We all know benefits of creating a collaborative teamwork environment. Where we often fall though is in creating and sustaining such a united front. We often hire brightest people, inspire them to be very best that they can be and then we forget to do simple things that will encourage their participation and loyalty.

If you are modeling a collaborative teamwork type of leadership you are definitely going to have a lot of followers. You will also truly make a difference in your world. You must honor your people constantly. You must show that you care for them. This means you, yourself, have to be in best position you can be.

As we head into a new year, still reeling from shock of 2001, it’s time to bring our corporations back to days of local business. Everyone knew everyone else. Each manager cared about his/her employees and about their progress. I urge you, as a business leader, to rethink way you are showing your people how much you care and need them. You are one who can bring back love in game (yes, even with a negative economy).

Consider these questions. What are you doing right now that makes people want to work for you? What are you doing that pushes them away? If you are unsure of either, ask two questions to your staff and request they submit their responses anonymously. These insights will open a new window of opportunity for you to improve yourself, and at same time, improve your team.

Does it sound like honoring your people means practicing a soft leadership style? It doesn’t. There is a distinct difference in “honoring” your people and babysitting them. I am a very aggressive leader. I am honest in telling people I need to see XYZ results by a certain deadline. However, I then ask what they require of me in order to get their job done. Part of my role as a leader is to make sure that they have all resources to do their job. By making sure they have what they need, asking for their input and providing them freedom to do their best, I am honoring them as a valuable part of my team.

In order for your collaborative team to prosper, there are certain things to keep in mind:

If you’re like most users, you haven’t. Yet preventive maintenance should be a part of owning a computer. When kept clean, equipment lasts longer, repair bills are reduced, work spaces look neater, and output is more reliable.

Have you ever looked inside your system case? Dust migrates into pc cases, brought in by cooling fan intake. Dirt accumulates especially fast if user is a smoker, or if system resides in a dirty, dusty environment.

Tech Essentials CPU Filters (#77-001) prevent dust from being sucked into case. A peel-off back lets you easily place one over all your fan intakes.

It’s easy to tell when filter requires changing. After you’ve changed one and seen built-up crud, you won’t want to leave your system unprotected again.

You’re probably thinking "Aw, I don’t need any fancy filters on my intake. I’ll just open case and vacuum it out, or better yet, just blow on it."

Ask any experienced technician if you should "blow out" dust from inside your case.

DON’T!

The dust will settle into slots on your motherboard. Dust will conduct static electricity, and nine times out of ten your motherboard will blow as soon as power is applied. Your experienced technician has already done this, and that’s how s/he knows.

Floppy disks and drives are particularly susceptible. As printed in inaugural issue of The Tech Essential "tiny dust particles can be like BOULDERS when reading media."