Lynn Lievonen

Personal Empowerment Techniques Must Be Used to Help Employees

ANAHEIM, Calif., Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Several management studies show companies fail to achieve their goals more than 50% of the time. Approximately 50% of first-time marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. Just over 40% of Americans who begin college fail to graduate within 6 years.

Are these seemingly unrelated statistics connected in some way? According to Bill Matthies, author of "The 7 Keys to Change: A New Approach to Managing Change to Live Better and Work Smarter," they are.
"Personal and business failure are inseparable. If people are not doing a good job managing change in their personal lives, which many to most are not, they won't be effective attempting to help manage change for their companies," said Matthies who speaks at conferences on change and management.
"Everything in your life, both personal and professional, is changing constantly. Most executives and employees find themselves reacting to change rather than attempting to control the process to influence the outcome," said Matthies, a planning and change management consultant who works with top management who lead organizational planning efforts at consumer durables and consumables companies. "And it's the same in our personal lives as well. However a 50% success rate is failure in any school I know of and it's my job to help my clients change that."

Matthies' book and keynote speeches includes personal empowerment techniques that help address employees' personal lives including describing the link to business.

"The 7 Keys to Change" includes many ideas, case studies and examples teaching companies and individuals how to implement change effectively.. Here are three ideas to help companies reach their goals:

•       Understand and address the limitations of your employees to do what you need them to do. Do not assume they are equally trained in planning and change management, or that they do not have personal issues that will detract from their ability to focus on the company's plans and change initiatives. An employee worried about their child's performance in school, their deteriorating marriage, or the loss of their 401k, is not going to effectively concentrate on the company's change initiatives.

•       Don't assume your senior management team knows how to plan or that they are of one mind as to how they should do it. While the basic tenants of planning are generally accepted as being What (the goals you wish to accomplish), How (the specifics of what you will do), How Much (the cost of plan execution), When (the dates the specific plan tactics must be complete), and Who (those responsible for each tactic), there is widespread disagreement and debate concerning how all this is done. Many plans fail for that reason alone.

•       Make sure you establish the right goals. "Increase sales," "expand distribution," "introduce new product line" are examples of common goals, but at what cost? If the company does not make money none of this will matter. Instead each of these would be better tactics designed to aid achievement of profit-oriented goals. "If you don't have clearly defined goals appropriate for your company you fail before you begin," Matthies said.

"While the subject of change management can be and often is at best tedious, Bill's real life examples and practical recommendations ring true from my own life and career experience, and do a great job of providing real and practical steps toward being a better leader, co-worker, family member and friend," said Jim Minarik, Chairman & CEO, DEI Holdings, Inc.

About Bill Matthies
In 2000, William Matthies founded Coyote Insight, a consultancy that helps corporate teams and individuals break through obstacles to change, innovation, and growth.
In 1986, he founded what was to become the largest independent market research/database marketing company in the consumer electronics and high tech fields. When he sold it in 1997, The Verity Group employed more than 400 people.
From 1977 to 1983, he wore several hats at Pioneer Electronics (USA), Inc. including Director of Market Research, Director Sales Planning, National Sales Manager, Special Markets, Vice President Marketing and, ultimately, Senior Vice President Marketing and Product Development.
One of the most rewarding facets of his 35+ years in business is speaking (and listening) to business audiences about taking their careers, their products and their companies to the next level. Audiences have included Microsoft, Apple, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and the Consumer Electronics Association at gatherings in the United States, Europe, Japan, Korea, and China.
Currently, he serves on corporate advisory boards, contributes to TWICE (the consumer electronics industry's major trade publication) and lectures at industry events on managing change, strategic planning, and customer relations.

CONTACT: Bill Matthies, +1-714-726-2901, wmatthies@coyoteinsight.com