly why we’ve seen a big shift in listings for properties being showcased online, instead of being hidden behind closed doors, over the past few years. This gives us the critical mass of data that lets us shift to how Big Data is changing CRE.

New Tools at Your Disposal

Ok, these aren’t ‘new’ tools exactly, but they are more efficient and effective versions of your old tools. With big data, your expertise becomes more valuable, and you are able to spend less time gathering and analyzing data and more time gathering and helping clients.

Here’s how it works:

Confirming previously formulated opinions

 If you think the market is being distorted by a few big deals skewing the average sale price, a quick look at the market’s data can glean the truth. Along the same vein, if you think sales volume is down because of a lack of new properties hitting the market, it’s easy to verify. With Big Data, what took hours now takes minutes.

Developing an actionable strategy

Confirming your theories, obviously, helps you build your strategy. You can interpret the data and show your clients that now is not a good time to buy, that they should rent for another year or two before looking to purchase because of x, w, or z reasons.

Discovering new metrics to measure the market by

This is the real game-changer. By sorting and resorting the data based on multiple different metrics, you can begin to see patterns, like the premium a building gets for having a loading dock. This, in turn, informs your actionable strategy for a given client based on their needs and goals.

Creating more accurate deal valuations

The phrase, ‘Price is what you pay, value is what you get,’ has almost become cliché…but it doesn’t change how true it is.

The more data you have at your fingertips, the stronger your negotiating position is. And if you have real-time data to mine, you can know exactly what is going on in the market without having to spend large amount of time and resources to discover it.

What’s Next

Access to big data is changing the face of the CRE industry. It saves brokers time and gives them better information to act on.

The best news? Once the masses are using it, you’ll have to use it as well just to keep up. But right now, getting on board as an early adopter gives brokers a competitive advantage.

RSS Feed provided by theBrokerList Blog - Are you on theBrokerList for commercial real estate (cre)? and How Commercial Real Estate Uses Big Data: It can help you reach the right client was written by RealMassive.

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