Archive for the ‘Guest Columnists’ Category

With government budgeteers needing every dime they can find to make up the difference between revenue and expenses, and with the professional services category representing much more of the economy than it used to, why shouldn’t services be taxed like products?

CPA, financial advisor and guest columnist Carter Heim of HeimLantz has an answer:

State budget woes are in the news as often as discussions about the federal deficit.  As state legislators work to balance their states’ budgets, the topic of expanding sales taxes frequently appears in their discussions, including expansion to taxing services.  Maryland is no different in this regard.  In fact, over the past 10 years, this topic has surfaced on many occasions.

If you own a service business and you look into this issue, I believe you will be horrified at the thought of a new tax on your services.  Other businesses and consumers will likewise be unhappy with the thought of this type of tax.

The biggest obstacle to implementing a sales tax on services relates to the difficulty in administering it.  This complexity exists for both the State and taxpayers: the multi-state nature of both the customers and the taxpayer in many instances make it difficult to determine where the service takes place.

How does the service provider calculate the tax when the services are provided both at the out of state customer’s site and at the provider’s site in Maryland? How will the out of state provider of services to a Maryland business or consumer determine the amount of tax to be assessed where the services are provided both in and out of Maryland?

Sales taxes on services are a bad idea when applied to a host of services for many reasons, including the following:

1)   Discrimination against small and emerging businesses. Small firms typically find it necessary to use outside services while larger companies likely have in-house expertise that can provide otherwise taxable services at no cost.  Also, a small company whose services may become taxable will have to incur additional costs to establish and maintain collection and reporting mechanisms while larger companies likely have similar mechanisms already in place.  Diverting capital into payment of additional taxes and administrative costs limits the growth of small companies.

2)   Pyramiding taxes on services and final goods. Taxing services increases the potential for goods and services being taxed several times resulting in higher consumer costs.

3)   States with service taxes are at a competitive disadvantage compared to states that do not tax services. Not only does it discourage the use of services, but it discourages companies seeking to relocate or expand.

4)   Taxing services will affect those who can least afford it more than those who are well off. Sales tax by its very nature is a regressive tax.  The tax rate remains the same no matter what an individual’s income level may be.  If more services become taxable a larger portion of disposal income for those on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder will go to satisfy sales tax obligations than that of others who are more well off.

Suffice to say that taxing services is a bad idea.

In today’s always-on world it takes effort to screen the “too much information” or personal noise around us and focus on work.  Whether it’s online or in person, there are lots of opportunities to know everything about everyone.  But as guest blogger and management development consultant  Joni Daniels points out, it can hurt productivity.  Below are her thoughts on ensuring workplace decorum.

In Robert Frost’s second collection of poetry North of Boston, a man questions why he and his neighbor need to rebuild the stone wall dividing his farm from the adjacent farm.  The neighbor responds with the well known line “Good fences make good neighbors.”  I was thinking about this last week when a group of managers brought up the challenge of managing people who bring their personal lives into the workplace with full force.

They cite Facebook, and LinkedIn and Blackberry’s and IPhones as tools that, while connecting us in new and never before imagined ways, also keep us connected when it might make more sense to not be so bonded. The lines have become blurred between our activities that it has become common to be connected to anyone or everyone no matter where you are or what you are doing.

There is also a sense that the casualness of everyday communication has been translated to mean that bringing your home and personal life into the workplace is acceptable because you are being ‘authentic’ and who you really are is part being genuine.

We laugh, embarrassed, at a Senators ‘tweeting’ during the President’s State of the Nation Address. We sigh when a phone goes off during a speech (presentation, meeting, class, movie, church).  We churn when others take calls during meals, performance reviews, or dates. We cringe when we are behind the driver who is holding a device to the ear and changing lanes at the same time.

It makes me think about those fences and wonder why people don’t employ them a little bit more. I know that it’s hard to leave home at home and work and work – but focus is essential to effectiveness. A little maturity and compartmentalization might be a welcome relief.  It used to be called decorum.

In fact I like the idea of some mental fences between personal and work. People focused on getting the job done and the service or product out the door are entitled to what really amounts to good behavior, some correctness or respectability, and even some emotional restraint.

I’ll even go so far as to suggest that Managers are the very ones who should model it, ask for it, and teach it to their employees. Ask for handheld technology to be turned off (unless someone’s baby is due or they are waiting for an organ transplant). Request that people refrain from the emotional excess that can come with a family fight. Interrupt gossip and ask that people focus on the job at hand. A little ‘fence building’ might just be in order!

Today we digress to the national scene and last night’s state of the union speech.  Did the President deliver and set us on course?  Or did he come up short?  Have a look at the commentary of Chris McGoff, a consultant to government agencies and expert in organizational transformation (and yes, a Chris O. Communications client):

Mr. President, in the spirit of John Kennedy and Babe Ruth and Martin Luther King, declare specific, date-certain outcomes and declare that these outcomes shall be achieved within the next two years. Sir, to see progress achieved on your watch, you must declare the specifics on your watch.

(See the full text and insert your own comment).

The rumors of Leadership Anne Arundel’s demise are greatly exaggerated.

As a member of the 2010-11 Flagship class, I can attest that the program is alive and well. Since September we’ve toured three corners of the county, done mock legislative sessions, began planning a future session day, done a police ride along and had topical discussions with local politicians, business owners, government officials and non-profit leaders.

Lois Findlay

And we’re not even halfway there yet. LAA is an awareness-raising experience. Like infrastructure issues you take for granted. It’s a kind of behind-the-scenes appreciation tour. We’re getting to know our classmates well through projects and work sessions. On the bus tours we interacted with members of Neighborhood Leadership Academy and Executive Leadership Series. I’ve learned with LAA, you get out what you put in.

Many counties have a community leadership training program. In Anne Arundel, LAA has run those programs for 17 years. Though a bit Annapolis-centric, LAA aims to educate participants on the workings and interplay of government, commercial and non-profit organizations throughout the county.

Yes, LAA is undergoing a leadership transition. Patrick Lee, Jr. is stepping down as Executive Director after 4 years at the helm in various roles. He gave 6 months’ notice to allow for an orderly transition. I assisted him by writing a process manual, as a roadmap of how the organization gets its work done. Used to be, LAA had a full staff to do the work. Nowadays, it relies on a cadre of volunteers. This strategy can work with effective coordination.

Yes, turning over 3 Executive Directors in 6 years is not ideal for a leadership organization. The board of directors has to take some responsibility for that. The next hire is critical to the organization’s success, and likely its survival.

And yes, LAA has had its share of financial challenges in the last few years. What non-profit hasn’t? LAA must choose where to focus its limited resources. Personally, I’m for filling the programs. Flagship is down to 29 participants; the target is 45. The difference in tuition is equal to the net fundraising goal for the year. Having more classmates to bond with is the only way LAA could improve on my Flagship experience.

lfindlay@elementsconsulting.us

Some people love to talk about themselves, some would rather others do it for them.  Whatever side you fall on, you need a solid profile that tells your LinkedIn connections that you’re a credible business person.  Today we have Mark Amtower of Federal Direct who offers his second installment of how to maximize LinkedIn.

Amtower: Assuming you’ve written a profile, before you proceed and hit submit, read it aloud to yourself and see how it sounds.  The “sound test” – actually hearing it – is a good test and it’s important to be mindful of your goal(s) for LinkedIn: are you positioning yourself as a sales guru, a marketing genius, some other type of thought leader in your niche? Or are you positioning yourself as a manager or other executive? All elements of your profile need to support your goal.

Now that you are proceeding with your profile and filling in all the “experience” slots along the way, here are a few more things to do along the way.

-          when filling in past positions, make a list of former co-workers you’d like to stay in touch with;

-          look them up on LinkedIn and find a way to connect (if they list the old company, that is one way to connect) ;

-          identify those who have helped you along the way and write recommendations for them. Do not write recommendations for anyone and everyone, but those who have truly helped you. When they see the recommendation, they have an option on whether or not to post it. Regardless of their choice, they are prompted to return the favor. While not everyone does, many do. Recommendations on your profile add enormous credibility when they are sincere;

-          if you are using the Amazon reading list application, add books to it on a regular basis. Some people like to know you are staying current on various skills by reading. My caveat here is do not add books you have not read- sooner or later someone will ask about them.

-          if you blog, connect it at LinkedIn.

If you are involved in multiple social networks, make sure you say that on each of them. Pick one to be the “flagship” account and update that site more regularly. Trying to do all of them will eat too much time.

I have opted to make LinkedIn my main social networking platform and that is clearly mentioned at each of the other venues.

Today I have the definitive and eternal answer: read the post below from Mark Amtower.  Mark has developed an expertise in using this social networking tool as part of his work helping companies market to the federal government.  This is the first in an occasional series about how to maximize your presence on the ABN group, and, well, the rest of LinkedIn, too.

Amtower: Your LinkedIn Profile is what gets attention on LinkedIn or any social network. The more informational and readable it is, the more likely you will attract those you are looking to connect with. Make your profile a pleasant reading experience. Do not plug in your resume – you want people to spend some time reading this. Write your profile to attract those you wish to meet, and make it interesting.

With your LinkedIn profile, you have the opportunity to stand out from the crowd, to present yourself as a subject matter expert in your field.

The elements of a good profile include:

1. Fill out the profile completely, doing it a little at a time
2. Use short paragraphs in the Summary
3. Use the SEO-friendly keywords throughout your profile, especially in the Specialties section
4. Use a good photo, a headshot is best, smiling
5. Look at the applications and see which you are ready to use. If you are a reader, use the “Reading List by Amazon” tool. There are several to choose from. Select those you can leverage to highlight your area of expertise
6. Customize your LI url to include your name
7. At the top of your profile there are 3 spots for “My Website”- you can and should customize these to reflect the company name, the name of the web site, blog or whatever
8. There is a “twitter”-like box where you can say what you are up to. Use this at least once each week
9. To flesh out your profile, get granular. If you are a member of a professional association, list it. If you have articles published, or speaking engagements, list them. These make you look more like a subject matter expert and will also make your profile show up in more searches.

This is truly a large amount to do, so don’t even try to do it all at once. It is actually better if you do it a little at a time. Each time you update or alter your profile, the changes show up on your connections profiles, where they are alerted as to what their “network” is doing.