The big question has often been asked: What identifies a good manager? Does a good manager use his charisma to make people follow him? Does he have to flaunt an overpowering personality and use it to have things done? Is a good manager simply empathetic? Of course, in the era where many are obsessed with matters efficiency while being advocates of practices that are employee-friendly, it's crucial for a manager to develop the necessary skills and perfect personality. But what does this really mean? There's no question about it- history has-over time- proven that many organizations do well under good managers. Certainly, every ship needs a good captain. Without it, the crew is always at risk; it may run into one iceberg after another. As Paul Glen said: "A great manager derives satisfaction from doing everything to help others- he wants to make others productive. He isn't interested as much in making every person be the most effective in the room.

A successful manager doesn't merely do everything himself. He doesn't just carry the team together. No, a successful manager enables his team members to do more. Hence, a good manager masters the art of making challenges so interesting and solutions so constructive that every team member is eager to get to work and face the challenge. In the same vein, a great manager doesn't intimidate others. Instead, he inspires and motivates the team to accomplish its goals; yes, a great manager lights a fire inside the people- not under them. As such, as John C Maxwell said: Leadership isn't all about positions, titles and flowcharts; it's about a life influencing another. So, good management is much more than hierarchy and skills development; a great manager focuses on how he uses his talents and privileges to make a difference in his company.

Obviously, a great manager needs to develop a complex cocktail of qualities. These range from identifying latent potential to striving to be understanding towards all team members. In this context, a great manager is a great leader. He doesn't merely motivate, inspire, and coach everyone towards success-he provides constructive feedback, mentors, supports, and offers resources to help them meet their obligations. A good manager always considers the best interests of those under them. They always operate transparently and are ever ready to help a team member complete a task he may be struggling with.

Good managers are empathetic. This also means a good manager isn't emotionally distant or indifferent to the subordinate's feelings. Indeed, this can be one of the worst traits of a manager. This can negatively impact the employees' experience and hamper retention. It's unfortunate that many employees never get the necessary support from their managers. A recent study notably revealed that about 96% of employees felt they highly appreciate when their employers display sympathetic qualities. In response, a good manager should keenly focus on trying to understand the day-to-day tasks that each employee is assigned. He should strive to understand the crucial pain points that prevent employees from performing their best. He needs to cultivate a culture and work environment that allows the employees to work more comfortably, openly, and efficiently.

Moreover, great managers are highly skilled in the art of delegating tasks. They have a knack for identifying latent potential within their subordinate teams. A good manager uses such talents to their advantage; he delegates the tasks and splits responsibilities as necessary. Thus, such a manager helps the employees attain maximum productivity. He helps them derive satisfaction with their performance.

Since being a good manager requires the development of problem-solving skills, a great manager also needs to develop high emotional intelligence. He must be able to demonstrate great understanding and relate empathetically to other's emotions. This further means a successful manager must monitor and control his own emotions. This is what helps him diffuse explosive situations, resolve conflicts involving the employees and lead his team out of a slump.

Overall, a good manager should be knowledgeable; he must demonstrate a keen understanding of what is involved in executing his tasks- he must be knowledgeable about the industry dynamics. He must be open to learning new skills and consuming knowledge that helps them become better managers. Overall, great managers try to capitalize on the team members' strengths; they try to enable their employees to do everything according to their individual abilities.

Changing technologies have had a significant impact on the office environment since the 20th century. The ability to take advantage of technology is an essential skill in the changing workforce of the century. Modern offices transmit information via electronic mail, calendars, teleconferencing, zoom, and other electronic devices. Technological communication is just as important as oral and written communication in the work environment, thus playing a crucial role in transforming your business environment. An office should have systems that consist of tasks, procedures to complete the tasks, and sets of automated technologies designed to enhance productivity within the business organization structure. The following are types of technologies needed to create a good office environment for workers and visitors.

Internet service providers

Most of the devices used in an office are internet-enabled. To perform their daily tasks effectively, employees need a reliable internet connection during their working hours. Instead of settling with the provider you usually use at home, shop around to determine the best one for your organization's needs. Reliability of service is the most crucial factor, but one should also consider how responsive the provider is when an issue arises. Ask other local businesses in the space you are moving to understand which providers are better than the others.

Groupware Support System

It's a group of software such as Lotus Notes that enables team members to acess information on a specific project they are working on together. Some of its functions are document formatting, information management, and communication. It runs a network that links the workgroup with remote information via an electronic calendar. It also facilitates group decisions by providing a formalized process for brainstorming, distilling key concepts, prioritizing or ranking topics, and achieving group consensus.

Multimedia System

Multimedia systems present information using a combination of sound, graphics, animation, and videos. Its applications are in the education and business sectors. Most marketing presentations develop to advertise and sell products use multimedia. To attract an audience, sales representatives use a computer, a video projector, and a screen to make their presentations. Job applications, training applications are published on the internet for interactive advertisements.

Electronic Whiteboard

It's an interactive whiteboard with electronic ink and a touch-sensitive screen connected to a computer and a project. It offers a simple projection system used as a projection screen and a writing surface. It also allows trainers and instructors to operate the computer as if they are using a mouse but touching a point on the whiteboard. The screen is placed at the center for all participants to have a clear of the screen.

Record Management

Computer processing capacities and storage capacity have made electronic storage and retrieval of information a standard business practice. Document management records, management software, and imaging systems generated by a computer assist businesses with controlling a large volume of records. The imaging systems in an office convert all types of documents to digitized electronic data for easy accessibility. A scanner is also another device used to convert documents into digitized form. For high-volume record management, laser optical disks are the appropriate ones for their high capacity and durability.

Web-Based E-Mail

It's one popular internet service that allows one to send messages and files to anyone worldwide from any computer connected to the internet. With a Google account, one can send and receive notifications, images, files, and any other type of information. Apart from the computer, you can even access e-mail through different devices like laptops, smartphones, tables, or any other device with internet connections. E-mails are messages sent from one place to another using a network linking unit. Transmitting messages from one computer to another offers office workers the ability to communicate quickly through written messages with colleagues, co-workers, and friends.

Clearly, the above are just a few of the popular technological tools that help the workplace of an office to run more efficiently by providing a better working environment for both employees and visitors. Its impact in the workplace is much incredible since it has changed the traditional way of working. One should keep up with the evolving pace in technology in the most efficient manner. Business owners cannot afford to compromise their productivity, profitability, and security on their own but by implementing new technological solutions and facilities management software to ensure optimal profitability and productivity in their modern workplace.

Is trial-and-error a convenient approach for new business? This entirely lies in what the new business seeks to try since the method is experimental. While some trial-and-errors will see to the growth of the business, some might be detrimental as well, resulting in the closure of the business. Implementing a trial-and-error method in a business is among the best ways of learning through it consumes relatively much time. The approach is also highly effective for fast learners. This article will discuss how a new business should handle the trial-and-error method for a positive impact.

Trial and error and Your Business

Trial-and-error is an approach used by new businesses to solve some fundamental problems. As a new business owner, you are in constant fear of failing. You likely have zero or little knowledge of solving some business problems, primarily when you have never engaged in any business in the past. For this reason, you need to implement the trial-and-error approach in your business to determine the best way of solving business problems. The technique involves repeating various attempts until you succeed or until you stop trying.

Even though no business owner dreams of failing in the business, sometimes it is inevitable. However, failing in a business is common but how you take the failure is what matters. You may fail and decide to quit. On the other hand, failure may lessen your fears and increase your learning, which is trial-and-error. This kind of failure is a beneficial failure since it coaches you and your business's operations. Once you embrace the shortcomings in your new business, it is likely to last for a long time. You need to experiment first to determine whether a certain approach is the best solution for a particular problem. If not, you should proceed to the next potential solution.

How it Impacts the Business Growth

Everyone is prone to making mistakes, including business owners. However, how the business owner approaches the error determines how the business will move forward. The thing about mistakes is that you learn and improve from them. There are many hidden values in errors. However, you have to make these particular mistakes to understand what they have to offer. Thus, the concept of trial-and-error entirely lies in making mistakes.

While some people see making mistakes as a business failure, intelligent business owners use them to benefit their businesses. Without errors, there is certainly no room for learning and exploring new things, thus no improvement. In addition, new ideas are mostly born out of exploring new solutions after making a mistake. In the journey of building a perfect and successful business, certain errors give birth to new and great ideas. When you are open to errors, it is easier to improve your product and develop new ones.

Using these mistakes to improve and develop new ideas makes your new business more likely to grow. When your business is in constant success with no failures, you will likely take fewer risks. Risks are what contribute to big rewards in business. The main goal as an entrepreneur is taking risks. These risks will sometimes come with many mistakes and failures. Thus it is your obligation as the business owner to learn from them. Handling the mistakes instead of quitting will probably lead to discovering new ways of solving them.

Additionally, making mistakes certainly humbles you. As a business owner, you should be comfortable with the mistakes and failures of your business. This puts you in a position to learn better from them, unlike when you are uncomfortable.

By admitting your mistakes, you're likely to expand your compassion. You'll be more forgiving and understanding when your employees make mistakes since you are also aware that you make mistakes. This will enhance the growth of a resilient and robust team in your business. As noted, sometimes, the trial-and-error approach is the only convenient method of solving problems, especially in a new business with negligible problem-solving skills. The process guarantees a solution to various issues as long as you do not quit.

However, as a business owner, you should use this method as a final resort since it is unwise to use it in certain situations. For example, the method consumes a lot of time since you have to try out every potential solution to determine its ideal. This might be inconvenient for the solutions required urgently.

Gone are the days when consumers only had the choice between cash or card when shopping. Over the past few years, Buy now pay later (BNPL) providers, like Zip, have well and truly captured the attention of Aussie consumers and the market continues to grow.

According to Zip, Australian consumers are increasingly turning to BNPL as the service allows them to purchase goods or services and pay for them in instalments over a period of time. Unlike traditional credit cards, purchases made with most BNPL providers are interest free.

According to Zip, consumers are continuing to turn their backs on more traditional payment options, in favour of interest free 'buy now, pay later' (BNPL) platforms.

Data sourced from YouGov indicates that motivations to use BNPL include spreading the purchase over time, allowing shoppers to purchase something they might not otherwise be able to afford, helping to budget as well as interest free repayments.

Zip explains that BNPL allows customers to make large purchases without having to pay the entire amount upfront, which can help with cash flow.

The YouGov report also reveals that approximately 25 per cent of Australians have used a BNPL service and Zip says the high uptake has a lot to do with the ease and convenience of using these services. Zip Pay customers can add their Zip card to Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay for anything, as long as the store accepts contactless payments.

Customers can choose from flexible weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayments, which are automatically direct debited from the payment method that was added in the initial sign up.

There is no denying the Buy now pay later (BNPL) industry has changed the payments landscape in Australia, allowing consumers to spend and budget in new and more convenient ways.

In addition to offering BNPL, Zip also offers business loans. To learn more about the products and review terms and conditions, contact Zip directly.