Where are you with Social Media -- Time to go to market

In a recent Convention South survey of more than 120 meeting planners, more than half -- 61 percent—said they're using social media websites and tools for business purposes.

In fact, of those who use social media sites:
47% use them to market meetings
43% use them to connect with attendees
19% use them to connect with other planners
25% use them to connect with suppliers/ vendors
17% use them to share ideas about event planning.

But just what sites are planners using?
According to the survey:
55% use Facebook
10% use Twitter
35% use various other sites such as Linkedln, YouTube and blogs.

The data shows that most meeting pros are using Facebook over Twitter; however, we weren't quite convinced that Facebook was the most-used social media site when it comes to conducting business. So, the editors checked in with its ConventionSouth Twitter followers and asked them to weigh in. Turns out, Facebook may not corner the market when it comes to the most-used site.

Here's a sampling of the results:
LinkedIn is used to share info and invitations with senior level planners
Twitter is used because its the easiest and concise
LinkedIn Facebook, and Twitter in that order to promote articles of interest, industry news, company news, and promotions

SOURCE: Convention South Magazine

Take a positive approach when a staffer's work lags

Most of your employees want to do a good job. Addressing performance problems right away helps them succeed. Don't confront the employee with harsh criticism; instead, explain specifically what you've observed and what's required, and listen to the employee's point of view.

Most of the time you'll be able to resolve the problem painlessly. Follow up as needed to ensure that the employee really is improving, and recognize that improvement and reinforce it.

If employees don't respond you may need to move on to a disciplinary approach, but take these positive steps first to show your workforce you're committed to employee success.

Source: The Motivational Manager, adapted from the Ewagz website

Five steps to high performance as a supervisor

You can't become a top manager by wishing for it. But you can follow these rules for becoming a high-performing manager that employees will want to follow:

Explain your role and responsibilities: First, be sure you understand everything you're accountable for in the workplace. Then communicate those responsibilities clearly to your employees. They need to understand why you're emphasizing certain goals and practices.

Set objectives that don't conflict. Take a good look at what you're asking employees to accomplish in the short term and in the long run. If you push employees to meet weekly goals that undercut long-term growth (selling defective products that need to be replaced later, for example), your organization's revenues will suffer, as will employee's motivation.

Share your decision-making process. Think about how you make decisions. Is your process rational? Can others see what criteria you're using? When employees understand the logic behind your decisions, they'll be able to make better decisions themselves.

Plan your actions. Don't make up your strategy as you go along. Invest time in determining where you and your workforce need to go and how you can get there quickly and efficiently. Plan for setbacks and obstacles so an unexpected failure doesn't cause panic.

Schedule your priorities. A to-do list is only a start. Rank your objectives and assigned clear deadlines for the most important items, and communicate priorities to your entire workforce so your associates can plan their efforts accordingly.

SOURCE: The Motivational Manager, Adapted from the Leadership Articles website