Organizational Psychology: The Power of Reinforcement

One of my favorite courses as business student was Organizational Psychology. That favor stemmed from having such an awesome professor who made a mundane subject rather inspiring.

Organizational psychology is a scientific study of the behaviors and attitudes of people within a working environment. And if you're working to become an epic entrepreneur, you'll definitely want to understand a few things about organization psychology.

Reinforcement is perhaps the most powerful and influential aspect of psychology. Receiving feedback from your boss can alter your level of productivity, as well as your mood and mindset. For this reason, you'll want to leverage the power of reinforcement with righteous intentions.

As an epic entrepreneur, how exactly do you do that?

Providing quality reinforcement, whether positive or negative, requires a strong sense of empathy. That is, you must somewhat understand your recipient's perspective and feelings (or the ability to put yourself in their shoes.)

This is particularly important when giving negative reinforcement - or feedback focused on on stopping an individual from behaving in such a way.

How to Give Quality Reinforcement

Below I share with you just a few tips on how to give quality reinforcement in the workplace.

• Know the exact purpose of your reinforcement and what the projected outcome will be. Meaningless reinforcement is definitely not righteous, and ain't no body got time for that.
• Offer incentives or rewards for performance. Regardless of how big or small, an incentive can be a highly effective form of positive reinforcement.
• Practice empathy by listening more and speaking less. An epic entrepreneur knows his audience by asking questions, engaging with people, and learning about them. As a result, purposeful reinforcement can be delivered

With respect to the last point, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

        "It does not take many words to the speak the truth." - Native American, Chief Joseph


About the Author: This article was contributed by Tyler Tafelsky, a marketing manager, Yogi, triathlete  and overall righteous dude. To learn more about Tyler, connect with him on Twitter or Google+.

Leverage the Efficiencies of IT to Optimize Your Business

Whether you have an already established company or a business plan in the works, leveraging IT (information technology) can help make your operations much more efficient.

When most of us think of "IT" we think of bulky computer hardware, such as servers and computer networks. However now, IT spans across many different technologies and applications, such as mobile.

Below are some tips to help the epic entrepreneur leverage IT to optimize his or her business.

Target Operational or Service Inefficiencies

Internal operations and the delivery of customer service are typically areas that can improve with the help of IT. Every business model is unique, so you'll have to do some internal soul-searching to determine the areas of your company that could use technology to more effective or productive. In short, pinpoint the bottlenecks, areas of customer complaints, or employee overuse/dissatisfaction and assess whether or not technology can help.

Get Customer & Employee Feedback

The more you can learn from both your customers and your employees the better. Gather feedback from these parties to determine areas for improvement. Once you have pinpointed specific components of your business that can be enhanced, you can then think about how IT can be of use. Integrating cutting edge IT and computer information systems on both the customer-level and production level and help to streamline your operations

Speak with Your Local IT Consultant

A industry professional can help enlighten you and your team about opportunities using technology. Set-up a meeting with your local IT consultant to explore various ways in which technology can empower your business. Depending on the type of company you operate, there are usually ways to optimize certain functions of your business with the support of IT.

Research New Technologies

Staying abreast emerging technologies can help you gauge whether or not investments are worth the money and effort. Especially with more mobile technologies coming out on the market, the versatility in IT goes far beyond what many people imagine. The use of tablets and other personal gadgets has revolutionized how some business operate. As a result, some companies have positioned themselves has more creative and cutting edge than their competitors.

Again, many of insights can be gathered by speaking with a professional IT consulting company or individual IT expert. If you do not operate your business in a metropolitan area, you can receive IT consulting services over the web as well.

Is your company leveraging any unique or cutting-edge technologies or IT solutions? Let us know in the comments section below.

Yogi Words of Wisdom That Apply to Entrepreneurship

Every week I look forward to Yoga class. My instructors will share some interesting words of wisdom that I often think about long after the class is over. Some of their words I can apply to business and entrepreneurship.

Below I share with you a few words of wisdom from my Yoga instructors, and how they translate to aspects of starting and operating a successful business.

"You might not get there today, but perhaps you will tomorrow, or next week, or next month." - Be patient with the growth of your business. Progress will come with diligence and mindful, righteous effort.

"Respect your limits" - When business is on the up-swing and the leads come pouring in, don't bite off more than you can chew. This is important for consultants and service providers. Know your limits and avoid taking on too much too soon.

"It's all mental" - Everything in this world is truly is a mental schema. In an entrepreneurial context, your brand is the mental image that defines your business. You can shape it however you want. View your brand from the viewpoint of your audience, and try to position your business from a outside perspective.

"It's not what it looks like, it's what it feels like" - Don't obsess about aesthetics, such as your web design's color scheme or your company's logo. It's the quality of your work that's most meaningful. It's all about what you can do and what you can prove, not looks.

"Be mindful" - Whether toward your employees, your vendors, or your clients/customers, it's important to be mindful of all parties that surround your business. Exercise your sense of empathy and put yourself in others' shoes.

This article was contributed by Yogi and Internet marketing expert Tyler Tafelsky. To learn more about Tyler, connect with him on Twitter or Google+.