If everything seems to be working against you these days, maybe it’s time to sit down and think about life for a little while. What is it that you are struggling against? Is it something you can change? If not, why are you struggling against it? Are you wasting your time and energy? Is what you are doing worthy of your time and energy? Effort to change something can bring about wonderful results, but only if the thing you are trying to change is appropriate. Contemplate the words of Jimmy Dean: “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Complain with meaning

According to Leif Hokanson, of Personal Best Consulting, you shouldn’t waste your breath complain­ing about something to someone who can’t help you solve whatever has got your goat. Hokanson, says it pays to be a pragmatic complainer. He says that com­plaining to someone about something he or she can’t remedy is “akin to yelling at the rain.” The pragmatic thing to do? Find the person in charge of the sprinkler system—and ask him or her to turn the thing off.

Do you need 15 extra days a year to get your work done?

If you always feel harried and harassed to get every­thing done in your life, think about getting up an hour earlier every day. By getting up just one hour earlier every day for a year, you will add 15 entire days to your life to get things done, according to Leif Hokanson of Personal Best Consulting.

Are you educated—really?

Do you consider yourself an educated person? We’re not talking about where you went to school or how many Jeopardy answers you can come up with. We’re not even talking about everything you’ve learned from your experiences in the world. What we’re asking is are you educated? Do you know what you do and don’t know? That is the true definition of an educated per­son. Being educated means this: First, you recognize and admit what you don’t know and what you need to know. Once you have admitted to yourself and the world that you don’t know something, the next piece of being educated is knowing where and how to get what you need. Once you’ve got everything you need, the real trick is knowing how to use what you’ve gone out and gathered up. William Feather seemed to have got­ten this right when he defined education this way: “An education isn’t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It’s being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you need to know; and it’s knowing how to use the information you get.”

Study says one in five workers will leave jobs this year in search of balance

A recent KEYGroup® research study found that 18 per­cent of workers plan to leave their jobs in 2006 to establish a better work-life balance.

Dr. Joanne G. Sujansky says that workers are ready to go shopping for new jobs if they feel their work lives are overpowering their personal lives. Sujansky says that of the 1,700 workers surveyed, almost one in five had plans to look for a new job—specifically because of the “balance issue.”

Sujansky says she sees the survey results as an early warning sign of huge turnover to come in the United States work force. She says it seems even more signifi­cant that employees are planning to leave employers during a period of economic uncertainty—and that difficult times are causing them to assess whether working for a company that is stressing them out all the time and is unfulfilling is just not the way they’re willing to go in their lives. Sujansky recommends treat­ing employees like whole people who have important lives outside of work. Then you will likely have a work force that is grateful and loyal—not fleeing to look for something better.

“During such times, many senior leaders spend countless hours on ways to cut costs or jump-start revenues,” says Joanne Sujansky, CEO of KEYGROUP, a Pittsburgh-based consulting and training services company. “What they fail to realize is that if they don’t have the necessary leadership skills to run their business and to implement the changes correctly, those countless hours will have been wasted.”

Sujansky offers the following advice for today’s leaders:

1. STAND BY YOUR TEAM
   “People need to know you’re in their corner,” says Sujansky. “Support equals motivation. If they know they have your support, they will feel more motivated to do their jobs well.”
2. CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS
   “Take the time to get to know your team members,” she says. “Meet with them one-on-one with no interruptions – you’ll be amazed at what you find out. When people know you care, they will be more inclined to work harder.”
3. ACKNOWLEDGE A JOB WELL DONE
   Sujansky says it’s important to let people know they make a difference. “When people hear a compliment they are more apt to repeat the behaviours that got them the compliment in the first place,” she says.
4. SET SPECIFIC, CHALLENGING, YET ATTAINABLE OUTCOMES FOR TEAM MEMBERS
   “When you set specific goals from the beginning, you can avoid unnecessary surprises in the end,” she says. “It allows your team to more easily check their progress and ensures that they know what your expectations are.”
5. PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH
   “People want to know what you stand for, and they want to see that your values and beliefs guide you,” she says. “Your team will learn more from what they see you do than from what you tell them.”
6. KILL THE GRAPEVINE
   Rumours can wreak havoc on an organization. “The key is to squelch rumours before they begin to spread, and you can do this by simply keeping your team informed,” she says. “If everyone knows exactly what is going on, the chances for rumours to arise will decrease dramatically.”
7. NETWORK
   “Attend community events and industry conferences,” she says. “You may think it’s difficult to find good talent, but it is out there. It’s just a matter of looking in all kinds of places.”
8. IF YOU SEE A PROBLEM, FIX IT
   “Whether it’s a process, a way of thinking, or a machine, if it is not working properly, fix it as soon as possible,” she says.
9. DO IT NOW
   “Take a good, long look at your priorities,” she says. “Many of the tasks and chores that dominate our time are urgent, but not necessarily important. Don’t let the urgent drive out the important.”
10. SCHEDULE TIME FOR READING TRADE JOURNALS, BUSINESS BRIEFS, NEWSPAPERS AND BOOKS
    “As a leader, your team should see you as a resource,” says Sujansky. “When you are informed, you can provide valuable information that will help them accomplish their goals. The more informed you are, the more informed your employees will be.”
11. BE MORE, NOT LESS, AVAILABLE IN TIMES OF CHANGE
    “When your organization is going through a change, you should limit meetings and other commitments that may take you away from your team,” she says. “People need you most during these times. When they have questions, you need to be there with an answer.”

Well, the Democrats have taken over the House and Senate and most people are waiting anxiously to see what happens. Will the new leaders actually make progress toward their ideals or will partisan bickering result in gridlock? Will new scandals take the place of the old ones? Will the loudest, most strident squeaky wheels “get the grease”? If you’ll notice, most of our expectations seem to be negative. Regardless of your party affiliation, you’ve probably concluded that the political process itself is antithetical to real progress – beneficial progress, at least. And according to Joanne G. Sujansky, PhD, the same problem often afflicts companies.

“Never forget that although there is a huge difference between running a nation and running a business, human beings with human frailties are in charge of both,” advises Sujansky, CEO and founder of KEYGroup. “The same issues that cause problems in our, or any other government – selfishness, greed, petty bickering, lust for power – can creep into your company’s culture and interfere with productivity. Leaders must constantly keep a sharp eye out for such ‘political’ problems … in their employees and in themselves.”

So what is the cure for the politically driven – or perhaps politically hampered would be more accurate – organization? Sujansky says that no 100 percent cure exists, because human beings will always be, well, human beings. But your best bet is to transform your company into the kind of organization in which politics can’t take hold and thrive. Her term for such a company? Vibrant Entrepreneurial Organization, or VEO for short.

As Sujansky explains it, a VEO is an organization made up of employees who feel that elusive sense of ownership that drives them to innovate constantly, to execute relentlessly, and to work with a sense of passion – employees who do what is necessary to stay ahead of the competition. She says a VEO has five characteristics:

It shares the “big picture” people need to take personal risks and hold themselves accountable.
It inspires and nurtures employee loyalty.
It supports high productivity while minimizing stress.
It produces a winning tradition.
It elevates communication to an art form.
But first things first: before you can start transforming your company into a VEO, you need to recognize the telltale warning signs that you may have the antithesis of that: an overly political organization. Sujansky offers a list of symptoms to look for, along with some remedies you can start implementing now:
POLITICAL PROBLEM #1: Gridlock – Your company is at a standstill because no one can agree on what to do.

REMEDY: Start with the top leaders’ getting consensus around the common goals. It is also helpful for leaders to hold people accountable to following consensus guidelines during discussion/decision making. These include: providing each person an opportunity to contribute, giving people a chance to describe why they feel strongly about an idea with objective rationale when appropriate, listening to others’ opinions before responding, and trying to find common elements among the various ideas. Leaders can also develop shorter-term plans to “try” some ideas, thereby testing them for long-term use or giving multiple ideas a chance.

POLITICAL PROBLEM #2: Bureaucracy – People are so bogged down in paperwork, red tape, and stifling rules that their progress is hindered.

REMEDY: It is helpful for leaders to clarify those decisions that individuals can make on their own, those that they need to get input on, and those that they need to defer to others. For example, an employee may be able to make a less-than-$1,000 accommodation for a customer but may need to get approval from a supervisor for any amount above that level. You might also formulate task teams to review processes and levels of approval that can be reduced and streamlined.

“Often people just go through the motions without considering the option of changing a process or procedure based on the fallacy of ‘But we’ve always done it that way,’” explains Sujansky. “Additionally, leaders are wise to ask ‘What if?’ ‘What if we could change this process?’ … ‘What if we wouldn’t require this signature?’ … ‘What if we accommodated customers in a different way?’”

POLITICAL PROBLEM #3: Grandstanding (a.k.a. Brownnosing) – People pay lip service to leaders’ ideas to flatter and curry favor, but have no real commitment to implementing them.

REMEDY: Hold people accountable for following through on assigned actions. Leaders can do this by insisting on a detailed action plan with hard due dates and specific people charged with getting specific things done following each planning and update meeting. Action plans help to capture commitments and serve as an accountability record for subsequent meetings and discussions. If individuals are held accountable for getting things done – and reporting to their peers and managers about progress – they are more committed to follow through.

POLITICAL PROBLEM #4:The Two-Faced Two-Step-People talk out of both sides of their mouths, saying what they think the people they’re talking to at the moment want to hear.

REMEDY: “Leaders, it’s your job to set the stage for employees to be upfront and honest,” says Sujansky. “Whenever possible, adopt the devil’s advocate role to encourage employees to share bad news as well as good news. If they give you a compliment, ask them what you can do differently. If they describe the good points of a plan, ask them what could go wrong. And it is, of course, important not to ‘kill the messenger’ – make sure you aren’t punishing people for bringing up bad news or offering constructive criticism. Always encourage open, honest, and direct feedback and thank people for voicing their opinions.”

POLITICAL PROBLEM #5: Passing the Buck – No one takes responsibility for anything; people are always shifting blame to someone else.

REMEDY: Realize that chronic blame shifting is often a signal that employees operate in silos rather than working together toward one common vision. Consider job shadowing or an orientation session to expose people to other parts of the business. For example, marketing representatives can ride with salespeople on their calls. In a well-known credit card company, every manager is required to answer customer service calls at least one time per month so they don’t get too far away from the lifeline of the business. Help people “connect the dots” – in other words, make sure Sylvia in accounting understands how her job affects Paula in marketing, and vice versa. Ask people in different departments to share their goals and what they need from each other. They can also describe what they will do to better support each other, putting their commitments in writing.

POLITICAL PROBLEM #6: Laziness, Clockwatching, and Low Work Ethic – People have a sense of entitlement; they’re just “putting in face time” until they can go home.

REMEDY: Many workplaces need a shot of adrenaline. Find out about employees’ likes, dislikes, interests, talents, hopes, and dreams. Take a personal interest in them as people and share your enthusiasm and vision with them. Find ways to set realistic but challenging goals related to their areas of interest and skills whenever possible.

And don’t forget to coach them – provide ongoing feedback on what they do well and ask them for ideas on how things could be done more effectively or efficiently. Build in mechanisms and small rewards for goal accomplishment, change, and innovation rather than for maintenance of the status quo.

POLITICAL PROBLEM #7: Indirect Communication – Instead of talking to coworkers directly when they have a problem, employees complain to supervisors and talk about people behind their backs.

REMEDY: A VEO is completely transparent. Encourage individuals to ask questions and challenge the status quo. Remember, gossip, rumors, and backbiting thrive in a closed-door work environment. When there are no secrets or off-limit conversations, the rumor mill starts to dissipate.

“Obviously, leaders must make it a policy never to gossip or talk about coworkers behind their backs,” says Sujansky. “But also, communicate your intolerance for gossip and the rumors whenever you can. Participate in open forums on a regular basis, and emphasize the fact that you’re always accessible and available for inquiries or responses to rumors or fabricated hype.”

POLITICAL PROBLEM #8: Pork-barreling – Influential employees push through expensive projects that serve only one small part of the company.

REMEDY: In a VEO, high-level leaders make it a priority to communicate the overall vision and goals of the organization. They also provide criteria for budget allotments and selection of projects: for example, contribution to overall goals of the organization, support for the organizational vision and values, and estimated return on investment.

“When everyone is absolutely clear on what the company is working toward, pork-barreling is automatically curtailed,” says Sujansky. “People know better than to ask for money for ‘pet projects’ based on ego and personal gain.”

POLITICAL PROBLEM #9: Corruption – People are actually embezzling, fudging reports, and engaging in other unethical/illegal behavior.

REMEDY: Upholding ethical standards isn’t a “nice-to-do”; it is a “must-do” – especially in today’s accelerated marketplace. Leaders communicate an ethical environment by stating the ethical code and holding people accountable to it. Leaders also model appropriate behaviors that they want to see in others. Sujansky recommends providing a “whistle-blowers” forum for individuals to report unethical behavior without repercussions. Obviously, punish ethics violations and continue to promote a zero tolerance environment.

“When you begin addressing these problems, one by one, you will find that the entire culture of your organization begins to shift,” says Sujansky. “Why? Well, because the steps you take to defuse the political environment are the same ones that make your company more successful. Once employees start seeing positive results, they won’t need all the distractions and dramas anymore. They’ll be fulfilled by their work. That’s what it’s like to work for a Vibrant Entrepreneurial Organization – and once you break free of the political shackles holding you back, that’s exactly what you’ll be.”

Retiring baby boomers are leaving gaps in our work force that can be filled by only young people born between 1978 and 1990. But the transition comes with challenges and clashes. Never before has a generation been more enigmatic to Pittsburgh companies and more at odds with traditional work styles than Generation Y. This may not apply to all Gen Y’s, but our experience tells us that it is, indeed, true of a great many.

College grads in particular come to the workplace bursting with leadership potential. Helicopter parents — so called because they’ve hovered over these young people from birth — have raised them to believe they can achieve anything they want.

They’ve groomed Gen Y’s with a sense of leadership entitlement.

Understandably, Gen Y’s get along well in companies that help them develop their leadership potential. Gen Y’s want to participate in decision making, yet want independence in putting their ideas to work.

Even though they like autonomy in their work, they value feedback, especially when it acknowledges their skills and talents.

Gen Y’s can lock horns with companies employing more traditional employees. Gen Y’s can seem cocky, brimming as they are with urgency and impatience. But what they lack in patience and experience, they often make up for with technical savvy, multitasking ability and determination.

Gen Y’s need to become more sensitive to the impact their behavior can have on others.

Their impatience can come across as arrogant and annoy others who may then be less inclined to cooperate with them. Managers can coach Gen Y’s to improve their behavior, and elicit ideas from them about how to do things differently or better.

Luckily for Gen Y’s, they are fast studies.

Their reach may initially exceed their grasp, but they measure up quickly and thrive on responsibility.

The more challenge the better. They’re not slackers. If there’s work to be done, Gen Y’s will be ready, but they need to see value in the time they spend at work.

Playing purely functionary roles douses their motivation like water on glowing embers.

The Gen Y approach to work time also can creates misunderstandings. For them, the work day need not equate with working 9 to 5.

They value the flexibility to set nontraditional work schedules for themselves. If they complete work by 3:30 p.m., they’ll likely find it irritating to hang around until 5 busying themselves with contrived work.

Many Gen Y’s would rather work four days a week, 10 hours a day, so they can enjoy three-day weekends.

In our high-tech world, employees can more easily work flexible hours, job-share or telecommute.

Gen Y’s do not equate the workplace with a specific place to work. Their workplace is wherever they happen to be with their laptops, remote access and BlackBerrys.

Making allowances like these shows them that a company values the lives they have outside the office.

There’s no question that Gen Y’s have reacted against the way many of their baby boomer parents devoted their lives to companies while missing soccer games, recitals and family dinners only to be laid off at age 55 without much hope for finding other employment.

Hence, their sentiment is, “We’re not going to let that happen to us.” That’s why they seek companies that make work-life balance a priority.

Gen Y’s live in the present and expect personal fulfillment and professional advancement to happen now, if not sooner. Biding time for personal and professional fulfillment is not in their playbook.

In fact, some have been known to change jobs two or three times in as many years. But they’re not job hopping just to change jobs.

They may be looking for more responsibility, less structure and increased pay or flexible benefits.

In many ways, Gen Y’s are mature beyond their years. They may look young, but if you engage them, you’ll find many have matured in the harshness of the 21st century.

They’ve grown up in a world charged with violence and terrorism.

And most have excelled in high school and college while standing strong against the pressures to use drugs and to deal with a hypersexual culture fraught with sexually transmitted diseases.

They’ve earned their maturity by making tough decisions — a talent that can overlap into the work environment.

The reality is that Gen Y’s are out to make their mark in our society and will make their presence, personalities and contributions felt largely within the corporate sphere.

Let’s not get so caught up in their seeming bravado that we lose sight of the gifts they bring to the workplace.

More than anything, they want to be our valued and valuable colleagues.

You know the feeling. It’s that sense of dread that settles in the pit of your stomach. It’s a clammy feeling that envelops your hands. It’s that sense that somehow your designer shoes have been turned into a heavy pair of leaden boots.

You’ve just agreed to give a big presentation and you’re asking, “What have I gotten myself into?”

Even experienced speakers sometimes feel a flurry of nerves before a big presentation, so you’re not alone. But the pros also know a few secrets for giving a dynamic, memorable presentation that quickly dispels mild “stage fright” once they begin speaking.

Their overall strategy is to deliver a dynamic presentation that galvanizes an audience and leaves them “standing in the aisles?” Following are the seven secrets used by speaking pros that can make that strategy a reality.

Secret 1:  “Profile” Your Audience
You can’t wow your listeners if you don’t understand their needs. To begin, what are the overall goals of the speaking event? What outcomes does the sponsor hope for from your presentation? You need to understand who will be in the audience, what they may already know about your subject, what they want to learn from your presentation. Also try to find out as much as possible about the speaking environment itself. Will it be a large auditorium or a more intimate meeting room? Will you be able to use a sound system and PowerPoint equipment? Will the dress be casual or business? The more you know about your speaking environment the more comfortable – and confident – you’ll feel.

Secret 2: “Grab” the Audience’s Attention
The first 30 seconds are critical. You need to begin the speech by making a
personal connection with your listeners, which demonstrates that you understand their needs.  An anecdote or personal example may prove effective. Some speakers like to use attention-grabbing stories and facts. When you start strong you signal the audience that a strong presentation is coming.

Secret 3:  Sell It, Don’t tell It
Strictly informational speeches tend to be boring. The persuasive format presents the content as a way of solving a problem or achieving a goal. It transforms your speech content from a subject that is “nice to know” (maybe) to a subject that the audience “needs” to know.

Secret 4:  Make It Colorful
Don’t go overboard with the “facts and figures.” That’s the sure sign of a potentially drab presentation. In addition to personal anecdotes and stories, pepper your presentation with famous quotes, “fun facts” and props to help hold their interest.

Secret 5:  Animate Yourself!
Professional speakers know that small gestures and monotone deliveries tend to get lost, particularly with larger audiences. Learn to use vocal variety — volume or tone of voice — and body language to add interest to your presentation. You should try a variety of delivery techniques and rehearse frequently, possibly using video. The camera adds a powerful learning dimension to rehearsals and we all know that practice makes perfect.

Secret 6:  Engage Your Audience
Try to avoid talking “at” your audience or speaking over their heads. You can use rhetorical questions to keep listeners thinking about how your topic relates to them. Another professional technique is to take audience polls and use interactive activities to keep listeners involved throughout your presentation.

Secret 7:  Close with a Bang
Audiences tend to remember presentations that end on a powerful note. Start by giving them a succinct summary of what you told them – tied to your presentation introduction – and make a strong call for audience action. Remember … this isn’t just a passive information session. You should always try to compel your audience to put your information into action.

Also, professionals know that most audiences are on the speaker’s side from the very beginning. No one wants to be bored listening to a dull, seemingly endless presentation. And you don’t want your audience feedback forms coming back with mediocre comments on the value of the presentation.

When you approach a speaking opportunity with the goal of “Knocking their socks off” and you work hard to relate your content to the audience’s needs, you’ll not only gain a round of enthusiastic applause, you’ll be providing timely and important content delivered with enthusiasm, style and impact. That’s a win-win for everybody!

Dr. Jan Ferri-Reed, President of KEYGroup®, has over 25 years of experience helping leaders to create productive workplaces to retain talent — what KEYGroup® calls “vibrant entrepreneurial organizations.” She is a frequently featured speaker, guest commentator and consultant to a variety of industries and organizations of all sizes on culture, leadership and retention.You can reach Dr. Ferri-Reed at 800-456-5790 or www.keygroupconsulting.com

Successful Leaders Put Language to Work
I’ve worked with many excellent leaders over the years and no two were exactly alike. Some had great technical knowledge while others had great vision. Some were charismatic and inspirational, while others were introspective and insightful. But, no matter what gifts they brought to the role of leader, they all had one thing in common: their primary tools of leadership were words.

Leaders use language to inform, inspire, and persuade. Whether through speeches, vision statements, or annual reports a leader has to find the right words to connect employees and managers with each other, as well as with other stakeholders.

And when we’re trying to understand organizational culture, words are critical! The way people talk about their work, how they describe their customers, the job titles they use, and how they speak with co-workers all help to define the culture. But, sometimes you have to listen very carefully to catch a sense of the organization’s culture. Slogans, posters, and marketing campaigns, which are highly visible in some organizations, may not reflect the true culture. It’s what their leaders and employees say that really defines a winning culture.

Key Words Can Inspire Bottom Line Results
Language can be tricky, as Mark Twain observed. How often do we choose the wrong word, or use a term out of context, only to have it blow up in our faces? If you’re a presidential candidate these days the answer to that question is ‘often.’ And if you’re an organizational leader you have to be very sensitive to how your language impacts others. Do you use language that clarifies, motivates, and inspires? Or does your language tend to confuse, discourage, or demoralize?

Effective leaders use language that makes employees feel valued, encouraged, and respected. When communicating with individuals or groups, try to use language that reflects these needs …

• Words of Inclusion: Employees feel a greater sense of loyalty when you use terms like ‘team’ and ‘partner’ and talk about ‘our’ goals and customers. I also like companies that refer to employees using terms like ‘associates,’ ‘colleagues’ and ‘teammates.’ When you talk about ’subordinates’ and ‘workers’ you tend to create an “us versus them” mentality.
• Words of Empowerment: How do you empower you people? Do you express confidence in their abilities to get the job done (‘I know you can do it’ and ‘you’re the best person for the task’) or you do undermine them with expressions of doubt (‘I’ll give you a chance’ or ‘nobody else wanted to do it’)? Do you give employees ‘deadlines’ and ‘due dates’ or ‘goals and ‘targets?’
• Words of Success:Thriving organizations have a vocabulary of success; they use words that help employees understand what needs to be accomplished. People in winning organizations tend to use terms like ‘victory,’ ‘achievement,’ ‘result,’ ‘outcome,’ ‘performance’ and ‘payoff.’ In struggling organizations you’re more likely to hear people talking about ‘coming up short,’ ‘botching a job,’ ‘dropping the ball’ and similar phrases. The language of success is energizing while the language of failure is demoralizing.

Actions Speak as Loudly as Words
In these demanding times the best way leaders can ensure a dynamic, adaptable workplace is to encourage positive communication patterns. Whenever I visit an organization for the first time I like to wander around, listen, and observe the types of language being employed in speeches, memos, conversations, signs, and other communications. It usually doesn’t take me long to tell whether the culture is energized and positive or struggling and negative.

Wireless networks are becoming faster, more affordable and easier to adopt than ever. Growing small businesses that have adopted a wireless solution are already reporting immediate paybacks in higher productivity, flexible application mobility and greater worker satisfaction. Roughly 228,000 small businesses currently have remote access capabilities built into their networks for security monitoring and, according to America Marketing Institute, the number will double over the next 12 months.

A wireless infrastructure can make it easier to reconfigure your office space as your company grows and changes. Also, the total cost of a wireless local area network (LAN) is relatively inexpensive–it’s become very affordable in the past few years, and prices continue to drop. When you take into account productivity gains, both inside the office and at public “hot spots,” going wireless is an obvious choice, especially when compared to the cost of running a Cat 5 network LAN cable throughout a building.

If you’re interested in setting up a wireless network at your company, this guide will walk you through the steps needed to evaluate the role wireless networking technologies might play in your company’s overall networking solution, and help you understand the steps you need to take to implement the solution.

Step 1: Understand it. Learn about the benefits of wireless and how it can help your business save money and be more productive.

Wired networks may give the appearance of a busy office full of the latest equipment, but in reality, wires can be an inefficient networking medium. They can limit signal strength as well as make it more difficult to expand and reorganize your network configuration.

Wireless networking is a viable and affordable alternative that offers the benefits of making your environment more flexible. A wireless infrastructure allows you to effortlessly reconfigure your office space as your company grows and changes, easily extend connectivity and also allows employees to be mobile more easily.

Even though the cost of wireless LAN hardware and software can be slightly more expensive, this is offset by the wired LAN cabling and installation costs you can avoid. Add to that the soft-dollar saving benefits associated with wireless LAN and the convenience of being able to move around in a facility and stay connected, and your overall costs are lower still.

Step 2: Plan it. You should first conduct an assessment that includes an anticipated return on investment, and then investigate what it will take to integrate wireless technologies with your existing infrastructure.

Review the advantages and consider the benefits to your organization:

Reduced cost of installation. It may be significantly less expensive to install wireless access points compared to wiring your office with Ethernet capabilities.

Flexibility. If you regularly expand or reorganize your office space, or need to accommodate a variety of network configurations, the rapid transition time from one configuration to another that wireless provides can help reduce your network downtime. In addition, you won’t have to incur the costs associated with physically rewiring office space.

Convenient information access. With wireless, you’d have the ability to extend access to key information to anyone on your staff, from anywhere in the office, even when they aren’t physically connected to your wired local area network (LAN) connection. Do members of your staff regularly work away from their desks or stations, but could benefit from anytime, anywhere access to important data? Could you improve productivity by increasing access to important company systems? Do you have business processes you could streamline by reducing the number of times employees have to go back to their wired connections?

Wireless LANs are the way to go, especially where there’s no existing wired network. This is especially true in leased offices, where you can’t go knocking holes in walls
You should next consider what integration points you’ll need to address for the solution to work:

Evaluate your current and future networking needs. How is your current networking infrastructure configured? How many workstations, offices and conference rooms are connected to the network? How many are not connected that you would like to connect? How many people use the computers and communications systems in your company now? Does your staff conduct business at locations away from their primary work area? What kind of equipment does your staff use? Are they mobile with notebook computers and PDAs or do the majority of your workers use desktop systems? Do those who would benefit most from wireless, mobile access already use notebooks? And if you’re in a leased building with no existing wired network, setting up a wireless network is must simpler than knocking holes in the walls to install your network cables.
Formulate a plan. The equipment you buy and the way you configure your wireless network will be driven by your business needs and plan, so it’s important to develop a plan before you spend any money on equipment or other resources.

Step 3: Do it. Once you have a plan in place that defines how you want to add wireless networking capabilities to your office space, you can get down to the business of actually setting up your wireless network. It’s easier than you might think. The first step involves understanding the equipment involved in a wireless network.

Wireless LAN equipment consists of two main components:

1. Wireless clients, which are any devices capable of communicating over a wireless LAN, such as a notebook computer, printer or handheld.
2. Access points, that is, the centers of the wireless-to-wired LAN connectivity. These points aggregate wireless radio signals and then connect the two LANs. The access point is generally book-sized. It contains a radio transceiver, communications and encryption software, and an Ethernet port for a cable connection to a hub or a switch on the wired LAN.

Your next step is to actually build a wireless LAN, which you’ll do just like this:

1. Identify the equipment you want to buy, such as wireless notebooks, access points, wireless LAN adapters and wireless cards.
2. Determine the number of users who need to have access to the network. This will help you determine the number of access points you’ll need.
3. Plan for the connection to your wired LAN, probably in a central location and in an open environment. Your goal is to maximize the access point’s wireless range. The quoted range is a maximum of 300 feet, but that’s very dependant on the existing environment–walls, water pipes, cables and so on all could decrease the range. The best thing to do is complete a site survey first; if that’s not possible, assume a maximum range of 150 feet, as 300 could decrease throughput.
4. Configure your wireless devices to work with your network.
5. Test the installation before it goes live. Using link test software, you should test for the percent of data sent correctly, the time it takes to receive a response from the destination device, and the strength of the transmitted signal.
6. Establish a procedure to manage your wireless LAN.

Step 4: Use it. Because wireless communications are transmitted through the air rather than over a closed cable, you’ll need to implement some wireless-specific security measures to ensure that your wireless communications are secure. Wireless solutions use three primary tactics:

1. MAC (media access control) addressing. This ensures the network access point you purchase supports MAC which restricts network access by unauthorized devices by assigning each network card a unique hardware identification number.

2. WEP encryption. It’s essentially a complicated software algorithm that scrambles data as it’s sent and unscrambles it as soon as it’s received, keeping it safe in transit. It also ensures that you can easily upgrade your access cards as new wireless access standards emerge.

3. Traditional VPN (Virtual Private Network) securities controls. This allows users outside of your system to have access to it. Businesses that use remote access almost always use VPN and combined with the other tactics makes your wireless network extremely secure.

VPNs work by encrypting data before it’s sent over a wireless (or wired) link, so even if someone intercepts the transmission, the data is secure. Many larger companies use VPNs, but smaller companies may also just rely on standard wireless encryption. This will be okay if the wireless LAN is only used internally, but if you plan to use public ‘hot spots’, you will need to use a VPN.

Step 5: Support it. If you find you need additional help or support, or are planning a larger-scale implementation, there are numerous suppliers and consultants that can offer additional information and support. Hewlett-Packard, for example, offers access to mobility and wireless experts via live chat or via phone at (800) 888-0262. These suppliers and consultants can help you understand your options, configure your network, set up your systems, and get you up and running quickly and efficiently.

You might also hear it called voice over IP (VoIP) or voice over the Internet (VoI). A somewhat synonymous term, IP telephony most commonly refers to voice calls routed over a private intranet or wide area network (WAN), as opposed to the public Internet.

Making Calls over the Internet
There are some major differences between making a regular phone call and an Internet call. First, to make a phone call over the Internet, you need a multimedia computer with an Internet connection, a sound card, speakers and a microphone. Installing a specialized PC audio card will improve the quality of the connection and let you use a telephone handset for Internet calls.

Second, with regular phone calls, your voice travels over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a circuit-switched network that creates a dedicated, and thus high-quality, connection between you and the person you’re calling. With Internet telephony, your voice travels over the Internet, which is a packet-switched network. And since packet-switched networks were designed to carry data (as opposed to real-time communications), calls might experience delays and distortion.

Third, when making a regular telephone call, you’re charged according to the distance and duration of the call. When you make a call over the Internet, distance and duration are not important — your Internet service provider merely charges you a low, fixed-rate price for your Internet bandwidth. For this low price, it’s not surprising that you get a lower-quality call than over the telephone.

Telephony Software and Services
Although you need specialized software to make Internet calls, there are a number of free or inexpensive Internet-telephony products. Internet-telephony software traditionally used proprietary techniques, which meant that both you and the person you were calling needed to have the same software, but some vendors are now adopting a standard protocol. Still, unless you have a dedicated connection to the Internet and continuously run your telephony software, you have to schedule the call ahead of time.

It’s also possible to call someone’s telephone from your PC through an Internet-telephony gateway service, such as Net2Phone. Such services carry as much of your call as possible on the Internet and use the PSTN to carry only a small part of the call, allowing the provider to charge relatively low per-minute rates for long-distance calls.

Today, small businesses use Internet telephony primarily for international calls. Soon Internet telephony applications will become more popular. Unified messaging will bring all email, voice, fax and pager messages together into a single in-box, phone calls will be routed through calendar applications, and employees in different locations will be able meet online for videoconferences.

But ignorance definitely is not bliss when you’re dealing with the phone company. If you don’t scrutinize your monthly statement, you may be paying too much. At the very least, you need to ensure that you are not being overcharged or erroneously billed for something you didn’t order. Understanding your bill can also help you search for the best phone service deals.

The Bill
The typical telephone bill is divided into three sections. The first section provides a summary of the various charges detailed in the rest of the bill, including:

Monthly charges
Past-due amounts
Discounts
Charges for custom calling features
Monthly recurring charges
Total amount due

Taxes and Surcharges
The next section of your bill lists taxes or surcharges from your local carrier, long-distance carriers, and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). They include:

A subscriber line charge (SLC). This federally ordered charge is capped at $3.50 a month. It covers the cost of running a phone line from the local phone company into a subscriber’s home.

A presubscribed interexchange carrier charge (PICC). Long-distance carriers pay this fee to local providers for infrastructure such as outside telephone wires, underground conduits, telephone poles, and other facilities that link customers to the telephone network. Since the FCC doesn’t require long distance companies to pass this fee on to consumers, the charge appears on bills under a variety of names, depending on the company.

Universal service fund charge (USF). This charge, which varies by company, subsidizes local phone service to the poor and to rural areas, and for Internet access for schools, libraries, and rural health care providers.

Federal excise tax. Believe it or not, this 3 percent tax started as a temporary luxury tax in 1898 on telephone service to pay for the Spanish-American War. Proceeds currently go to the U.S. Treasury for general revenue purposes.

Gross receipts tax surcharge. States and municipalities assess this surcharge in different ways and at different rates. Proceeds go to local governments, which impose the surcharge on local phone company revenues.

Summary of Calls
The next section of the bill provides a detailed summary of all calls made during the last billing cycle. This information includes the date, time, and length of each call; the number called; and the cost of each call. Typically the bill categorizes calls by type — direct dial, calling card, or toll free — and by calling areas. Calling area types include:

Local toll. These include calls outside of your local calling area, but within your local access and transport area (LATA). These calls are also referred to as local toll or intraLATA calls. In most states, customers have a choice of companies for handling these calls, though some customers must dial an access code to reach an alternative provider.

Intrastate calling. Intrastate calling refers to calls that begin and terminate within the same state. Intrastate calls are long-distance calls or those that exceed the designated local calling area boundary.

InterLATA calling. This refers to calls made from your home LATA to another LATA within your state.

Interstate Calling. Interstate calling refers to calls originating in one state and terminating in another. For example, calls made between California and New York are considered interstate calls.

International. Refers to calls made from the U.S. to other countries around the world.

It’s important that you read your phone bill each month to ensure that you’re paying the correct rates, receiving the appropriate discounts, and being billed only for what you’ve actually ordered. Always be alert for any unusual charges, especially those with vague descriptions such as “service fee.” If there’s a regular charge on your bill that you don’t understand, ask your provider to explain it. You may be paying for a service you never use.

Once you’ve double-checked your bill, be sure to record all the payments you make to your phone company. These will likely qualify as ordinary and necessary business expenses that you can deduct from your corporate taxes.